Texas Is First State to Make Bible Stories Mandatory Reading for Over 5 Million Public School Students

The Texas State Board of Education has approved what education observers are calling an unprecedented move, making Bible stories and passages mandatory reading for all K-12 public school students across the state. The proposal is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, according to Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University professor, who told CNN he knows of no other state with a mandatory reading list that includes religious texts.

The plan will affect more than 5 million public school students, as Texas positions itself as a leader in a national conservative effort to bring Christian teachings into American classrooms. The vote, held on Friday, was backed by the Republican-controlled board and covers a sweeping list of around 200 required texts spanning all grade levels.

What Students Will Now Be Required to Read

The new required list includes a picture-book adaptation of the David and Goliath story for elementary students and Bible passages about Adam and Eve for older students. By fourth grade, students would encounter passages about Jesus in the New Testament. By middle school, students would be expected to read several passages about Jesus, including passages from his most famous sermon.

The list sits alongside classic literary works. The proposal mandates titles such as Charles Dickens' 'Great Expectations' alongside parables from the New Testament. Each title on the list must be read in its entirety, per the proposal.

A State Already Pushing Religion Into Classrooms

This is not Texas' first step in this direction. The state last year became the largest state to require classrooms to display the Ten Commandments, a law recently upheld in federal court. In 2023, the state became the first to allow chaplains to counsel students, and the following year approved a measure that offered more funding to schools that teach an optional Bible-infused elementary school curriculum.

Alongside the Bible reading requirements, the board also voted on a rewrite of Texas' K-8 social studies lessons that minimises racial, geographic and cultural diversity while expanding focus on Texas and United States history. The changes would eliminate the current sixth-grade world cultures course and dedicate significantly more time to lessons on communism. Both sets of changes are set to take effect in 2030.

'Sending the Message That One Religious Text Is Worthy'

The proposals have drawn fierce opposition from teachers, parents and civil liberties advocates. Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate for the progressive Texas Freedom Network, told ABC News: 'Kids of all faith backgrounds and no faith are served by Texas schools and they should all feel welcome in Texas schools. But this is sending the message to children that one and only one religious text — a Christian one — is worthy of making this required reading list.'

Frank Strong, an English and journalism teacher and co-founder of the student advocacy group Texas Freedom to Read, said that diversity in reading matters not only so students can see themselves in the texts they study, but also as a means of learning about different cultures. Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America's Freedom to Read programme, described the move as 'unique' to Texas.

Supporters, however, welcomed the decision. Brooke Mazel, a retiree from Lubbock, encouraged the board to adopt biblical materials, saying her children and grandchildren grew up with 'strong faith and family values,' adding: 'America should celebrate our 250 years that started as a nation of unwavering Christian values.'

Susan Perez, founder of the Christian parent advocacy group Citizens for Education Reform, also backed the decision, arguing before the board that 'we don't have to incorporate every religious belief in our history or in our literary works, because our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian values.'

With mandatory Bible reading approved alongside the elimination of world cultures lessons and a reduced focus on diversity, education advocates say the changes will substantially reshape what the next generation of Texan students encounter in the classroom. The measures are set to take effect in 2030, with observers warning the implications could extend to curricula nationwide given Texas's outsized influence on the national textbook market.