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With nearly 32,700 schoolchildren enrolled, the state has the largest  voucher program in the country, according to the Friedman Foundation, a school choice organization that tracks data nationwide. Since the program's  inception in 2011, enrollment has jumped in the program that offers state funding for low- to middle-income students to attend private schools.
But Indiana – while still a leader in school vouchers – trails Ohio when it comes to the total number of students receiving assistance. In Ohio, upward of 45,000 students are participating across five programs in the state, though some have more limited eligibility criteria than Indiana’s single statewide program.
The Indiana Department of Education on Thursday confirmed 32,686 students are using vouchers for the 2015-16 school year in a new report on the program’s impact.
The report continued to show about half of students receiving a voucher never attended a public school in Indiana.
And while more students were granted the assistance than the previous school year, growth has slowed as eligibility criteria have remained the same. The program added about 3,500 students statewide this year, compared with last year, when it grew by about 9,300.
The Institute for Quality Education anticipates the same level of growth for the 2016-17 school year, said Betsy Wiley, president of the school choice organization.
“That’s really because we haven’t put any new pathways in for a couple of years. For the most part, those big growth numbers typically come when (there’s) expanded eligibility in some way, shape or form,” Wiley said.
Teresa Meredith, head of the Indiana State Teachers Association, said she was surprised to see the low number of students who would have attended an “F-rated” school applying for the program. In 2015, nearly 600 students applied under that eligibility criteria, but the number fell by more than half for this school year, according to the report.
The Department of Education has said the voucher program cost the state about $40 million for the 2014-15 school year. The cost for this school year is expected to be released this summer. Supporters argue that the voucher program ultimately results in savings because the amount of assistance is still less than what the state would spend on a child to attend a public school.
But Meredith argued that the $40 million figures shows the program is “not actually saving anybody anything.”
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz, an opponent of the voucher program, has called on lawmakers to review its economic and academic impact.
During this year’s legislative session, lawmakers widened the time window of when students can apply for the program. The state had restricted the applications to the first semester. Beginning in the 2017-18 school year, students will be eligible to apply for a voucher midyear.
Call IndyStar reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea.
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