Ohio Spent Nearly a Billion Dollars on Private School Voucher Scholarships in 2024
Source: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/
In the 2024 fiscal year, Ohio allocated nearly $1 billion for private school scholarship programs, marking the first full year of near-universal school vouchers. The total amount for the state’s five scholarship programs reached $970.7 million, with over a third ($406.7 million) coming from Education Choice Expansion scholarships. Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro expressed concern that this significant public funding for private schools could negatively impact public schools, which serve nearly 90% of students, as it diverts state resources away from meeting their needs.
The $970.7 million allocated for Ohio’s private school scholarship programs exceeded the Ohio Legislative Service Commission’s estimate of $964.5 million. The five scholarship programs include the Autism Scholarship Program, Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program, Cleveland Scholarship, Education Choice Scholarship, and Educational Choice Expansion Scholarship Program.
Students on the autism spectrum can receive vouchers up to $32,455 through the Autism Scholarship. The Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship is available for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), while the Cleveland Scholarship serves all students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Education Choice scholarships target students in low-performing districts.
Last year, lawmakers expanded the Education Choice-Expansion eligibility to 450% of the poverty line, allowing families with incomes up to $135,000 to qualify for at least 10% of the maximum scholarship. K-8 students can receive $6,165, while high schoolers can receive $8,407 in state funding under this expansion. In total, there were 93,159 applicants for the EdChoice Expansion scholarships, with 89,794 awarded. The payments for these scholarships more than tripled from fiscal year 2023 to 2024. For traditional EdChoice scholarships, there were 44,020 applicants, and 42,779 received awards, totaling $273.1 million.
In fiscal year 2024, nonpublic school enrollment in Ohio rose about 2%, from 169,807 to 173,156 students, while public school enrollment declined by around 6,000 students. Most recipients of the new EdChoice Expansion scholarships were already attending private schools, raising concerns from Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro, who argued that the program is primarily benefiting families who have already chosen private education.
He noted that universal vouchers may enable private schools to increase tuition, effectively subsidizing these institutions with public funds. DiMauro called for greater transparency in private school tuition practices. The Ohio Legislative Service Commission predicts that total payments for the five scholarship programs could surpass a billion dollars next year. Despite these concerns, Aaron Churchill from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute believes that Ohio can support both public schools and expand educational choices for families simultaneously.
The total scholarship payments over the past five years have significantly increased, with fiscal year 2023 seeing payments of $610.2 million. Additionally, for the Cleveland Scholarship program, there were 8,626 applicants, with 8,361 receiving awards totaling $53.6 million. The Autism Scholarship had 5,610 applicants, with 5,385 awarded $141.7 million, while the Jon Peterson Scholarship received 9,439 applicants and awarded 9,082 scholarships totaling $95.6 million.
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