Texas Schools Will Now Include Bible Stories in Reading Classes

On June 26, 2026, Texas voted to add Bible passages and stories to what students read in public school classrooms, according to CNN. These religious texts will sit alongside traditional literature like novels and poetry in reading lists for every grade level, starting with elementary school.

This decision traces back to a 2023 Texas law that told the State Board of Education to create official reading lists for each grade, per USA Today. That law gave the board an opening to add Bible stories into what was formally meant to be a secular reading program — a way to use education policy as the vehicle for that change.

Why this matters right now: Texas runs the second-largest public school system in America. Millions of students will encounter these Bible passages. Any change to what Texas students read spreads far beyond one state. Publishers will adjust textbooks based on Texas's reading lists. Teacher training will shift. School districts across the state will have to reorganize what materials they buy and what they teach.

The Legal Question

The Constitution does not automatically forbid religious texts in public schools. Under current law — shaped by cases like Lemon v. Kurtzman from 1971 and more recent rulings like Kennedy v. Bremerton from 2022 — courts have separated two ideas: teaching about religion as literature is permitted, but teaching for religious belief is not. Texas officials will almost certainly say they are doing the former.

Whether a court agrees depends on what actually happens in classrooms. A legal challenge — and groups like the American Civil Liberties Union have signaled they may file one — would start in federal district court, then likely move to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which tends to favor religious expression in public life. The Supreme Court has shifted toward allowing more religion in public institutions in recent years, meaning challengers face a tougher legal environment than they would have a decade ago.

What This Reflects

The political logic in Texas is clear. Republican leaders have been working to expand religious expression in public institutions for years. This Bible curriculum vote fits into that broader effort alongside debates over school choice, parental control over what kids learn, and who decides what schools teach. It is not a random decision — it is part of a deliberate sequence.

The practical effect matters too. When Bible passages land on official reading lists, they do not stay as suggestions. Teachers will be expected to cover them. Student performance on standardized tests may eventually measure whether kids know these texts. The passages become part of the machinery of public education, not just an addition to a list.

What Comes Next

Other states — Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana — have recently moved to expand religion's role in public schools, though each used different methods. A large Texas curriculum mandate could become a template for those states to copy. On the other hand, if a federal judge quickly halts the program before it takes effect, the conversation shifts entirely.

The outcome will reveal how much freedom states now have to mix religious instruction into public education — and whether the Supreme Court's recent tilt toward accommodating religion in public life extends this far.