At least a dozen states have moved on Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) in 2023—a type of government funding program that allows parents to use tax dollars to pay for private (and sometimes public) education expenses. Some states have established versions of these accounts, and some have blocked them.
Advocates hail the wave of ESA legislation as “a transformative change.” Critics worry that giving parents government money to pay for private school tuition and other education-related expenses will hurt public schools and degrade student achievement.
Homeschoolers fall on both sides of this issue.
HSLDA opposes any kind of government funding for homeschooling—these funds are most commonly referred to as ESAs, but they may also be packaged as vouchers or school choice funds.
We recognize that many families homeschool on a tight budget and might welcome additional resources, and that the thousands of dollars offered by some ESA programs can be very practically helpful for these parents. And we do support some programs that benefit homeschooling families financially, including some tax credits—as these allow homeschooling families to keep more of their hard-earned income.