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HURST, Texas (AP) — Keith Castello spends a lot of time praying about available real estate. Driving in his white pickup under a glaring Texas sun, the classical Christian school administrator points out empty office parks, a shopping mall, and an old church — all locations he is scouting for new Christian schools .

Demand is booming, he says. And part of that demand comes from a new state incentive: taxpayer money for kids who attend Christian schools.

This summer, Texas began rolling out $1 billion in public funding that eligible families can put toward private education expenses. Republican-controlled state legislatures around the country have approved a cascade of similar programs in the past six years, alarming public school advocates.

These programs mean half of school-age children in the United States are now eligible to apply for state money to attend private schools.…