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FIRST ON FOX – The Trump administration is rolling out what will be the fourth legal pathway for bolstering school choice nationwide as the U.S. Department of Education aims to hand back powers to the states – before ultimately dismantling itself.
The department on Thursday issued what is referred to as a “Dear Colleague Letter to State and Local Education Agencies,” providing additional guidance to help state and local school districts better serve students who attend private schools but who are still eligible for federally funded academic support. The letters aim to explain “more efficient and effective ways to best meet students’ needs.”
Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), eligible private school students are entitled to Title I-A funded equitable services, which can include one-on-one tutoring, summer school programs or counseling programs.
Since its passage in 1965, private school students and teachers have been eligible to participate in federal education programs sponsored under the law. The department said lawmakers determined that ESEA programs benefit children – as opposed to schools – and if a child is eligible, he or she may receive program services. Though Title I-A funds don’t go to private schools, their students and teachers may still receive services provided or facilitated through the local educational agency (LEA).
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Education Secretary Linda McMahon outside the White House on July 15, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The department notes that private school families are federal taxpayers and their students, therefore, are eligible recipients of services similar to their public school peers using federal funding. The letters also point out that private school students generate a proportion of the Title I-A federal funding that local education agencies receive. The Department of Education said those agencies are encouraged to work with private school officials to identify ways to best support eligible students.
“It has been a banner year for school choice – from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill federal school choice tax credit to the Department’s guidance to states on how to expand choice under existing law, the Trump Administration is using all available tools to expand school options for students and parents,” Department of Education deputy press secretary Ellen Keast said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “President Trump and Secretary McMahon are working to ensure every child has access to an excellent education that best fits their unique learning needs.”
“Federal taxpayer dollars should support the best education outcomes for students regardless of where they attend school,” Hayley Sanon, acting assistant secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, said in a statement. “The Trump Administration is committed to expanding education choice and ensuring parents can choose an education option that is best for their child.”
“Improving how equitable services are provided means students in private school can have access to services and supports that best meet their unique learning needs,” Sanon added.