After Texas set a nationwide record with 274,000 applicants to its new school choice program – the most in a program’s first year – the fight to characterize the applicant pool continues.
Media outlets wrote that “most” of the applicants were white, well-off and already in private school, but the facts say otherwise.
While 45% of applicants are white, the majority (55%) are Hispanic, Black, Asian, American Indian and multiracial.
Middle-class and wealthy families did apply, but the percentage of lower-income families aligns closely with the overall number in the state. And the state’s priority on lower-income families and special needs students means only those students should receive scholarships in the $1 billion program’s first year.
Statistics, such as the high number of private school applicants, are normal when a program starts but tend to level out, said Colyn Ritter, a research analyst with EdChoice, a leading school choice advocate, who took issue with how outlets have characterized the program.
