This Executive Order establishes a policy framework aimed at expanding educational choice for American families beyond traditional public schools. The order characterizes the current education system as underperforming, citing National Assessment of Educational Progress statistics that 70 percent of 8th graders are below proficiency in reading and 72 percent below proficiency in math. It frames geographic school assignments as exacerbating housing costs and argues that educational choice programs in multiple states have demonstrated improvements in student achievement through competition. The order presents parental choice in education as both a solution to perceived public education failures and as a matter of parental rights.
The order directs several specific actions across multiple federal departments within designated timeframes. The Secretary of Education must issue guidance within 60 days on how states can use federal formula funds to support K-12 educational choice initiatives and include education freedom as a priority in discretionary grant programs. Within 90 days, both the Secretaries of Labor and Education must submit plans for using discretionary grant programs to expand educational freedom. Similarly, the Secretary of Health and Human Services is directed to issue guidance on how states can use block grants, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant, to expand educational choice including private and faith-based options.
The order also focuses on specific populations, directing the Secretary of Defense to review mechanisms for military families to use Department of Defense funds for school choice options beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Likewise, the Secretary of the Interior must review options for students eligible for Bureau of Indian Education schools to use federal funding for alternative educational options and report on the current performance of BIE schools. The implementation of these directives is subject to applicable law and available appropriations, with the explicit caveat that the order does not create any enforceable rights or benefits against the United States government or its entities. Overall, this represents a significant administrative push to leverage existing federal funding streams and programs toward supporting alternatives to traditional public education systems.