More Than 100,000 Students Eligible for EdChoice Program

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 100,000 students who attend 226 school buildings in 29 districts located across the state are eligible to apply for an EdChoice scholarship for the 2012-2013 school year, according to the new list released by the Ohio Department of Education.

For two of the past three years, the schools on the list have either received a rating of "Academic Watch" or "Academic Emergency" or have been ranked in the bottom 10 percent of schools statewide, based on performance index scores. Estimates suggest that approximately 100,199 students attend the 226 eligible schools. This is an increase compared to the approximately 85,000 students who were eligible for the program for the current school year.

"The EdChoice Scholarship Program gives Ohio students the opportunity to receive a quality education in the school of their choice that best fits their learning needs," said School Choice Ohio Executive Director Chad Aldis. "With the number of available scholarships increasing next year to 60,000, parents who apply for a scholarship can rest assured that if they are eligible, there will be a scholarship for their child."

A student is eligible to apply for the EdChoice Scholarship Program if he or she is one of the following:

• Enrolled in and attending an EdChoice designated public school building
• Enrolled in a charter school, and would otherwise be assigned to an EdChoice designated public school building
• Enrolled in a non-eligible public school or charter school but would be assigned to attend an EdChoice designated public school building in the upcoming school year
• Eligible to enter kindergarten in the upcoming school year and would be assigned to an EdChoice designated public school building

The application period for the 2012-2013 school year will begin on February 1, 2012. Students who currently attend a private school and students who are homeschooled are not eligible to apply for the program.

A recent expansion to the program in the state budget increased the number of scholarships available in 2012 to 60,000 and extended eligibility to include students attending the bottom 10 percent of schools in the state, based on performance index scores.

EdChoice scholarships are worth up to $4,250 per year at the elementary and middle school levels and up to $5,000 per year at the high school level. Once a student receives a scholarship, he or she can continue to renew the scholarship through high school graduation. In 2011, more than 17,000 students applied for the program.

SOURCE School Choice Ohio

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