COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio spent over $1 billion on private school vouchers during the 2025 fiscal year — marking the second full year since lawmakers expanded eligibility to nearly all families, according to the Ohio Capital Journal from data by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
The total reached $1.09 billion across the state’s five voucher programs — surpassing earlier projections of $1.05 billion by the nonpartisan Legislative Service Commission. Nearly half of that amount, $492.8 million, came from the Education Choice Expansion Scholarship Program, which was broadened in 2023 to include families earning up to 450% of the federal poverty level.
Ohio Education Association President Jeff Wensing said the growth in funding has far outpaced the number of new students enrolling in private schools, calling the program’s rapid expansion “skyrocketing.”
The five state-funded scholarship programs include:
- Autism Scholarship Program – up to $32,445 for eligible students on the autism spectrum.
- Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship – for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
- Cleveland Scholarship – for students living within Cleveland Metropolitan School District boundaries.
- Education Choice Scholarship – for students in low-performing districts.
- Education Choice Expansion Scholarship – now open to most Ohio families under the new income guidelines.
In the 2024–25 school year, 100,930 students received EdChoice Expansion scholarships averaging $4,958 each, while 42,602 students participated in the traditional EdChoice program, receiving an average of $6,808.
Private school enrollment grew 4.6% this year, reaching 181,244 students, while public school enrollment fell by more than 16,000, to 1.46 million.
Aaron Churchill of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute said the billion-dollar milestone was expected as eligibility broadened. He predicts spending will continue to climb before leveling off in coming years.
Voucher spending has more than doubled since 2020, rising from $394 million to more than $1 billion in just five years.
