ALABAMA
Separate schools shall be provided for white and colored children
—
Section 256,
Constitution of Alabama, 1901
ALASKA
A system of public schools OPEN to all children in the state
— Article 7,
Constitution of Alaska, 1959
ARIZONA
Shall provide for the establishment and maintenance of a GENERAL and uniform public school system — Article 11, Constitution of Arizona 1910
ARKANSAS
A GENERAL, SUITABLE and EFFICIENT system of free public schools — Article 14, Constitution of Arkansas 1874
CALIFORNIA
A system of COMMON schools — Article 9, Constitution of California, Ratified 1879
COLORADO
A THOROUGH and UNIFORM system of free public schools — Constitution of Colorado, 1876
CONNECTICUT
FREE public elementary and secondary schools in the state — Article 13, Constitution of Connecticut
DELAWARE
A GENERAL and EFFICIENT system of free public schools — Article 10, Constitution of Delaware, 1897
FLORIDA
A uniform, efficient, safe, secure and HIGH-QUALITY system of free public schools that allows students to obtain a HIGH-QUALITY education — Article 9, Constitution of Florida Revised, 1998
GEORGIA
ADEQUATE public education — Article 8, Constitution of Georgia, 1983
HAWAII
Public School systems free from sectarian control — Article 10, Constitution of Hawaii 1959
IDAHO
A GENERAL, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools — Article 9, Constitution of Idaho 1890
ILLINOIS
An efficient system of HIGH-QUALITY public education — Article 10, Constitution of Illinois
INDIANA
A GENERAL and uniform system of COMMON schools — Article 8, Constitution of Illinois 1851
IOWA
The education of all the youths of the State, through a system of COMMON schools — Article 9, Constitution of Iowa 1857
KANSAS
Intellectual, educational, vocational, and scientific improvement by establishing and maintaining public schools — Article 6 Constitution of Kansas 2019
KENTUCKY
An effective system of COMMON schools — Section 183 Constitution of Kentucky Revised 1891
LOUISANA
The legislature shall provide for the education of the people of the state and shall establish and maintain a public educational system — Article 8, Constitution of Louisiana
MAINE
The several towns to make SUITABLE provision, at their own expense, for the support and maintenance of public schools — Article 8 Constitution of Main Amended 2019
MARYLAND
A thorough and EFFICIENT System of Free Public Schools — Article 8, Constitution of Maryland 1867
MASSACHUSETTS
Wisdom, and knowledge, as well as virtue, diffused generally among the body of the people — Chapter 5, Section 2, Constitution of Massachusetts 1780
MICHIGAN
A system of free public elementary and secondary schools as defined by law — Article 8, Section 2 Constitution of Michigan 1963
MINNESOTA
A GENERAL and uniform system of public schools — Article 13 Constitution of Minnesota, 2016
MISSISSIPPI
Free public schools — Article 8 Section 201 Constitution of Mississippi 1987
MISSOURI
Free public schools for the GRATUITOUS instruction of all persons — Article 9, Constitution of Missouri 1820
MONTANA
A system of education which will develop the full educational potential of each person. Equality of educational opportunity is guaranteed to each person of the state ... a BASIC SYSTEM of free quality public elementary and secondary schools — Part 10 Constitution of Montana 1972
NEBRASKA
Free instruction in the common schools of this state — Article 7 Constitution of Nebraska 1875
NEVADA
A uniform system of common schools — Article 11, Section 2, Constitution of Nevada 1864
NEW HAMPSHIRE
To Cherish the interest of literature and the sciences, and all seminaries and public schools — Article 83, Constitution of New Hampshire 1784
NEW JERSEY
A thorough and efficient system of free public schools for the instruction of all the children in the State — Article 8 Constitution of New Jersey 1947
NEW MEXICO
A uniform system of free public schools SUFFICIENT for the education of, and open to, all the children of school age in the state — Article 12 Constitution of New Mexico
NEW YORK
A system of free COMMON schools, wherein all the children of this state may be educated — Article 11, Constitution of New York
NORTH CAROLINA
A GENERAL and UNIFORM system of free public schools — Article 9, Constitution of N. Carolina 1971
NORTH DAKOTA
A uniform system of free public schools throughout the state — Article 8, Section 2, Constitution of N. Dakota 1889
OHIO
A thorough and EFFICIENT system of common schools throughout the state — Article 6, Constitution of Ohio 1803
OKLAHOMA
Free public schools wherein all the children of the State may be educated — Article 13, Constitution of Oklahoma
OREGON
A uniform, and GENERAL system of Common schools — Article 8, Constitution of Oregon 1857
PENNSYLVANIA
A thorough and EFFICIENT system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth — Article 3 Section 14, Constitution of Pennsylvania 1874
RHODE ISLAND
Adopt all means which it may deem necessary and proper to secure to the people the advances and opportunities of education
SOUTH CAROLINA
A system of free public schools open to all children in the State and shall establish, organize, and support such other public institutions of learning, as may be desirable — Article 11 Constitution of S. Carolina 2019
SOUTH DAKOTA
A general and uniform system of public schools wherein tuition shall be without charge, and equally open to all — Article 8, Constitution of S. Dakota
TENNESSEE
A system of FREE public schools — Article 7, Constitution of Tennessee 1870
TEXAS
An EFFICIENT system of public free schools — Article 7, Constitution of Texas 1874
UTAH
The Legislature shall provide for the establishment and maintenance of of the state's education systems, including a public education system, which shall be open to all children of the state — Article 10, Constitution of Utah
VERMONT
A competent number of schools ought to be maintained in each town unless the general assembly permits other provisions for the convenient instruction of youth — Section 68, Constitution of Vermont 2010
VIRGINIA
Shall seek to ensure that an educational program of HIGH QUALITY is established and continually maintained — Article 8, Constitution of Virginia 1996
WASHINGTON
The legislature shall provide for a GENERAL and uniform system of public schools — Article 9, Section 2, Constitution of Washington 1889
WEST VIRGINIA
A thorough and EFFICIENT system of free schools — Article 12, Constitution of W. Virginia 1862
WISCONSIN
The establishment of district schools, which shall be NEARLY AS UNIFORM AS POSSIBLE — Article 10, Constitution of Wisconsin 1848
WYOMING
A complete and UNIFORM system of public instruction — Article 7, Constitution of Wyoming 1889