The 2026 EdChoice Yearbook Superlatives

Who’s Leading the Way on Universal School Choice? 

The momentum behind universal school choice only accelerated in 2025. Across the country, lawmakers, families, and advocates pushed beyond incremental reforms and toward systems that truly put students first. 

This year’s Superlatives reflect where the biggest wins — and some setbacks — occurred. As outlined in The 2026 ABCs of School Choice, true universality is not just about who qualifies but whether families can actually use, afford, and rely on choice programs. 

That’s why EdChoice again evaluated states using three key pillars: 

• Universal Eligibility — Can every child participate? 
• Universal Usage — Can families use funds flexibly beyond just tuition to meet their child’s needs? 
• Universal Funding — Are programs funded in a way that makes access sustainable for all students who want to participate? 

Using this framework, the 2026 Superlatives recognize the states that expanded and strengthened school choice. 

National School Choice Week is the perfect time to celebrate how far we’ve come and to challenge every state to go further. 

Best Overall Universal State 

Winner: Arizona 

Arizona remains the gold standard for universal school choice. Every K–12 student is eligible, funding is weighted for student need, and families enjoy broad flexibility in how they may use ESA funds. 

By excelling in eligibility, usage, and funding, Arizona continues to demonstrate what true educational freedom looks like when policy is designed around families. 

Honorable Mention: West Virginia 

West Virginia’s ESA program is fully universal because the funding is included as part of the broader education budget rather than being voted on as a standalone item. Families have a wide array of approved uses, and the program is functioning well overall. Also, this year, the program will expand to all students and the requirement that students attend public school before enrolling will fall off. It’s a strong and positive model. 

Best Universal Funding 

Winners: Florida, Ohio, and Arizona 

Florida, Ohio, and Arizona lead the nation in funding the most students in school choice programs. EdChoice ranked these states as the top three in our recently published Funded Eligibility Rankings. 

All three states have 100% funded eligibility, meaning these states will pay for all interested students to participate in a program. In theory, Florida could offer ESA funds to all of its nearly 3.5 million K-12 students, Ohio could do so for its nearly 1.8 million students, and Arizona could do so for its nearly 1.3 million students. 

Best Universal Options 

Winners: West Virginia and New Hampshire 

West Virginia and New Hampshire earned top marks for allowing families to use education funds in the most flexible and practical ways.  

EdChoice considers a school choice program to offer universal options if the program allows dollars to be spent on at least 8 out of 15 educational goods and services, which include private school tuition, tutoring, technology, uniforms, online learning, therapies, activities, transportation, textbooks, curriculum materials, testing fees, after-school care, and career training, among other expenses. Programs that require money be spent on tuition first are excluded. 

The kind of flexibility these programs offer is essential for students with special needs, rural families, and any family seeking hybrid or non-traditional learning options. 

Most Effective Implementation 

Winners: Tennessee and New Hampshire 

Tennessee and New Hampshire led the way on turning policy into practice, proving that school choice works best when implementation is taken seriously. 

Both states saw enrollment explode this year. Tennessee quickly hit its 20,000 enrollment cap after the state saw over 50,000 students apply for its Education Freedom Scholarship ESA in just the first couple days after applications opened. The website crashed temporarily due to overwhelming demand. The state is looking to return to session to cover the waitlisted students. 

New Hampshire’s initial 10,000 enrollment cap for the Education Freedom Account ESA, which moves automatically with demand, saw this escalator triggered shortly after its universal expansion became law, bumping up the cap to 12,500 for 2026. Several students are classified as exempt from the cap, and the program administrator continues enrolling them on a rolling basis. Children’s Scholarship Fund NH, the independent administrator of the program, cuts through much of the bureaucracy many other states face and prides itself on a parent-forward approach. Plus, each transaction is reviewed by hand, an approach enabling robust transparency and anti-fraud oversight. 

Honorable Mention: Arkansas and West Virginia 

Arkansas’ program participation saw a 226% increase from 14,297 in 2024-25 to 46,578 in 2025-26. This makes Arkansas the state with the largest percentage growth in participation.

West Virginia’s ESA has seen strong implementation as well, especially after the state addressed and improved issues with a previous platform vendor. 

Most Participants 

Winner: Florida 

Florida has the most participants by raw numbers of any school choice program in the country. 

More than 280,000 students participate in Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options ESA. 

Biggest Legal Win 

Winner: Missouri 

Over the summer, Missouri was able to block an attempt by the teachers union to halt the expansion of MOScholars, the state’s ESA program. The legal decision came just as school was starting, meaning thousands of students with disabilities and children from low-income families were able to reap the benefits of the program’s expansion this school year. 

EdChoice Legal Advocates attorneys represented three families who planned to use the expanded program, playing a key role in defending MOScholars and securing this important ruling. 

Honorable Mention: Alabama 

Alabama scored a win for its Choose Act students last year when a judge blocked the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s rule forcing students who participate in the ESA program to spend a year on the bench. Gov. Kay Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter had sued over the Association’s rule, which singled out students for disfavored treatment if they used the CHOOSE Act to change schools. 

Most Inspiring 

Winners: New Hampshire and Idaho 

New Hampshire and Idaho stood out not only for what they achieved within their own borders, but for how their leadership helped inspire reform elsewhere.  

New Hampshire hosts one of America’s most innovative educational choice programs, joining four other states not only in offering a truly universal choice program, but rethinking public education. The Education Freedom Account Program is tied to the state’s education funding formula and offers a wide array of qualifying educational expenses. It empowers all Granite State families to choose how the state funds set aside for educating their kids can best meet their needs, setting the stage for a robust, free marketplace of education, where the money follows the child, not an arbitrary district. 

Idaho legislators bucked the ESA trend — they thought implementing a fully refundable tax credit for K-12 education expenses would be more tenable and straightforward. Though it was hard fought, they proved you could get a good program passed without having to compromise. Idaho’s Parental Choice Tax Credit offers a broad list of uses, and the lack of testing requirements makes it one of the least burdensome programs in the nation. The program also hasn’t been bogged down by administrative rules and regulations during implementation in the same way Oklahoma’s refundable tax credit was. 

Idaho’s efforts have energized and guided Montana’s efforts — moving towards 2027, Montana’s leadership has been inspired by their neighbor’s success and will be working on a bill similar to Idaho’s. 

Honorable Mention: South Carolina 

South Carolina is also inspiring because at first, initial application numbers for its ESA were underwhelming, but when the courts effectively halted the program, the legislature responded with a fix bill that allowed more students to participate. Since then, applications have surged, and the program is expanding to serve even more students this school year. 

Most Innovative 

Winner: Idaho 

Idaho distinguished itself through creative and forward-looking policy design by enacting a fully refundable tax credit for K-12 education expenses at a time when most states were opting to pass ESA programs. 

Idaho allows a student portfolio of academic achievement in lieu of mandatory testing, and it offers a range of designated educational expenses, making this program one of the most student-focused and parent-trusting in the country. 

Honorable Mention: Indiana 

Indiana scored an incredibly innovative victory for school choice when an Indianapolis task force recommended the creation of the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, which would have power over buildings, buses, and taxes for Indianapolis schools, both district and charter.  

If state lawmakers turn the recommendations into law, it will be a significant change for Indianapolis Public Schools, which too often clashes with charter school advocates over buildings and transportation rather than focusing on educating children. 

Most Improved 

Winner: New Hampshire 

New Hampshire made the most impressive gains in 2025 and achieved truly universal educational choice, becoming the fifth state to do so. The Education Freedom Account program, already tied to the state’s education funding formula and offering a wide array of qualifying educational expenses, achieved this feat when its income cap was lifted.  

The Granite State has positioned itself as an extremely effective choice environment going into 2026. 

Biggest First Step 

Winner: Texas 

Texas took a massive step in 2025 towards potentially becoming one of the country’s most formidable school choice environments. The Lone Star State created the Texas Education Freedom Accounts ESA program, launching this year, which offers a generous $10,500 average account to approximately 80,000 students. The program has received a Texas-sized investment of $1 billion dollars in its first year. 

This substantial investment in freedom is a part of a growing trend. No longer do states need to create small scale programs and “wait and see” how they operate. The successful outcomes of school choice programs and the demand from parents require states to grant robust educational freedom for their constituents.  

As they say, “everything’s bigger in Texas.” So is their first step! 

Biggest Threats to Educational Freedom 

Winners: Utah and Arkansas 

While progress continued nationwide, Utah and Arkansas saw some setbacks. 

Utah judge ruled that the Utah Fits All ESA program is unconstitutional in April, leaving the program still operating but in limbo as a lawsuit from the teachers union proceeds. 

Late last year, Arkansas proposed banning families from using their Educational Freedom Account ESA funds on team sports, which would profoundly affect homeschoolers in the state. The rule is not yet finalized. 

All Eyes On: 

Mississippi, Montana, and Louisiana 

These states are poised to shape the next wave of universal school choice with legislative, legal, and implementation developments that could dramatically expand educational freedom. 

In Montana, after a tough fight in 2025 over school choice, the state is preparing for another battle in 2027. Governor Gianforte has opted into the federal tax credit, but he is demanding more — with its neighbors WY and ID applying pressure, the Treasure State is refusing to be left behind. Leadership has taken note of Idaho’s refundable tax credit approach to education freedom, and they are in talks to draft a similar program.  

In Louisiana, the fight for adequate funding continues. Last year, funding fell short, leaving roughly 30,000 students without access despite clear demand.  

Mississippi is moving quickly. A bill that includes a universal ESA has passed the House, a major accomplishment. The bill is now headed to the Senate Education Committee for consideration. Mississippi is surrounded by states with universal school choice, adding momentum to the effort. 

Biggest Potential 

The Federal Tax Credit 

The new federal tax credit has the potential to unlock educational opportunity for millions of families nationwide, especially if states with limited school choice programs sign up.

As of this week, the governors of 23 states have officially opted in to the federal tax credit, which permits scholarship granting nonprofits in the state to receive contributions from donors who claim a federal tax credit for their donation. Virginia was the first state to file the required paperwork, followed by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Notably, two Democrat governors — in Colorado and North Carolina — have indicated they plan to allow scholarship nonprofits funded by federal tax credit donations to operate in their state as well.

The federal tax credit will advance school choice as a mainstream issue. All families deserve the best possible education path for their children, and the federal tax credit has massive potential to move the nation towards that goal. 

The Big Picture 

The 2026 EdChoice Superlatives show a school choice movement that is no longer experimental — it is becoming the new normal. 

Families are demanding more schooling options, and the best programs are proving that school choice can offer universal eligibility, flexible uses, and be fully funded. 

When educational freedom is truly universal, as Milton and Rose Friedman envisioned, every child has the chance to succeed.