FITSForum: South Carolina Families are Asking for School Choice

This op-ed, originally published in FITSNews, highlights the need for a shift in how we think about the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF).  Rather than debating whether we should fund 10,000 seats or 20,000, we should be looking at funding every application that came in during the priority window – supporting families who need this funding the most.

Columbia, S.C. (FITSNews) – “I want every parent in America to be empowered to send their child to public, private, charter, or faith-based school of their choice,” President Donald J. Trump said in 2025, adding “the time for universal school choice has come.”

In South Carolina, lawmakers now have an opportunity to take another step in that direction.

As the S.C. General Assembly finalizes the state budget, legislators will decide how many families will be able to access the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) program in the coming school year.

The program was created to help lower-income and active-duty military families access educational opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. The law guarantees funding for at least 15,000 scholarships beginning next school year, while also allowing the legislature to fund more if demand warrants it.

Early indications suggest that demand is significant.

During the program’s priority application window alone, more than 25,000 applications were submitted by eligible South Carolina families. These are the very students lawmakers intended to serve when they prioritized access for lower-income households, active-duty military families, and students currently attending their assigned public schools. Applications continue to arrive as well.

Families applying for these scholarships come from every county in the state. Their reasons for seeking different educational environments vary widely. Some children have special learning needs that require more individualized instruction. Others have struggled with bullying or mental health challenges. Some students need additional academic support, while others are searching for greater academic challenge.

Through Palmetto Promise Institute’s implementation initiative, Palmetto NavigatEd, our team has had the opportunity to speak with many of these families. Their stories offer a clear window into why so many parents are exploring additional education options.

One thing quickly becomes clear: choosing a different educational setting is rarely the easiest path.

Transportation is often the parent’s responsibility. Some schools require uniforms. Meals commonly provided in public schools may not be available. Parents are frequently expected to volunteer their time.

Families accept these responsibilities not because the choice is convenient, but because they believe it will help their child thrive.

I understand that decision personally. When my own children were in elementary school, my husband and I made the difficult decision to change their learning environment for a variety of reasons. It required sacrifice and commitment, but it was the right decision for our family.

The difference is that we had the financial ability to make that choice. Many South Carolina families do not.

Programs like the Education Scholarship Trust Fund help narrow that gap by allowing families of modest means to access educational opportunities that wealthier households have long taken for granted.

Expanding the program would also represent a relatively small share of the state’s overall education spending. For the 2026–2027 school year, the maximum scholarship amount is $7,634 per student. By comparison, the average cost to educate a student in South Carolina’s public schools is about $20,435.

Funding 25,000 scholarships would cost roughly $191 million. That may sound like a large number, but it represents less than three percent of the state’s K–12 education budget.

Early results from the program have also been encouraging. Surveys show that 96 percent of participating parents report being satisfied or very satisfied with their child’s educational experience, with nearly eight in ten saying they are very satisfied.

South Carolina is also part of a broader national education freedom trend. But we are getting left behind. Here in the southeast, Georgia provides school choice to 36,255 students, Tennessee to 25,795 students, North Carolina to 109,027 students and Florida to a whopping 502,705 students.

A growing number of states have adopted education savings account programs that allow families to customize their children’s education. Arizona currently serves about 97,000 students through its program.

Even if South Carolina were to fund 25,000 scholarships, the program would still serve only about three percent of the state’s roughly 800,000 school-aged children in public school.

That is hardly radical. It simply recognizes that one size does not fit every child.

As lawmakers finalize the state budget, they have the opportunity to respond to the clear demand coming from South Carolina families.

Behind every application is a student whose parents are searching for the learning environment where that child can thrive. Expanding access to the Education Scholarship Trust Fund would help ensure that more families have the opportunity to find it.