Ohio spent $1.173 billion on private-school vouchers in fiscal year 2026, the second straight year spending topped $1 billion, according to data from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce reported this month. The total for the state’s five scholarship programs came in just below the $1.18 billion forecast by the Ohio Legislative Service Commission.
Nearly half of the money, $532.8 million, went through the Education Choice Expansion program, which awarded more than 105,000 scholarships averaging about $5,114 per student. Traditional EdChoice scholarships accounted for another $284.6 million across more than 42,000 students, averaging about $6,807 each, with maximum awards of $6,166 for kindergarten through eighth grade and $8,408 for high school students.
The remaining programs covered students with disabilities and Cleveland families. Reporting on the state data put the Autism Scholarship Program at nearly $187 million, the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program at about $114 million, and the Cleveland Scholarship Program at about $55 million, bringing the combined total to $1.173 billion for the year that ended June 30.
The growth has been rapid. Ohio spent about $444.5 million on the same five programs in fiscal 2021, meaning annual voucher spending has risen about 164 percent in five years. Lawmakers broadened EdChoice Expansion three years ago to near-universal eligibility, with maximum awards for families earning up to 450 percent of the federal poverty level and reduced awards above that level.
Public-school advocates renewed their criticism as the new figures circulated. Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, said it is frustrating to see that amount of money going to vouchers when public schools still are not fully and fairly funded. Ohio Education Association President Jeff Wensing questioned sending more than $1.1 billion in taxpayer funds to private schools he described as largely unaccountable.
The spending report also lands in the middle of a court fight. An Ohio appellate court has ruled the EdChoice program unconstitutional, and the state plans to challenge that decision. The programs remain active while the case moves forward, so families using scholarships this school year continue to receive them as the legal process plays out.
For central Ohio districts such as Hilliard, where a community petition has urged the school board to join the Vouchers Hurt Ohio lawsuit, the statewide total is not abstract — it is part of a local debate about how much taxpayer education funding follows students to private schools. Supporters of the programs say the scholarships give families choices they could not otherwise afford.
What happens next will be decided in court and at the Statehouse. The state’s planned appeal is expected to take the EdChoice question to the Ohio Supreme Court, while legislators who write the next state budget will decide whether voucher funding keeps growing at the pace set since the 2023 expansion.
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