Public School Students First: Ensuring the New Federal Tax Credit Program Works for Public School Students

In 2025, Congress passed, and the President signed, the One Big Beautiful Bill, which created a new federal education tax credit program. While much of the attention surrounding the program has focused on private education, the law also allows funds for services for students attending public schools.

That creates an important opportunity. We are committed to public funds supporting public school students, particularly those who have been historically underserved. As states determine whether and how to participate, education leaders, advocates, and organizations have an important role to play in ensuring these resources expand high-quality opportunities for public school students.

During this webinar, we will examine what we know about the new education tax credit program and what it could mean for students, families, and districts. We will also discuss the important role states should play in ensuring that historically underinvested public school students are prioritized and benefit the most.

Participants will learn:

- How the new federal education tax credit program works, who may be eligible to participate, and what state data tells us about the potential reach of the program

- How funds could support educational opportunities, services, and resources for public school students, including the role education foundations and other organizations could play

- What decisions states will need to make, how those decisions could shape who benefits, and why public education leaders and advocates should begin preparing now

- What questions remain as additional federal guidance is developed and what to watch as implementation moves forward