New Hampshire’s expanded school choice program has proven more popular than even supporters predicted. Fall enrollment has reached the 10,000 student cap and nearly 300 students are on a waitlist, according to numbers released Monday.
That means public schools will likely see a drop in enrollment and, and with it, at least $4,200 in state funding for each student who leaves. The amount increases for students who have special needs, are English language learners, or qualify for free- and reduced-price lunch.
One key measure of the program is still being calculated: the number of students who are using the voucher-style Education Freedom Account program to leave public school. Since the program began in 2021, about 65% of participants were already being homeschooled or attending private school when they enrolled, according to the Department of Education.
Kate Baker Demers, executive director of the Children's Scholarship Fund New Hampshire, said she didn’t expect to see enrollment in the voucher-style program almost double. She said the funding can be a game-changer for public school students who are struggling.
“They're going to go to a school environment where they're not experiencing bullying, or…are going to experience learning in ways that they never have before,” she said.
In the coming weeks, the state Department of Education will report how many students in each town are enrolled in the program.
The enrollment cap is set to expand to 12,500 the following school year because the law increases enrollment by 25%when it approaches the cap.
Democrats and public school advocates have said expanding the program to students who’ve already left public school when they enroll undermines the argument that the program is intended to give lower-income students an alternative to public school.
