As birth rates decline and enrollment sags in public school districts, San Antonio schools are grappling with two key changes that reshape who qualifies for free public prekindergarten.
During the 2025 legislative session, Texas lawmakers widened the door to free pre-K for classroom teachers’ children while closing a funding workaround many districts relied on: tuition-based seats for families who don’t qualify under state rules. In San Antonio, the shift is forcing school systems to rethink who gets a seat, how to meet demand and what happens to families who used to pay for an in-district option.
Some worry new challenges will arise as districts gain students while losing families who had to pay tuition because they didn’t qualify for free education otherwise…