U.S. Supreme Court Split Leaves Oklahoma Ban On Religious Charter Schools Intact

On May 22, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a split 4–4 decision in St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond, leaving in place the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling that the state cannot approve a religious charter school. While this decision settles the matter in Oklahoma, for now, the Supreme Court did not answer the broader constitutional question of whether states may approve religious charter schools. Given growing interest in faith-based charter models, similar applications are likely to emerge in other states, potentially bringing the issue back to the U.S. Supreme Court.

You can read more about the case in LCW’s Special Bulletin.