Beginning with the 2025 season, the State Fair of Texas will no longer distribute free tickets to high school students.
The longstanding practice of offering free admission to students in grades 9 through 12 will be discontinued, with free tickets remaining available only to Pre-K through 8th-grade students and teachers for this year.
Instead, high school students can purchase discounted tickets for $12, valid Monday through Thursday.
Organizers say this change has been considered for several years, citing rising costs and increasing safety concerns during the fair. They also mentioned that printing and distributing over 2 million free tickets annually is costly, with only about 10% actually redeemed.
Tickets must be bought online at BigTex.com/5HS. using the promo code 2025EDU.
The State Fair of Texas will open on September 26 at Fair Park in Dallas.
