EdChoice Voucher Awards Reach New High - Increase 20%

(Columbus, Ohio, September 1, 2009) 

As students head back to school this year, over ten thousand students will be using a state-funded EdChoice Scholarship to attend a private school.

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has awarded 12,685 scholarships to be used in the 2009-10 school year. Of these scholarships, 3,985 were to first-year awardees and 8,700 were scholarship renewals. Last year, 9,700 students used the scholarship to attend nearly 300 private schools.

Scholarship recipients live in 49 school districts statewide. In 9 of those districts, more than 400 students received a scholarship award this year. Those top 9 districts are:

The EdChoice scholarship, now in its 4th year, expands school options for parents in Ohio. The scholarship allows children who attend the state's lowest-rated public schools to attend private school with a publicly-funded scholarship worth up to $5,000 annually.

Despite education funding being largely protected in the state budget and enhanced by stimulus funds, the EdChoice scholarship was singled out for a reduction this year. A line item veto by Governor Strickland resulted in the maximum scholarship amount declining from $5,300 to $5,000 (6%). This returns the scholarship amount to 2006 funding levels.

"The scholarship continues to empower parents across the state to find a school where their child can be successful," said Chad L. Aldis, executive director of School Choice Ohio. "In these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever that all children have access to a high quality education. This scholarship can serve as a lifeline to many students in our most troubled schools."

For the full listing of EdChoice Scholarship awards, click the link:
ODE EdChoice Award Data 2009

About School Choice Ohio
School Choice Ohio (SCO) is committed to the goal of every child in Ohio having access to a quality education. SCO believes that all parents should have the opportunity to choose which school is best for their children, regardless of their income level.