The State Fair of Texas will no longer provide free tickets to high school students
With less than 20 days left until Big Tex welcomes fairgoers to Fair Park in Dallas, the State Fair of Texas announced that it will no longer provide free tickets to high school students beginning the upcoming 2025 season.
The Fair says it is one of the few fairs in the country that provides "an expansive school ticketing program for free admission to students and teachers, within a 100-mile radius of Fair Park."
Free admission will continue for Pre-K through grade 8 students and all teachers for those grades; however, free admission will no longer be available to high school students (grades 9 through 12).
"This change has been under consideration for several years due to rising costs, low redemption rates, and increased safety concerns," said a statement from the State Fair of Texas.
Rising costs and low redemption rates
The State Fair of Texas reports that only 10% of the more than 2 million tickets printed and distributed to qualifying North Texas schools are used. Part of this, the State Fair says, is due to school districts removing "Fair Days" from their academic school year calendars. School districts were notified of the changes in March 2025.
In June, the City of Dallas ended its contract with the nonprofit managing Fair Park, citing long-standing tensions and operational concerns. Fair Park First had overseen day-to-day operations at Fair Park since 2019. The move also ended the partnership with a major subcontractor, Oakview Group.
Dallas city officials stated that the decision was made due to a flawed operating structure that created too much distance between the city and day-to-day decision-makers. The city's Park and Recreation Department took over those operations earlier this year.
Under Fair Park's new contract with the City of Dallas, the Fair is expected to cover 100% of Dallas Police Department expenses. The Fair says that this, along with other safety and security costs, totals more than $8 million and "managing unpredictable attendance spikes from high school groups significantly increases those costs."
Increased safety concerns
According to the Fair's Code of Conduct, "Fairgoers age 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or chaperone (21+) beginning at 5 p.m. each day with no more than six minors in any given party." The Fair says the minor policy has already "proven effective" as there has previously been an "uptick in incidents involving high-school-aged guests in recent years".
Earlier this month, State Fair officials announced other safety policy changes, including a clear bag policy and a "see something, say something" program for fairgoers. This is in addition to the 2024 weapons ban.
Discount code for High School students
Despite the change, the fair says students in grades 9 through 12 will have the opportunity for discounted, $12 single-day admission on Mondays through Thursdays. To do this, tickets should be purchased online at BigTex.com/5HS with the code 2025EDU. The offer is valid for up to two one-day admission tickets.