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Enrollment in Indiana’s Choice Scholarship school voucher program slowed in overall growth for the second year in a row last school year, new data from the state shows, but the number of higher income families using the program increased.
For the first time, more vouchers went to families making more than $100,000 than less than $100,000 this year.
This change has drawn criticism from public education advocates who say vouchers benefit families who can already afford tuition. But some choice advocates say the criticism doesn’t take large families into account. Around 72% of Indiana families participating in the Choice Scholarship program have a household size of 4-6, according to the report.
The program saw a slight uptick in the number of students who previously attended a public school before receiving a voucher, or around 2,000 students. But the majority of students in the program have never attended a public school, as in past years.
Around 4,000 additional students received a voucher in 2025-26 than in 2024-25, bringing total enrollment to approximately 80,000. In 2024-2025, the program added about 6,000 students, and in 2023-24, the program saw a sharp increase of nearly 17,000 students after 2023 legislative changes made vouchers available to nearly all Indiana families.
The 2025 legislative session approved vouchers for all Indiana families regardless of income, but those changes didn’t take effect until July 2026. Any affect on enrollment won’t be evident until the next school year.
To qualify for a 2025-26 voucher, a family had to have an annual household income limit less than 400% of the amount used to qualify for subsidized school meals. That was around $238,000 for a family of four.
Approximately 7,000 students from families making more than $200,000 received a voucher in 2025-26, compared to around 5,400 in 2024-25 and 3,700 in 2023-24. More vouchers were also awarded to families in the $100,000-$150,000 and $150,000-$200,000 income brackets than in past years.
The number of vouchers given to students from families making less than $50,000 dropped from 16,000 in 2024-25 to around 12,000 in 2025-26.
The state awarded $548 million for Choice Scholarships in 2025-26, according to the report, up from $497 million in 2024-225. The 2024-25 amounts were adjusted slightly because some students transferred out of their choice schools before the end of the year. The actual payments were around $491 million, according to this year’s report.
Most students in the program do not receive the full tuition and fees charged by their private school, but rather an amount that is 90% of the per-pupil state funding for their assigned public school district. Around 20,000 students received the full tuition and fees, and that number that has steadily declined since 2023-24.
Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.
