Universal school choice has quickly moved from a niche policy goal to a standard part of the state education playbook. 

Four years ago, zero states had a universal school choice program. West Virginia became the first state to adopt such a policy in 2021, and states across the country rushed to follow suit. Some states expanded eligibility for existing programs, like in Arizona and Indiana, while others established new ones, like Iowa and Alabama.

Today, 34 states have some version of a private school choice program and 17 of those states have enacted universal education choice programs.

In simple terms, “universal school choice” means every K–12 student is eligible to access a state-supported choice program, such as an education savings account (ESA) or scholarship. Earlier versions of school choice laws typically limited eligibility to a narrow category of students. 

As the nation celebrates National School Choice Week, participation in these programs is hitting new milestones. Arizona delivered the latest one last week, and states like Texas and Indiana may be next in line. 

Four states now have more than 100,000 students enrolled in their private school choice programs, according to our national partner EdChoice: 

  • Florida: 280,000+ students 
  • Ohio: 170,000+ students 
  • North Carolina: 103,400 students 
  • Arizona: 100,000+ 

Arizona’s Milestone Shows How ESAs Have Changed 

Arizona is the newest state to cross 100,000, and its path captures the bigger shift in ESAs. 

Arizona’s first-in-the-nation ESA program launched in 2011 with eligibility limited to students with special needs. Over time, eligibility expanded to additional categories, and in 2022, the state made every student eligible. Enrollment surged after that change, reaching 100,000+ students as of January 20, 2026. 

That “targeted to universal” arc has repeated across the country. Many states are now moving faster, because lawmakers can see what happens when families get access. They use it. 

Arizona also spotlights the state-based work that turned ESAs from a niche program into a model other states could adopt. The Goldwater Institute has long been at the center of that work in Arizona, and the policy tools pioneered there are now spreading nationwide. 

And Arizona is not the only example of how affiliates and partners made universal school choice real: 

  • In Tennessee, the Beacon Center spent more than a decade building the case for choice, starting with an ESA for students with special needs in 2015 and culminating in a universal program in 2025. 
  • In Texas, the Texas Public Policy Foundation helped lead years of coalition work to pass an ESA program designed to scale in the country’s second-largest state. 
  • In New Hampshire, the Josiah Bartlett Center helped drive an ESA design that avoids the “waitlist by default” problem by tying access to the funding formula rather than a fixed cap. 
  • In Idaho, the Idaho Freedom Foundation and Mountain States Policy Center were part of the coalition that secured a new refundable tax credit for education options. 
  • In Wyoming, the Wyoming Liberty Group has advocated for universal eligibility, successfully building momentum for a universal ESA secured last year. 

The Next Phase is Universal Funding 

Passing a program is not the end of the story. The next fights are about whether programs are adequately funded and designed so all families can use them as intended. 

In Tennessee, demand immediately outpaced supply: the state hit its 20,000 cap after more than 50,000 students applied within days, and lawmakers are considering how to serve waitlisted families. 

Other states are seeing similar pressure. Arkansas saw participation jump from 14,297 to 46,578 in one year, a 226% increase. 

This is where the “universal” label moves from theory to reality. Eligibility on paper matters, but families also need programs that are funded, stable, and workable. 

Texas is the next obvious state to watch because of its size and the pace of recent progress, with strong groundwork laid by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. 

The Takeaway 

Universal school choice is no longer a niche moonshot. It has become the norm for states seeking to empower parents and improve academic outcomes, and the participation milestones and skyrocketing demand are proving it.

For reporters, the story is not just which states passed bills. It is which states are expanding eligibility, funding, and scaling programs that families can actually use.

For policymakers, the path is clearer than it was even a few years ago. Many of the unknowns regarding program design and implementation are lessons that have been in the states that went first. SPN affiliates are sharing these lessons to inform and improve the playbook for states like Mississippi and Montana, where efforts to enact universal programs have not yet succeeded.

If you are covering this movement or designing policy in your state, SPN can connect you with state experts who have passed, implemented, and defended these programs.

Media and policymakers can reach SPN at walsh@spn.org.