Tax Commission data show nearly $252.3 million in credits were approved for the upcoming school year, with more than 92% of recipients already outside the public school system.
OKLAHOMA CITY — A newly released Oklahoma Tax Commission report is reigniting Oklahoma’s debate over school choice, with House Democratic Leader and gubernatorial candidate Cyndi Munson arguing the state’s expanding private-school tax credit program is directing hundreds of millions of dollars to families already using private education.
The report shows 39,637 applications were approved for the state’s Parental Choice Tax Credit program for the 2026-27 school year, representing $252.3 million in tax credits and nearly exhausting the program’s annual funding cap.
More than 92% of approved recipients had not attended a public school during the semester immediately preceding the school year, a finding critics say suggests the program is largely benefiting families who had already chosen alternatives to public education.
Following the report’s release, Munson criticized the program, which lawmakers this year increased by $25 million, raising the annual cap from $250 million to $275 million.
“This new data, while upsetting and an indictment of what happens when we use public tax dollars to fund private education, is not surprising,” Munson said in a statement.
“Before the tax credit was expanded to $275M this session, there were reports showing that 90% of the tax credit recipients were already sending their children to private schools. Now, we are seeing even fewer lower- and middle-income families receive this credit—as Republicans supporting it claimed would help.”
Munson argued the additional funding could instead be invested in public schools and called for private schools receiving taxpayer-funded assistance to be subject to the same transparency and oversight requirements as public schools.
Families earning $150,000 or less accounted for slightly more than half of approved applications, while households with adjusted gross incomes above $250,000 received 10,639 approvals worth more than $53 million.
The Parental Choice Tax Credit program provides eligible families assistance with qualifying private school expenses, including tuition and fees, with credit amounts varying based on household income and the cost of attendance.
