A Texas-sized education choice miracle in Idaho

While we've been watching Idaho's parental choice tax credit signups, Texas has been drawing national attention for the early response to its new Education Freedom Account program. So far, more than 150,000 students have signed up in the Lone Star State.

That’s an impressive number, and in a state as large as Texas it understandably grabs headlines. But when you adjust for population size, Idaho’s new parental choice tax credit tells a remarkable story of its own.

With a population of just under two million people, it’s easy for Idaho to get overlooked in national policy discussions. Texas, by contrast, has more than 30 million residents. In other words, Texas is roughly 15½ times larger than Idaho.

That’s why raw participation numbers don’t always tell the full story. Participation rates matter.

So far, 11,868 Idaho students are represented in applications for the state’s parental choice tax credit. At first glance that may seem modest compared with Texas’ 150,000 students. But scale those numbers to account for population, and the picture looks very different.

If Idaho had the same population as Texas, the current participation rate would translate to roughly 184,000 students.

In other words, on a population-adjusted basis, Idaho’s program is actually reaching more students than Texas’ program so far. That’s why the early results can fairly be described as a Texas-sized school choice miracle.

Another way to see the comparison is by looking at participation per million residents.

Texas currently has about 4,900 participating students per million residents. Idaho’s participation rate is closer to 6,000 students per million residents.

That means Idaho’s participation rate is already about 22 percent higher than Texas’.

What makes that even more notable is that Idaho’s program is smaller.

Texas’ Education Freedom Accounts provide up to $10,000 per student. The funds, however, are directed to state-approved education providers, which means families must choose among options that have already been approved by the state.

Idaho’s parental choice tax credit is structured differently. It offers up to $5,000 per student—half the potential funding of Texas’ program—but the credit goes directly to parents, allowing families to decide how best to support their children’s education. That could include tutoring, curriculum, private school tuition, or other qualifying education expenses.

Despite offering less funding per student, Idaho’s program is still producing strong participation relative to population.

There’s also another important factor: time is running out.

The application window for Idaho’s parental choice tax credit closes this week, on March 15. That means families who want to take advantage of the credit still have a short window to apply.

Participation numbers will continue to evolve until that deadline. But even now, the early data suggests something important: when families are given new opportunities to shape their children’s education, they respond.

The debate around school choice often focuses on policy details, funding formulas, and legislative negotiations. But behind those debates are families who simply want the freedom to find the best educational path for their children.

The early response to Idaho’s program shows that demand clearly exists.

In a small state, even a modest program can make a meaningful difference for thousands of students. And when you look at the numbers in context, Idaho’s results are nothing short of remarkable.

A state with fewer than two million residents is producing participation that—on a population-adjusted basis—looks every bit as big as Texas.

That’s not just a policy experiment. It’s Idaho’s Texas-sized school choice miracle.