Education

Oklahoma House backs boost to school-choice funding amid strong parent demand

April 9, 2026

Ray Carter

To ensure no families are left behind, members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives have voted to raise the amount of school-choice tax credits provided to families from $250 million to $275 million next year.

“The reason we are increasing the cap here is because it’s been popular, and because of the message from Oklahomans,” said state Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid. “Clearly, they are voting with their feet. And what they’ve been telling us is this is something they like.”

“Kids in the state of Oklahoma should not be limited on their outcomes, the rest of their life, based upon the ZIP code in which they reside,” said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. “And that is why we have championed school-choice policies in the state of Oklahoma.”

The Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit program provides refundable tax credits of $5,000 to $7,500 per child to cover the cost of private school tuition. The largest tax credits go to those with the lowest incomes.

Families earning up to $75,000 can receive a $7,500 per-child refundable tax credit; those earning $75,001 to $150,000 get a credit of $7,000 per child; families with income from $150,001 to $225,000 qualify for a $6,500 credit; those earning $225,001 to $250,000 receive a $6,000 credit; and those earning $250,001 and up qualify for a credit of $5,000 per child.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median income of married-couple families in Oklahoma is $95,573. That means the majority of married couples with children have incomes exceeding the program’s lowest-income bracket (the $7,500 per child bracket).

The families of thousands of children have used the program to shift children from public to private schools.

This school year, the families of 39,587 children used the Parental Choice Tax Credit program to send their children to a private school using $247.8 million in credits, according to the most recent report from the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Based on trends, demand is expected to exceed the $250 million supply during the 2026-2027 school year unless the cap is raised.

House Bill 3705, by state Sen. Julie Daniels and House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, was amended on the House floor to provide a $25 million increase in the Parental Choice Tax Credit program.

Notably, the school-choice program has allowed children to attend private school at a much lower cost than the per-pupil revenue provided to Oklahoma’s public schools.

Excluding cash forward and other savings, Oklahoma public-school funding from all other sources—local, state, and federal—was $9,586,994,906 in the 2024-2025 school year. Since public schools reported average daily attendance of 653,114 during the first nine weeks of the 2024-2025 school year, that translated into per-pupil revenue of $14,678.

In contrast, the average tax credit awarded to lower-income families has been less than the $7,500 maximum, meaning tuition at many private schools has been less than $7,500 per year.

Among welfare-benefit recipients using the program, the average tax credit has been $7,116 per child, according to the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Among families with incomes below $75,000, the average tax credit has been $7,106 per child.

Democrats opposed the bill, arguing that those who benefit from the program are wealthy and that the money should be spent elsewhere.

State Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, claimed only 0.085 percent of students using the program “qualify as low income.” Provenzano’s claim appears to count as “low income” only 345 students who use the school-choice program and are either homeless or classified as financially disadvantaged.

Provenzano’s statement also appears to indicate that she believes the 3,312 children who use the school-choice program and qualify for welfare benefits are wealthy, as well as 7,762 children from families with incomes of less than $75,000.

Contrary to opponents’ claims, Oklahoma Tax Commission data show that about 56 percent of children using the school-choice program this year are from low-income or middle-class families with incomes below $150,000.

The Tax Commission report also shows 76 percent of recipients are from families with incomes below the top bracket.

Defenders said Oklahoma families should have as many options as possible and should not be confined solely to the closest public school.

State Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, noted that the same year the Parental Choice Tax Credit program was created, lawmakers also increased public-school funding by $600 million.

“Our outcomes for reading and math haven’t changed—not one iota,” Williams said. “It’s time that we stop defending a system that’s failing our kids and do something about the system and make it better. Money’s a part of it, but it’s not the only thing. We’ve proven that.”

He asked why any lawmaker would want to “lock” a child in a system that has “failed over and over again.”

State Rep. Jacob Rosecrants, D-Norman, dismissed concerns about poor academic outcomes in Oklahoma public schools, arguing those poor outcomes should be expected because public schools “take everybody.”

He also argued that public-school funding should be even higher than the current rate of $14,678 per student.

“It’s a scam to say that they’re failing,” Rosecrants said.

He predicted demand for parental choice tax credits “will never stop.”

State Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, an Oklahoma City Democrat who previously worked for a teachers’ union, said the money should be spent to subsidize childcare instead of children’s education.

“It’s $275 million year after year that could be spent on other things,” Pogemiller said.

Democrats also argued that rural families cannot benefit from the program because there are not enough rural schools.

But supporters noted that there are many rural private schools, and parents are willing to go the literal extra mile to get their child in a good school.

State Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, recalled a young couple he knew, Myra and Sam, whose son struggled throughout elementary school in the public-school system. The family was very poor, Hill said, but from sixth to 10th grade, the parents made great sacrifices to place their son in private school, where the child received more personalized instruction and ultimately excelled.

That family would have benefitted greatly had the Parental Choice Tax Credit program been available at that time, Hill said. He said those families should get the maximum benefit from the taxes they pay the state.

“When they were fighting in order to put food on the table and get their kid out of a bad situation, Mister Speaker, their taxpayer dollars were still going to public education,” Hill said. “And in fact, as you and I know Mister Speaker, it’s $14,000 per year for that kid that they had to go to public education. All we’re saying is an average of $6,300 to help Myra and Sam out so their kid can have a shot. Mister Speaker, there’s a lot of Myra and Sams across Oklahoma. They just want better for their kids. And, yes, some of them are in rural areas where they have to drive an hour and 15 minutes, like some of my friends do currently, to get their kids to an excellent school.”

Hilbert noted that Oklahoma’s public schools are not being short-changed financially, receiving roughly $13 billion in total funding, compared to just $275 million for private-school choice through the tax-credit program, and that Oklahoma families have made it obvious they like school choice.

“Clearly, this program is working because we are just shy of the cap,” Hilbert said.

Caldwell said lawmakers must focus on giving children opportunity rather than preserving fiefdoms.

“It’s about hope,” Caldwell said. “It’s about providing a better future for every child in the state of Oklahoma. So, for me, yeah, I’m choosing hope.”

HB 3705 passed on a 70-19 vote. The bill now proceeds to the Oklahoma Senate.