Texas

• State Governor: Greg Abbott

• State Secretary of Education: Mike Morath

• State School Board Members

• Local school board members: The easiest way to contact your local school board members is to use an online search tool like XQ or simply look up your school district’s website online. There will almost always be a section of the district website listing the names and contact information of your local school board members. If their contact information is not listed, call your school’s office to request that information.

Texas Association of School Boards reports there are 1,029 public school districts in the state. All of Texas’ school districts are independent, except for one municipal school district. An independent school district means that it has its own taxing authority outside the direct influence of other government systems, including the state and county. A few of the independent districts are consolidated, meaning they are formed from two or more school districts. There are 5,142,402 students enrolled in Texas’ 8,084 public schools.

Texas’ district schools set their own open enrollment policies, which means families can attend schools outside of their assigned district. Magnet and charter schools are another type of public school that typically offer innovative learning methods. Texas also has over 1,800 private schools to choose from, which may provide a religious education or specialized curriculum. While Texas has no state-run private school choice programs, there might be private scholarships available. Homeschooling is another option for Texas families; it is not required to notify the state.

References

https://www.mytexaspublicschool.org/the-school-system.aspx

https://schoolchoiceweek.com/guide-school-choice-texas/

https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/snapshot/2020/state.html