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Ahead of key Supreme Court arguments, here’s which states have passed school choice measures

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The U.S. Supreme Court will consider the establishment of the nation’s first religious charter school next week, a case that could have key implications for school choice across the country.

A huge majority of states have implemented some form of school choice in recent years, but only a little more than a dozen have adopted programs that make private school choice universally available to K-12 students.

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Here is the full list and a timeline of the school choice movement in recent years.

TENNESSEE AG OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SCOTUS CASE AFTER ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY’ REVERSAL IN LOWER COURT

A map of US states that offer universal private school choice programs. (Fox News)

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Alabama

Alabama passed its CHOOSE Act in 2024, which establishes an education savings account (ESA) that will soon be open to all families in the state.

Arizona

Arizona became the first state to offer universal school choice for all families in 2022, launching an $800 million program that gives parents $7,000 to put toward their children’s tuition.

Arkansas

Arkansas’s S.B. 294 established choice programs open to all students, regardless of income or disability status.

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The accounts allow families to spend state money not just on tuition but also on other approved expenses, such as tutoring, online courses and instructional materials.

Bill Lee visits a Tennessee classroom

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee told Fox News Digital a universal school choice proposal is not intended to neglect the need to support public schools in the state. (Office of the Governor of Tennessee)

Florida

Florida’s H.B. 1, passed in 2023, established choice programs open to all students, regardless of income or disability status.

The accounts allow families to spend state money not just on tuition but also on other approved expenses, such as tutoring, online courses and instructional materials.

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Idaho

Idaho launched its first private school choice program through a refundable tax credit. Families can receive up to $5,000 per child for private educational expenses, with $7,500 available for students with disabilities. The program is capped at $50 million annually and prioritizes families earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level (about $96,450 for a family of four).

SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE IF FAMILIES CAN OPT OUT OF READING LGBTQ BOOKS IN THE CLASSROOM

Iowa

Iowa’s H.F. 68, passed in 2023, established choice programs open to all students, regardless of income or disability status.

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The accounts allow families to spend state money not just on tuition but also on other approved expenses, such as tutoring, online courses and instructional materials.

Indiana

The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program grants a voucher to qualifying K-12 students that they can put toward private school tuition.

In order to qualify, students must be residents of Indiana and a member of a household that makes an «annual income of not more than 400% of the amount to qualify for the federal free and reduced price lunch program.»

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school choice signs

Signs in the grass during a rally celebrating National School Choice Week on Halifax Mall in front of the Legislative Building in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Jan. 24, 2024.

Montana

Montana has two major school choice programs, but only one of them is universally available. The more restricted program is a standard ESA, but students must have special needs or have some other form of disability in order to qualify.

The more expansive program is a statewide tax credit scholarship program that «allows individuals and corporations to claim a 100% tax credit for contributions to approved Student Scholarship Organizations,» according to EdChoice.

The average scholarship value for participating students is $2,190.

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North Carolina

North Carolina has a major voucher program that is available to all students across the state, but is limited by a budget cap.

Qualifying students will get an average voucher value of $5,701 to put toward private school tuition costs, transportation, equipment or other costs associated with attending school.

After baseline qualifications are met, vouchers are granted based on household income. 

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Ohio

Ohio’s school choice program awards $6,166 for grades K–8 and $8,408 for grades 9-12 to qualifying students.

Students must meet one of a series of qualifications in order to receive the award, and parents must submit their income information.

Oklahoma

Like Montana, Oklahoma employs a tax credit system to allow for school choice in the state.

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«The Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit provides parents of students in private school with a refundable tax credit ranging from a minimum of $5,000 up to a maximum of $7,500 per child to cover the cost of private school tuition and fees, or it provides parents of students in home school a refundable tax credit of $1,000 to cover the cost of unbundled educational expenses,» according to EdChoice.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to students, parents and staff at Nolan Catholic High School about his school choice plan on April 19, 2023. (Amanda McCoy/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Tennessee

Tennessee passed the Education Freedom Act of 2025, creating a universal ESA program. Families receive $7,000 per student, which must first be used for tuition but can also cover other educational expenses. The program starts with 20,000 scholarships, with half reserved for students from families earning up to 300% of the free and reduced-price lunch threshold and students with disabilities. If at least 75% of scholarships are awarded, the cap will rise to 25,000 students in 2026.

Utah

Utah’s H.B. 215, passed in 2023, established choice programs open to all students, regardless of income or disability status.

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The accounts allow families to spend state money not just on tuition but also on other approved expenses, such as tutoring, online courses and instructional materials.

West Virginia

West Virginia employs an ESA program to allow universal school choice for private schools, and it also has «intra-district and inter-district public school choice via open enrollment,» according to EdChoice.

The ESA program grants an average of $4,299 toward private school tuition costs.

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Wyoming

Wyoming passed HB 199 in 2025, expanding its ESA program by removing income restrictions and making it fully universal starting in 2025-26. Renamed the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship, the program will provide families with $7,000 and be funded through a $30 million appropriation. Participating students must be assessed on academic progress.

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Japón: Hiroshima llama al mundo a abandonar las armas nucleares 80 años después de la bomba atómica que devastó la ciudad

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Japón conmemora este miércoles el 80º aniversario del lanzamiento de la bomba atómica sobre Hiroshima, con una ceremonia que espera un récord de países participantes, en un contexto marcado por llamamientos a abandonar las armas nucleares y las guerras en Ucrania y Oriente Medio.

A las 08.15 del 6 de agosto de 1945, Estados Unidos arrojó su bomba atómica sobre esa ciudad nipona, lo que mató a unas 140.000 personas. Tres días después, un proyectil idéntico cayó sobre Nagasaki y dejó otros 74.000 fallecidos, aproximadamente.

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Estos dos ataques, que precipitaron el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, son los únicos casos en la historia en los que se han utilizado armas nucleares en tiempo de guerra.

Representantes de 120 países y regiones asistirán a la ceremonia organizada el miércoles en Hiroshima, según responsables de la ciudad.

Sin embargo, no estarán presentes grandes potencias nucleares como Rusia, China y Pakistán. Irán, acusado de intentar dotarse de una bomba atómica, sí estará representado.

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Contrariamente a su costumbre, Japón ha indicado que no ha «seleccionado a sus invitados» para estas conmemoraciones, sino que ha «notificado» a todos los países y regiones la celebración del evento.

Así, Palestina y Taiwán, que Tokio no reconoce oficialmente como países, han anunciado su presencia en este evento por primera vez.

La Cúpula de la Bomba Atómica se refleja en el río Motoyasu durante un evento de fuego de agua en el Parque Conmemorativo de la Paz en Hiroshima, oeste de Japón. Foto EFE

«La existencia de líderes (políticos) que quieren reforzar su poder militar para resolver los conflictos, incluso mediante la posesión de armas atómicas, dificulta el establecimiento de la paz mundial», declaró la semana pasada el alcalde de Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, en referencia a las guerras en Ucrania y Oriente Medio.

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Matsui también instó el mes pasado a Donald Trump a visitar Hiroshima, después de que el presidente estadounidense comparara los recientes ataques aéreos contra Irán con los bombardeos atómicos de 1945.

«Me parece que no comprende plenamente la realidad de los bombardeos atómicos, que, si se utilizan, cuestan la vida a muchos ciudadanos inocentes, ya sean amigos o enemigos, y amenazan la supervivencia de la humanidad», subrayó entonces el alcalde.

Hoy en día, Hiroshima es una próspera metrópoli de 1,2 millones de habitantes, pero las ruinas de un edificio coronado por el esqueleto metálico de una cúpula se alzan en el centro de la ciudad, recordando el horror del ataque.

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«Es importante que muchas personas se reúnan en esta ciudad afectada por la bomba atómica, porque las guerras continúan» en todo el mundo, insistió Toshiyuki Mimaki, copresidente de Nihon Hidankyo, un grupo de supervivientes de la bomba ganador del Premio Nobel de la Paz 2024.

En 1945, Estados Unidos lanzó dos bombas nucleares sobre las ciudades de Hiroshima y Nagasaki el 6 y el 9 de agosto, respectivamente, causando la muerte de más de 200.000 personas. Foto EFEEn 1945, Estados Unidos lanzó dos bombas nucleares sobre las ciudades de Hiroshima y Nagasaki el 6 y el 9 de agosto, respectivamente, causando la muerte de más de 200.000 personas. Foto EFE

Nihon Hidankyo insta a los países a actuar para eliminar las armas nucleares, al basarse en los testimonios de los supervivientes de Hiroshima y Nagasaki, conocidos como «hibakusha».

«Deseo que los representantes extranjeros visiten el Museo Memorial de la Paz y comprendan lo que ocurrió», explicó Mimaki.

Transmitir la memoria de los «hibakusha» y las lecciones aprendidas de la catástrofe es un reto cada vez mayor para esta organización, ya que la edad media de los supervivientes es ahora de 86 años.

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Un visitante observa una enorme fotografía de Hiroshima devastada por el primer bombardeo atómico del mundo en el Museo Memorial de la Paz de Hiroshima, Japón. Foto EFEUn visitante observa una enorme fotografía de Hiroshima devastada por el primer bombardeo atómico del mundo en el Museo Memorial de la Paz de Hiroshima, Japón. Foto EFE

«Creo que la tendencia mundial hacia un mundo sin armas nucleares continuará. La generación joven está trabajando duro para lograrlo», aseguró a la AFP Kunihiko Sakuma, de 80 años, que tenía nueve meses cuando se produjo el bombardeo y se encontraba a 3 km del punto de impacto.

Sakuma, que se reunirá con el primer ministro Shigeru Ishiba tras la ceremonia, tiene la intención de pedirle que Tokio se adhiera al tratado de la ONU para la prohibición de las armas nucleares firmado en 2017.

Tokio se ha negado a suscribirlo, al alegar que su objetivo no es viable sin la ayuda de los estados que poseen armas atómicas.

El sábado, Nagasaki también espera un número récord de países en sus propias conmemoraciones, entre ellos Rusia, que asistirá por primera vez desde su invasión a Ucrania en 2022.

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Este año «queremos que los participantes vengan y vean con sus propios ojos la realidad de la catástrofe que puede provocar un arma nuclear», declaró a la AFP un responsable de esa ciudad.

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6 criminal aliens nabbed in Houston ICE raids boast startling number of convictions

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A group of six criminal illegal aliens have been arrested by ICE in Houston after having collectively illegally entered the country a staggering 42 times. 

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The six criminal aliens were finally arrested by ICE in the final days of July after two decades’ worth of illegal reentries and after racking up an equally astounding 48 criminal convictions, according to a statement released on Tuesday. 

Criminal convictions among the group include cocaine trafficking, grand theft auto, assault, domestic violence and multiple DWIs. One of the illegals is a documented member of a cartel-connected gang. 

According to ICE, one illegal, Oscar Moran Valle, a 43-year-old Mexican national and documented Paisas gang member, illegally entered the U.S. 12 times. He has been convicted of 11 criminal offenses, including three convictions for illegal entry, two for DWI, and one each for drug possession, larceny, giving a false ID to law enforcement, illegal reentry and driving without a license. He was arrested by ICE on July 29.

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ICE LODGES DETAINER AGAINST ILLEGAL MIGRANT CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING, SEXUALLY ASSAULTING NEIGHBOR IN TEXAS

Left to right (top): Alex Salomon Reyes-Chavez, Thanh Van Nguyen, Oscar Moran Valle. Left to right (bottom): Marvin Javier Marquez Celaya, Jose Angel Munoz Saucedo and Angel Bonilla Barahona. (ICE; iStock)

Another, Alex Salomon Reyes-Chavez, a 46-year-old from Honduras, illegally entered the U.S. five times. Reyes-Chavez has been convicted of seven criminal offenses, including two convictions for burglary and heroin possession, as well as convictions for grand theft auto and cocaine trafficking. He was arrested by ICE on July 30.

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Another Honduran national, Angel Bonilla Barahona, 38, was arrested by ICE after illegally entering the U.S. seven times and being convicted of seven criminal offenses, including three convictions for assault as well as convictions for resisting arrest, criminal mischief and flight to avoid arrest.

Marvin Javier Marquez Celaya, a 38-year-old criminal alien from Honduras, arrested by ICE July 30. He illegally entered the U.S. five times and has been convicted of eight criminal offenses, including three convictions for burglary, two for cocaine possession, and one each for larceny, domestic violence and illegal reentry.

Thanh Van Nguyen, a 53-year-old from Vietnam, illegally entered the U.S. and has criminal convictions for burglary, larceny, assault and obstructing police and damaging private property. 

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DHS SCOOPS UP TRANS ILLEGAL ALIEN CHARGED WITH HEINOUS CRIME ON CHILD IN SANCTUARY CITY: ‘WORST OF THE WORST’

ICE officers with suspects being arrested

ICE made 422 arrests earlier this year in an operation in Houston spanning just one week. (Fox News)

The last of the six, Jose Angel Munoz Saucedo, a 40-year-old from Mexico, illegally entered the U.S. 12 times and has been convicted of eight criminal offenses, including four convictions for DWI, two for illegal entry, and one for fleeing from a police officer.

ICE said the six were arrested by multiagency targeting teams established under the Trump administration to target the «worst of the worst» criminal illegal aliens for removal. 

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Commenting on the arrests, Gabriel Martinez, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director, thanked the administration for making immigration enforcement a priority so that such criminal illegals «will no longer be able to prey on innocent Americans.»

VENEZUELAN SUSPECT ‘SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN IN THE UNITED STATES,’ POLICE CHIEF SAYS AFTER DEADLY SHOOTING

Trump, left; ICE jacket, right

Commenting on the arrests, Gabriel Martinez, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director, thanked the Trump administration for making immigration enforcement a priority so that such criminal illegals «will no longer be able to prey on innocent Americans.» (Trump-Vance Transition Team; ICE)

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«For the past 20 years, these six violent criminal aliens have brazenly violated our nation’s immigration and criminal laws, wreaking havoc in our local communities and leaving countless victims in their wake,» said Martinez. «Thanks to the current administration’s focus on securing the border and making immigration enforcement a priority, they have been removed from the local community.»

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Brother of Israeli hostage urges UN to act after video shows Hamas starving and torturing captives

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Ilay David, the brother of 22-year-old hostage Evyatar David, delivered an emotional plea to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, calling for urgent international action after a horrific new video showed his emaciated brother being forced to dig his own grave inside a Hamas tunnel.

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The Security Council session was requested by Israel and comes as the country stands on the verge of a full annexation of Gaza — a move prompted by the collapse of ceasefire talks and the release of disturbing images of starving hostages.

Evyatar David was abducted from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2024. In the newly received footage, he appears frail — reduced to just 90 pounds — and is seen struggling to speak.

NETANYAHU RESPONDS AFTER ISRAELI HOSTAGE SEEN EMACIATED, DIGGING GRAVE: ‘CRUELTY OF HAMAS HAS NO BOUNDARIES’

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Members of the United Nations Security Council listen as Ilay David, brother of hostage Evyatar David, and holds up a photo of his brother in captivity as he speaks during a meeting called by Israel.  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Holding up a still from the video, Ilay David described a haunting visual: «As my younger brother, a living skeleton, was forced to speak and dig his grave, the chubby and well-fed hand of a Hamas terrorist entered the frame. Suddenly, Hamas confirmed what we have known for months — the terrorists have plenty of food. The only ones starving in Hamas’ tunnels are the hostages: my brother, Guy, and the [49] others.»

«My mother and I could not bring ourselves to watch it,» he said, speaking remotely via Zoom, «But my father and sister did. And now the images haunt them.»

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Citing testimony from former hostages — including Tal Shoham, whose account was first published by Fox News Digital — David said the terrorists remain in nearby rooms while deliberately starving captives as part of a «sick and twisted propaganda campaign.»

«This is a humanitarian crisis — the crisis of the hostages — that is not being discussed here,» he said. «Not in the Security Council, and not in other U.N. forums. The very soul of humanity is being scarred by Hamas’s barbaric actions.»

Protesters rallied near the United Nations, demanding immediate medical care and the release of hostages held by Hamas. 

Protesters rallied near the United Nations, demanding immediate medical care and the release of hostages held by Hamas.  (Yoav Ginsburg/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

TRUMP: HAMAS SURRENDER, HOSTAGE RELEASE IS ‘FASTEST WAY’ TO END GAZA WAR

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The meeting of the U.N. Security Council was convened following the release of the latest hostage video. Israel believes that as few as 20 hostages remain alive in Hamas captivity — many in critical condition, with only days left to live.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who attended the session in New York, emphasized ahead of the meeting that while Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza, Hamas is deliberately starving the hostages. 

«Evyatar was forced to dig his own grave. This is satanic,» he said. «These are evil crimes — like those committed by the Nazis and ISIS.»

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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (R) and Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon (L) speak to journalists ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters on August 5, 2025 in New York

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (R) and Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon (L) speak to journalists ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters on August 5, 2025 in New York (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Sa’ar also warned that recent moves by several nations to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state have emboldened Hamas and undermined negotiations. 

«They gave Hamas free gifts and an incentive to continue this war,» he said. «They directly assassinated the hostage deal and ceasefire. These countries prolonged the war.»

Ilay David ended his address with a desperate appeal: «We, the family of Evyatar, refuse to give up hope. We are weeping, we are suffering, but we are also fighting with every fiber of our being. We will not give up until we see him back home — until my mother and father can hug him again.»

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«To the leaders of the world, to every member of this Council, and to the global community: Your silence in the face of this monstrous cruelty is complicity. I urge you — do not let them die. Act now, before it’s too late. Save Evyatar David. Bring my little brother home.»

When asked by reporters at the White House on Tuesday if he had seen the Hamas video of Evyatar David, President Donald Trump said he had, calling it «horrible.»

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