Enrollment in New Hampshire’s school voucher-like program, known as Education Freedom Accounts, is up 25% for the upcoming academic year. There are 12,500 students enrolled, and the Children’s Scholarship Fund, which operates the program, said another 943 students are on its waitlist..
The enrollment increase was expected under the program’s rules, which allow the enrollment cap to increase by 25% annually.
With the increased enrollment, the state could spend more than $60 million in payments to families, depending on how many students qualify for additional money because they are special education students, English language learners, or qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. The program is open to all New Hampshire families regardless of income.
Families can use the payments, which will average $4,800, to attend private school or for homeschooling costs. Students in the Education Freedom Account program can also attend public school classes for free, under a bill Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed into law in June.
The Children’s Scholarship Fund has not yet provided a breakdown of enrollment by grade Friday. This past school year, students in elementary school were the biggest users of the program, followed by middle and high schoolers.
Last school year, the program was capped at 10,000, though nearly 10,500 students received payments because the cap does not apply to students who were already in the program, have siblings in the program, or have disabilities. Low-income families are also exempt from the cap.
An effort by Republican lawmakers this year to eliminate the enrollment cap did not make it to the governor.
