No Private Schools in 10 Ohio Counties, Despite Voucher Program
According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW), ten counties- Carroll, Champaign, Hardin, Harrison, Holmes, Meigs, Morgan, Noble, Preble, and Vinton had zero private schools during the 2025 fiscal year. Many Appalachian counties have only one or two private schools.
“There are a lot of rural areas in the state that do not have many options,” said Ohio Federation of Teacher President Melissa Cropper. “Students in those areas really don’t have access to these vouchers.”
Limited Choices Despite Universal Vouchers
Ohio expanded school voucher eligibility in the 2023 state budget, allowing families earning up to 450% of the poverty line (over $135,000 for a family of four) to qualify for at least partial scholarships. However, while Ohio spent nearly $1 billion on private school scholarships in the 2024 fiscal year, rural students often have nowhere to use them.
“To say that we have universal vouchers, that every family can take advantage of a voucher, is actually a fallacy,” Cropper said. “A lot of these counties don’t have options, or have very few options, yet they’re still being impacted by money going to vouchers, so it has a disproportionate impact on rural areas.”
Funding Shift Hurts Public Schools
Public education remains the primary option for most Ohio students, with 90% attending public schools during the 2023-24 school year. However, the governor’s proposed budget would cut traditional public school funding by 0.9% while increasing private school voucher funding by 15.8%.
“It’s a double hit to rural communities when children leave a public school because they take that money with them, but the cost of education in that school doesn’t change,” said Susie Kaeser of the League of Women Voters Ohio.
Rural communities often lack private school alternatives due to population density and low demand. “You have to have enough people to make it worthwhile to create an alternative school,” Kaeser said. “There would be more private schools in rural Ohio if there were demand.”
Public school leaders continue to push for full funding, warning that reduced budgets could lead to fewer teachers and course offerings. “We keep putting off funding our public schools, but that’s who’s being hurt: the people who rely exclusively on public education,” Kaeser said.
