The national school-choice movement achieved a major victory last week when Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a $1 billion universal school-choice bill into law. With this step, every Republican-led state has now adopted a school-choice policy. In total, school-choice programs are active in 35 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, benefiting over 1.25 million students.
Still, the movement’s work is far from complete. Advocates are now turning their attention to New York—a state with one of the most expensive yet underperforming public school systems in the country.
New York ranks first in the nation in school funding. The state spends $36,293 per student, according to the Citizens Budget Commission. That figure is 91 percent above the national average and has increased by 21 percent since the 2020–21 school year. However, student performance does not match the investment. On the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), New York’s fourth-graders ranked 39th in math and 25th in reading. Eighth-graders ranked 27th in both subjects.
Many New York families are already looking for alternatives. An analysis by the Empire Center shows charter school enrollment has more than doubled since 2013. Today, over 180,000 students attend charter schools. Homeschooling has also grown rapidly. Fewer than 20,000 students were homeschooled in 2013. That number reached nearly 54,000 last year, despite New York being one of the least supportive states for homeschooling. At the same time, public school enrollment has dropped by more than 12 percent.
With school choice now common in Republican states, advocates are focusing on Democratic-led states, where teachers’ unions often hold strong political influence. New York is an ideal place to begin this second phase. It has the fourth-largest population of K–12 public school students in the country. A successful program in New York would significantly expand access to school choice nationwide. It could also inspire similar efforts in other blue states.
Supporters of school choice argue that a slogan like “So Much Money, So Little Learning” could help highlight the issue. Over the past five years, school funding has soared, but student achievement has not. During the same time, state lawmakers have removed many school accountability measures. They also passed a law that reduces class sizes in New York City, a move critics say is aimed at protecting union jobs rather than improving education.
Some observers believe school choice in New York is more politically viable than it seems. In recent elections, the state shifted 12 points to the right between 2020 and 2024. That change shows voters are willing to shift their support when unhappy with the status quo. A well-organized campaign that calls out poor results in public education could help elect moderate candidates from both parties. These leaders might be more open to school choice and committed to reforming the system.
New York City has vast educational resources that could help families create strong learning environments. More flexible education funding would allow parents to use public money for things like museum visits, university programs, arts education, and more.
Right now, wealthy families already make use of these opportunities. They pay for tutoring, special classes, internships, and cultural experiences to enrich their children’s education. A school-choice system would make those same benefits more available to families at all income levels.
Expanding school choice in New York would not only help local students—it would send a message to the rest of the country. It would show that even in states with complex politics and powerful unions, change is possible when families are given the freedom to choose what’s best for their children.
