Polls reveal unexpected coalitions in Texas education debate over vouchers

When it comes to Texas education policy, the traditional political battle lines are being redrawn. Three recent statewide polls reveal surprising coalitions forming around Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), with Black Texans and Republicans finding unexpected common ground on school choice initiatives.

The polls show that Black Democrats are displaying levels of support for ESAs that align more closely with Republicans than with white Democrats, challenging conventional political expectations.

The three polls, conducted between January and February 2025 by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs, the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research & Survey Center at Texas Southern University, and the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project, paint a complex picture of Texas public opinion on education policy.

Dissatisfaction with Public School Performance
Texans’ openness to alternatives like ESAs appears driven by widespread concerns about public school performance. According to the Barbara Jordan Center survey, only one-third of Texans (33%) believe their local K-12 public schools are doing an excellent or good job preparing students for college. Even fewer (26%) give positive ratings for workforce preparation.

The data indicates a clear performance gap in how Texans view their public schools. When 40% of respondents rate their schools as doing a poor or very poor job preparing students for the workforce, it suggests significant concerns about educational outcomes.

The surveys reveal significant demographic variations in these assessments. Black Texans, particularly those under 35 and living in urban counties, express the highest levels of dissatisfaction with public school performance. Only 36% of Black Texans rate their schools as doing well on safety measures, compared to 53% of white Texans.

Broad support for education savings accounts
Against this backdrop of concern, between 63% and 67% of Texans support universal ESA legislation that would benefit all parents, according to the polls.

The UH Hobby School found that 67% of Texans support universal ESAs, while 72% support a version that would restrict benefits to lower-income families.

This support transcends traditional demographic and partisan divides, with majorities of almost every demographic group supporting some form of ESA legislation.

The most striking findings revolve around racial and partisan breakdowns:

• Black Texans show the highest support for both universal ESAs (69-73%) and income-restricted ESAs (61-85%)
• Black Democrats (66%) are nearly twice as likely as white Democrats (36%) to support universal ESAs
• Republicans strongly favor universal ESAs (71-78%) over income-restricted versions (50-72%)
• Even in rural counties, 71% of residents support universal ESAs
• Policy preferences reflect complex attitudes
• The strong support for ESAs doesn’t mean Texans have given up on public education. When asked about priorities for the state’s $24 billion budget surplus, public education investments rank high:

• Property tax relief for homeowners (50%)
• Public school teacher pay raises (40%)
• Expanding access to Medicaid (34%)
• Investment in public school buildings and infrastructure (31%)
• Additionally, 77% of Texans support legislation that would reimburse small rural school districts for any funds lost due to students leaving for ESA programs.

The data suggests Texans aren’t taking an either/or approach to education. Poll results indicate they want both quality public schools and educational options for families who need them—a perspective that doesn’t fit neatly into traditional political categories.

Ideological divides remain
Despite these surprising coalitions, ideological divisions persist. The UT/Texas Politics Project Poll found that while 48% of conservatives rate ESAs as “extremely” or “very” important legislative priorities, only 31% of liberals agree. In fact, nearly half of liberals (49%) consider ESAs “not important” or “not very important.”

Critics of ESAs often argue that the focus should be on fixing public schools rather than diverting resources away from them, suggesting that while ESAs might help some families, they don’t address systemic issues in education.

The polarization is less pronounced among racial groups, with 48% of Black Texans rating ESAs as a top priority compared to 40% of Hispanic Texans and 38% of white Texans.

Legislative Implications
As the Texas Legislature weighs various ESA proposals, these polling results suggest that the political calculus around school choice is shifting. With strong support from Black voters – a key Democratic constituency – and solid backing across regional and demographic lines, ESA legislation may have a broader coalition than previously assumed.

The challenge for legislators will be crafting a policy that addresses the concerns of various constituencies. The polls indicate clear support for school choice, but also for protecting rural schools and investing in public education—potentially competing priorities that will need to be balanced.

Whatever policy emerges, the polls make clear that Texans’ views on education aren’t easily categorized along traditional partisan lines. As the state grapples with how to improve educational outcomes, new and unexpected coalitions appear to be forming around shared concerns about student success, even if the preferred solutions sometimes differ.

What are Education Savings Accounts (ESAs)?

Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) establish state government-funded accounts for parents who opt not to send their children to public schools. Parents can use these funds for approved educational expenses including:

Private school tuition
Tutoring services
Online education programs
Therapies for students with disabilities
Current Texas proposals would provide approximately $8,000-$10,000 per student annually to participating families.

POLL METHODOLOGY

University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs: Online survey conducted January 13-21, 2025, among 1,200 Texas adults with a margin of error of +/- 2.83%.

Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research & Survey Center: Survey conducted February 6-16, 2025, among 850 registered Texas voters with an oversample of 458 Black registered voters. Overall margin of error +/- 2.83%.

University of Texas/Texas Politics Project: Online poll conducted in February 2025.