Texas Includes Bible Stories in Required Reading List for Public School Students
The Texas State Board of Education has voted 9–5 to approve a mandatory reading list for all public school students. Starting in the 2030–2031 school year, more than five million children from kindergarten through 12th grade will be required to read specific Biblical passages alongside literary classics.
While states frequently suggest reading options, education experts note that Texas is likely the first in the nation to enforce a reading list for every single public school student. The Republican-controlled panel passed the measure despite intense pushback from teachers, parents, and civil liberties groups who argue the curriculum strips local autonomy and marginalizes non-Christian students.
The newly approved framework completely overhauls the state's English and literature curriculum, expanding a modest 2023 mandate into a massive compulsory list of around 200 texts. Under the rules, every selected title must be read in its entirety. Alongside secular masterpieces by William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, the state has woven distinct religious narratives throughout the grade levels.
First grade
Jonah and the Whale by Jonah 1:1-5, 10-17, 2:10
Second grade
David and Goliath (excerpt from The Children's Book of Heroes) by William J. Bennett (editor)
Third grade
ROAR! – Daniel and the Lion's Den – Children's Adapted Version by CBN
Fourth grade
The Necessity of Humility (Book of Luke, Chapter 14, Verses 7-11) New International Reader's Version: New Testament
Fifth grade
Moses (Book of Exodus, Chapter 3: The Burning Bush and Book of Exodus, Chapter 14: The Parting of the Red Sea) New International Reader's Version: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Sixth grade
Do Not Be Anxious (Book of Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 25-34) English Standard Version: New Testament
Seventh grade
The Shepherd's Psalm (Book of Psalms, Chapter 23) King James Version: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
The Eight Beatitudes (Book of Matthew, Chapter 5, Verses 1-12) King James Version: New Testament
Eighth grade
To Everything There is a Season (Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3) King James Version: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Book of Lamentations, Chapter 3 by Tanakh: Jewish Publication Society 1917
English I / Ninth Grade / High School Freshman
Parable of the Prodigal Son (Book of Luke, Chapter 15, Verses 11-32) English Standard Translation: New Testament
English II / Tenth Grade / High School Sophomore
The Book of Job (Book of Job, Chapters 1-7,11,14,19,28,38-42) New International Reader's Version: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
English III / Eleventh Grade / High School Junior
Adam and Eve (Book of Genesis, Chapters 2 and 3) New International Reader's Version: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
English IV / Twelfth Grade / High School Senior
The Definition of Love (Book of 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13) English Standard Version: New Testament
The board also approved a parallel rewrite of the state's social studies curriculum. The new history standards will place a heavier emphasis on local Texas and US history, scale back lessons on global cultures, completely eliminate a sixth-grade "World Cultures" course, and significantly increase instruction regarding the history of communism.
Supporters of the curriculum argue that the Bible is an indispensable tool for understanding the development of Western civilization, law, and American history. They maintain that the text is being introduced strictly for its literary and historical value, rather than as a tool for religious conversion.
“We are bringing the Bible back into schools this week for the first time in 60 years,” said Brandon Hall, a Republican board member and pastor from Springtown. “We’re going to stop watering down American history. We’re going to teach the truth. Our nation was founded as a Christian nation, and Texas is a Christian state.”
Advocates argue that avoiding Christian references ignores the reality of America's heritage. Susan Perez, founder of the Christian parent advocacy group Citizens for Education Reform, highlighted references within early foundational documents to support the change.
“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,” Perez argued.
Even with the immense structural changes ahead, some board members believe the rigorous new list will provide an academic boost.
“I would suspect that there’s going to be growing pains, just like any change in education,” said board member LJ Francis, who voted to pass the measure. “I think we’ll see the reading scores go up, and I think we’ll see children just learning and loving to read again.”
Francis later emphasized to reporters that the goal is academic exposure rather than indoctrination: “What we intend to do is just to introduce new or amazing kids in Texas to the wealth and breadth of a canon of Western literature.”
The mandate has deeply fractured local communities, drawing hundreds of citizens to Austin to testify. Opponents argue that forcing public school teachers to use specific religious translations, such as the Protestant-preferred King James Bible, crosses a dangerous constitutional line.
Felicia Martin, executive director of the left-wing activist group Texas Freedom Network, warned that the reading list “centres Christianity above all other religious faiths and traditions” while simultaneously erasing diverse historical perspectives.
Public school educators expressed deep concern that the rigid list undermines their professional expertise. Representatives from the Texas Classroom Teachers Association voiced worry that the vast length of the list leaves them with little breathing room to cater to their individual student needs.
“Texas teachers have expressed concerns about the length of the list and the potential loss of teacher autonomy in determining which works are appropriate and relevant for their own classrooms,” noted Clare Haefner, speaking on behalf of the association.
Evelyn Brooks, the lone Republican to break ranks and vote against the curriculum with the Democrats, flatly called the overreach “unconstitutional.”
“Teachers need to have their autonomy. They’ve been selecting books for decades, for years,” Brooks declared during the floor debate.
Democratic board member Tiffany Clark, who represents parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, argued that the policy completely disregards the religious diversity of Texas's massive student body, which includes millions of children practicing Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and various non-Protestant Christian denominations.
“Bible lessons should be taught on Sundays,” Clark insisted, pointing out that even among Christians, interpretations and translations vary wildly. “Not all of us believe the same.”
“I just don’t think it’s fair to the students that we serve,” Clark added, warning that while opt-out options exist for families, missing these core lessons could ultimately damage students' scores on standardized exams.
Local religious leaders and military families stationed in the state also stepped forward to protect their parental boundaries. Rabbi Joshua Fixler of Houston argued that the curriculum forces secular educators to walk an impossible tightrope, stating that the list "will force teachers to cross that line" between teaching *about* faith and actively teaching faith itself.
Kimmie Fink, a mother from an active-duty military family living in Texas, questioned how a state that frequently champions individual liberties could take away a family's right to manage their own child's spiritual path.
“I would like to believe that my children’s constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom rights will remain intact wherever we are stationed,” Fink told the board. “Is this not the case in Texas, a state that champions parents’ rights? In Texas, parents have the fundamental legal right to direct the moral and religious upbringing of their children without state interference. The proposed literary works trample on this right.”
The vote is the latest victory for conservative lawmakers attempting to anchor Christian values within the secular school system. Texas has repeatedly positioned itself at the cutting edge of this movement. The state recently passed laws allowing schools to hire religious chaplains for student counseling, established financial incentives for schools using an optional Bible-infused elementary curriculum, and became the largest state to legally mandate that the Ten Commandments be displayed inside classrooms.
