Map Shows Best States for 'Education Freedom'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Florida is the top state for "education freedom," according to a study by the American Legislative Exchange Council.
The nonprofit, formerly known as the Conservative Caucus of State Legislators, helps state lawmakers across the U.S. write legislation. In its 2025 Index of State Education Freedom report, it ranked states after scoring them on school choice programs and the availability of various educational environments.
Why It Matters
At least 29 states have implemented a program that uses vouchers, tax credits or scholarships to help parents pay for private school or education costs outside the public school setting, and more than a dozen states in recent years have launched or expanded programs that make most students eligible.
Advocates say the programs give students a way out of underperforming public schools and let parents choose how best to educate their children. But critics say the programs drain money from public schools to help wealthier families whose children were already attending private schools.
What To Know
The index scored states based on the availability of charter schools, homeschooling, virtual schooling and open enrollment policies. The index also ranked each state based on the "education freedom" programs on offer, with the most points available for this category.
Florida, which topped the index with a total of 89.87 points, was the only state to receive an A+ grade. Arizona (79.62), Arkansas (77.12), Oklahoma (72.93) and Iowa (72.78) rounded out the top five.
New York ranked last on the index, with a score of 9.96 and an F grade. The other states in the bottom five also received F grades and were the only ones in the country to receive scores less than 20 points: Massachusetts (14.47), Oregon (15.02), Rhode Island (15.23) and Kentucky (19.57).
According to ALEC's report, which was released in January, states scored higher if "education freedom" programs, including education scholarship accounts and voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs, were not subjected to funding or enrollment caps. Points were also awarded based on the program's participation rate.
States also received more points if they did not cap charter school growth, when state law gave charter schools flexibility to operate freely and when those schools received similar funding to public schools.
More points were awarded to states where parents were not required to provide notice that they were homeschooling and those that had fewer regulations about homeschooling. States also earned higher scores when virtual schooling was available statewide, and points were awarded to states that allowed intradistrict and interdistrict open enrollment.
What People Are Saying
Andrew Handel, the director of the Education and Workforce Development Task Force at ALEC, wrote in the report's introduction: "We are in the midst of an educational renaissance in America. At the time of writing, a record 12 states are empowering (or will soon be empowering) every family and every student with education freedom. These states recognize the unique needs of each student and that parents, not government bureaucrats, are best positioned to determine those needs and choose a school that best fits their student."
Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association, said in a statement in January: "Every student deserves fully-funded neighborhood public schools that give them a sense of belonging and prepare them with the lessons and life skills they need to follow their dreams and reach their full potential. Instead of stealing taxpayer money to fund private schools, we should focus on public schools—where 90 percent of children, and 95 percent of children with disabilities, in America, attend—not take desperately needed funds away from them."
What Happens Next
Earlier in April, the Texas Legislature approved a $1 billion education bill that allows families to use taxpayer money to pay private school tuition. Lawmakers in several states are also considering bills to advance new school choice programs.
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