Brighter Texas

Texas schools play an essential role in our state. They educate the future entrepreneurs, scientists, and leaders, ensuring our state continues to thrive for generations to come. Under Governor Abbott’s leadership Texas is a national leader in education:

Under Governor Abbott’s leadership, Texas is a national leader in education.

#1 for Tier One research universities at 11
Top-ranked universities for business, engineering, affordability, and value
#1 for National Blue Ribbon schools at 31 (2022)
One of the best high school graduation rates in the nation
Third-highest graduation rate for Hispanic students

Under Governor Abbott’s leadership, public education has received more support and resources than ever before in Texas history. Working with the Texas Legislature since taking office in 2015, Governor Abbott:

Provided more funding for public education and teacher pay raises than any other Texas Governor
Achieved an all-time high for statewide per-student funding through landmark school finance reforms
Established the Teacher Incentive Allotment, which has awarded over $55 million in pay raises to more than 6,200 exemplary teachers
Created an Education Savings Account program for students with special needs

Education Freedom

Governor Abbott made education freedom for all Texans an emergency item in the 88th Legislative Session. As a result, Governor Abbott signed into law crucial parent empowerment bills.

Among the groundbreaking education freedom reforms are new laws that:

Expand parental access to curriculum, school libraries, and what their children are taught in the classroom
Allow parents to decide if their child should repeat a grade level
Ban inappropriate or explicit material in Texas public school libraries and school lessons
Expand access to Education Savings Accounts for students with special needs

These new laws are just the beginning. Governor Abbott continues working with the Texas Legislature to ensure every Texas parent is able to choose the best education path for their child:

Strengthen school choice through Education Savings Accounts
Empower parents as the primary decisionmaker in all matters involving their child
Require schools to better inform parents of their rights

Community Colleges

To maintain Texas’ leadership in critical industries, Governor Abbott continues working to ensure every Texan has the tools and training to succeed in high-demand fields like technology, healthcare, and energy.

As one of his key priorities during the 88th Legislative Session, Governor Abbott worked with the Texas Legislature to implement innovative solutions to develop a workforce ready to power the Texas of tomorrow. These measures will help ensure Texas students receive the training needed to thrive in Texas’ advanced, thriving economy:

Increase competitiveness of Texas community colleges through a performance-based funding system
Expand access to financial aid to help more low-income students participate in and complete programs
Increase enrollment in high-demand fields to meet regional and statewide workforce needs

Texas’ new approach to funding community colleges will enhance the role of public junior colleges in workforce training and preparation for high-demand careers. Governor Abbott signed these important reforms into law to help ensure we remain able to fully support the needs of our growing, diverse state.

Texas Universities

Governor Abbott continues to work with the Texas Legislature to support our state’s exceptional institutions of higher education to remain a leader in research and innovation. Working together, the Governor and the Texas lawmakers delivered impactful results for Texas universities during the 88th Legislative Session:

Historic investment of over $5 billion for higher education
Creation of the Texas University Fund to expand research at public universities
Establishment of the Texas Space Commission and Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium
Expansion of the Texas Leadership Scholars Program, the Texas First Scholarship, and the new Texas Opportunity High School Diploma
Increased funding for student financial aid and loan repayment programs

Governor Abbott signed the General Appropriations Act for the next biennium that will boost funding for programs, including a new nursing scholarship that to support students pursuing careers in critical fields like healthcare.

School Safety

Ensuring Texas students have a safe environment to learn and grow remains a top priority for Governor Abbott. Working together with the Texas Legislature and state agencies, Texas has made significant strides to increase safety standards on school campuses across the state, including:

Governor Abbott made school safety an emergency item for the Texas Legislature to address during the 88th Legislative Session and signed laws to bolster the safety of Texas students, teachers, and staff in communities large and small, including:

Increasing funding for school safety initiatives so every campus can make necessary safety improvements, including technology upgrades, hardening equipment, and expanded mental health resources
Codifying the new position of Chief of School Safety and Security to ensure compliance with all mandated safety standards
Clarifying reporting procedures for potential threats and concerning student behavior
Requiring all schools to install silent panic alarm technology to alert emergency services and law enforcement agencies
Training Texas law enforcement officers on active shooter response protocol through the ALERRT program
Ensuring private schools are able to commission peace officers to protect students, teachers, and staff