Jewish education advocates launch new school choice coalition in response to Education Freedom Tax Credit 

Advocates for Jewish education are creating a coalition to take advantage of President Trump’s new federal school choice program.

The Opportunity Fund for Jewish Education is a nationwide scholarship granting organization (SGO) aiming to distribute taxpayer-funded scholarships to Jewish K-12 students.

It has been endorsed by groups including the Prizmah Center for Jewish Day Schools, the Orthodox Union, the Rabbinical Assembly, Jewish Federations of North America and the Teach Coalition.

“The new federal tax credit program presents an incredible opportunity for all schools across the country to be able to inject new funding into education,” Prizmah CEO Paul Bernstein told Heartlander News. “We think that it could have a very significant impact on tackling the affordability of Jewish day schools, as well as other needs such as provision of special needs education and so on.”

The Education Freedom Tax Credit, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, will allow Americans to receive a tax credit for donations of up to $1,700 to scholarship organizations. The organizations will then bundle the donations into scholarships, which can go to either private or public school students.

Eligible students must live in states that have indicated participation – 31 so far – and come from families earning 300% or less of the median local income, which varies significantly by city and region. Nearly 92% of American children will be eligible, one study found.

Bernstein believes the Opportunity Fund will help the broader community rally around Jewish schools.

“We believe this presents an opportunity to reach a much wider group of taxpayers who can contribute to the tax credit than simply those families that are already involved in a school,” Bernstein told Heartlander News. “The entire Jewish community and others can come together to support Jewish education through this program.”

He also praised the fund’s diversity of collaborators, saying it is “creating partnership, collaboration and unity in a rare form.”

Like other religious schools around the country, Jewish day schools and yeshivas have been booming since COVID-19, with Prizmah enrollment growing 7.5% between 2021 and 2026.

In Florida – the national leader in school choice – Jewish schools increased their enrollment by 58% between 2007 and 2023. About 60% of Jewish school students received a school choice scholarship in the 2022-23 academic year.

“The number of students attending Jewish day schools is growing each year and reaching record numbers,” Bernstein explained.

And it’s not only because of their high-quality academics.

“Jewish day schools tend to be incredibly strong, powerful communities,” he continued. “[We] want the child to really grow up knowing who they are.

“We very strongly believe that if they do grow up knowing who they are, then that enables them to be anything in their future because they have the confidence, the sense of self, the sense of community as well as the technical and academic skills that of course any good school will help them get.”

The new federal program is poised for great impact, since any taxpayer can donate, even if their state hasn’t opted in to the program.

School choice advocates estimate if just 10% of taxpayers participate, SGOs could provide nearly $19 billion in total scholarships.

Bernstein hopes the federal program will make a quality Jewish education more accessible for families.

“Affordability is a real barrier for families, so schools everywhere, whether they have access to government funding or not, do everything they possibly can to make the schools as accessible as possible for each child,” he concluded.

“[The Opportunity Fund for Jewish Education] is a community building and partnership building opportunity that is wonderful to see happening.”

(Image credit: Courtesy, Prizmah)