Initial applicants to Oklahoma’s Parental Choice Tax Credit program are being accepted this month.

The program offers a refundable tax credit ranging from $5,000 to $7,500 for private school tuition. The amount ranges by family income. The Oklahoma Tax Commission expects a majority of the first round of credit funding to go to low-income and middle-class families.

When enrollment opened in December, the state received almost 30,000 applications. In the relatively small state of Oklahoma, that’s about 5% of the total K-12 students.

This tax credit is a boon to many families and students who previously desired to attend private school but found cost a barrier. Oklahoma provided a path forward.

“We are just so excited that Oklahoma passed this,” one mother told a local news station. “We’ve always wanted to go to private school. This definitely gave us the final nudge.”

Private schools play an important role in the nation’s educational fabric, home to over 4.6 million students and constituting one in four of the nation’s schools. Programs like Oklahoma’s tax credit extend the reach of private education, ensuring that more children have access to the schooling that fits their individual needs.

Fortunately, Oklahoma foresaw the parental demand for a program like this. This year, the program is capped at $150 million; the ceiling will increase to $200 million next year and then $250 million in 2026.

Let’s hope this program continues to expand and that other states follow suit.