New Hampshire enacts universal school choice, joining other states across the US

New Hampshire officially joined over a dozen states in the nation to enact universal school choice on Tuesday.

Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed into law an expansion of New Hampshire’s school voucher program, removing the income eligibility restrictions that had defined the program during its first four years.

"Giving parents the freedom to choose the education setting that best fits their child’s needs will help every student in our state reach their full potential," Ayotte said. "I’m proud to sign this into law today along with the Parental Bill of Rights, which ensures parents are the central voice in their children’s education. I thank the House and Senate for working to get these across the finish line."

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New Hampshire enacted universal school choice under Gov. Kelly Ayotte. (iStock)

The Granite State’s school voucher program allows any family to receive at least $4,265 per child next school year to spend on educational expenses, including private school tuition or tutoring. The program provides families of children with additional needs of up to a maximum of $9,676 per year in taxpayer funds.

Prior to the bill being signed by Ayotte, less than half of students in the northeastern state were eligible for the school voucher program.

Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Culture Project, told Fox News Digital that "the teachers unions really stepped in it by fighting to keep schools closed during the COVID era."

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Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte on Tuesday signed into law an expansion of New Hampshire’s school voucher program, removing the income eligibility restrictions that had defined the program during its first four years. (Photo: Douglas Graham via Getty Images) (Siavosh Hosseini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"New Hampshire is the 17th state to pass universal school choice in the past four years. The wind is at our backs and the momentum for education freedom is unstoppable. We have a state that went for Kamala Harris in November now going all-in on school choice. Putting parents in the driver's seat should be a nonpartisan issue – kids don't belong to the government – but the Democrat Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the teachers unions," DeAngelis said.

New Hampshire is the latest state to pass universal school choice, joining a trend of states with Republican trifectas expanding education options for children. New Hampshire is the first state that passed the legislation that went for Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024.

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. 

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New Hampshire is the latest state to pass universal school choice, joining a trend of states with Republican trifectas expanding education options for children. (AP Photo/Samantha Hendrickson)