Texas State Board of Education Approves Required Bible Reading List

In a significant move, the Texas State Board of Education has adopted a statewide reading list that mandates Bible stories for public school students. This decision could affect roughly 5.5 million students across the state.

Following the board’s vote on Friday, around 11% of students in U.S. public schools will now be required to read at least 200 verses from the Bible as part of their educational curriculum.

Interestingly, the board consists primarily of Republicans, with ten out of fifteen members identifying as such.

This action comes on the heels of a law passed in Texas in 2025 that mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. Despite facing legal challenges, this measure was ultimately upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court.

Critics of the reading requirement argue that it may violate constitutional principles, specifically referencing the 1962 Supreme Court case Engel v. Vitale. This landmark decision established that mandated school-sponsored prayer contravenes the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from promoting a state religion.

While “separation of church and state” isn’t explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, it is derived from the Establishment Clause. President Thomas Jefferson articulated this idea in a letter, stating that the First Amendment creates a “wall of separation” between the two realms, even though he remained open about his Christian faith during his public life, attending church services at the Capitol while serving as president and vice president.

However, Texas has precedent supporting changes to school curricula. The 1963 Supreme Court case Abington School District v. Shemp allows for the teaching of religious texts like the Bible when approached from a secular perspective.

The majority opinion noted, “It may certainly be said that the Bible is worthy of study because of its literary and historical qualities. Nothing we have said here is intended to suggest that such Biblical or religious studies, when presented objectively as part of a secular educational program, may not be conducted consistently with the First Amendment.”

Importantly, kindergartners will continue to read familiar classics such as “Anansi the Spider: Stories from the Ashanti” and “The Puss in the Hat” without the added requirement of reading from the Bible, per the latest guidelines from the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Similarly, second, fourth, and fifth graders won’t be required to include Bible passages in their studies. Instead, they’ll read stories like “Johnny Appleseed” and “Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow.”

The reading list features a diverse range of materials across various grade levels, including:

1st grade

• “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter
• Parable of the Prodigal Son

3rd grade

• “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White
• Road to Damascus

6th grade

• President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
• Matthew 6:25-34 English Standard Version (ESV)

7th grade

• “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle
• Jonah New International Reader’s Edition (NIRV)
• Psalm 23 King James Version (Colloquial Translation)
• 1 Corinthians 13 ESV

8th grade

• “What is Independence Day to Slaves?” by Frederick Douglass
• Matthew 5:1-12 Colloquial Bible

9th grade

• George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• 1 Samuel 17 NIRV

10th grade

• “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley
• Genesis 11:1-9 NIRV

11th grade

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Ecclesiastes 3 Colloquial Bible

12th grade

• William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”
• Job chapters 1-7, 11, 14, 19, 18, 38-42