A new report ranks Oklahoma among the 10 best states in the nation for parental empowerment and educational choice.

The 2025 Parent Power! Index, released by the Center for Education Reform (CER), analyzes educational opportunities state by state and highlights the success and failure of laws to ensure the availability of education that meets the needs of every child and family.

“Parents understand there is no single school solution that meets the needs of all learners. Smart state leaders throughout the country are listening and working to enact laws that allow for a proliferation of diverse educational options,” said CER founder and CEO Jeanne Allen. “When strong education freedom laws reflect parents’ demands for flexibility, innovative, dynamic new school models emerge—and families, students, and communities thrive.”

Oklahoma received high rankings for its school-choice programs, such as the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit program, the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program, and the Equal Opportunity Scholarship Program, as well as its public charter-school laws.

The report’s section on Oklahoma’s school-choice programs noted, “Going from nearly zero to 100 in a few short months, the state in 2023 enacted a universally available refundable tax-credit program giving families the opportunity to personalize their students’ education,” noting that process “resulted in thousands more opportunities created virtually overnight.”

Gov. Kevin Stitt and state lawmakers were singled out for praise in the report.

The report’s section on state leadership states, “Governor Stitt has been one of the boldest education freedom champions in the country, with efforts that brought a universal tax credit to low-income families and a new statewide charter board that should allow for more schools to be created, including virtual charters. He is also spearheading the recruitment of education providers to his state that will bring more innovations and opportunities to Oklahomans.”

The report also praised state lawmakers and singled out the leadership of former House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka.

“After initial concerns from rural lawmakers, the legislature answered the call and put forward key pieces of legislation that embraced parent power and pushed Oklahoma to new levels of education freedom,” the report states. “Speaker Charles McCall has a positive relationship with the governor, and further education opportunities arrived ‘Sooner’ rather than later.”