Ohio’s School Vouchers See Massive Increase in Student Applications in 2023

The expansion of Ohio’s contentious tuition voucher programs has proven to be a crucial support for schools such as St. Anthony of Padua elementary school in Akron, which faced declining enrollment to the extent that merging with another struggling school became a necessity.

St. Anthony’s survival was at stake, and only due to the accessibility of vouchers over the past decade, as highlighted by consultant Scott Embacher, the school managed to fill its 225 seats with students relying on vouchers to afford tuition.

According to Embacher, without the vouchers, the school’s survival would seem improbable. The legislative commitments made by Ohio have facilitated this lifeline for struggling schools.

The advent of vouchers in Ohio has injected hundreds of millions of tax dollars into private schools, significantly benefitting institutions like St. Anthony. Particularly, religious schools have witnessed a surge in enrollment and are exploring avenues for expansion, a stark contrast to the previous trends of enrollment decline and closures.

Over the last decade, the utilization of vouchers in Ohio has soared by over 400 percent, soaring from 30,000 students in 2013-14 to exceeding 120,000 presently. The state’s financial allocation to families and private schools has escalated from $175 million to a potentially staggering $1 billion annually.

The most notable surge, nearly 50 percent, from 83,000 to 120,000 students, occurred in the recent school year following the abolition of the income cap for voucher eligibility in 2023.

Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman foresees a further increase in voucher adoption for the upcoming school year, projecting a considerable surge due to late changes in eligibility rules, leaving families and schools with minimal time to adapt.

The latest wave of voucher expansions implemented in 2023 appears to be primarily benefitting students already enrolled in private schools. This approach aims to sidestep criticisms around diverting students from traditional district schools, although it faces backlash for apparently subsidizing private schooling for affluent families.

Critics argue that Ohio’s voucher programs lack the same state-mandated accountability as traditional schools or charter schools, sparking concerns about equitable standards across educational institutions.

The introduction of a bill by two Republican representatives entails proposing state report cards for private schools receiving vouchers, alongside mandated disclosure of financial and student disciplinary data. This initiative is intended to address accountability concerns raised by opponents of the current voucher system.

Supporters of vouchers contend that imposing additional testing and reporting requirements would escalate administrative burdens and associated costs. They highlight that private schools offer cost-effective alternatives to district schools, alleviating the financial strain on the public while arguing that parents can assess school suitability without reliant on report cards.

Ohio’s contentious voucher programs have reignited debates surrounding the accountability of private schools receiving public funding. Calls for increased transparency and academic scrutiny have added a new dimension to the discourse, emphasizing the need to ensure compliance and educational standards across all institutions.