This school year is the first where all Hoosier families are empowered to choose the school that best aligns with their education goals. House Republicans championed universal school choice in the most recent state budget.
Every Indiana family is now eligible for the state's Choice Scholarship Program, which provides a state voucher for a student to attend participating private or parochial schools.
This expansion builds off more than a decade of legislative efforts to expand families' educational options and give parents more control over their child's education. Lawmakers passed a law in 2011 establishing the state's first school voucher program. Indiana's Choice Scholarship Program was the nation's largest voucher program by participation in the 2024-25 school year.
Families attending a choice scholarship participating school during the 2026-2027 school year have until Sept. 1 to apply for the first application period. Learn more and apply here. To see a list of participating schools, click here.
Indiana is leading the nation in providing education freedom and options for families. Indiana ranks 3rd in the nation for school choice programs and 5th in the nation for transformational learning opportunities in the Center for Education Reform’s 'Parent Power Index.'
While we've expanded school choice for families, we’ve also increased education funding. In the current state budget, Indiana increased K-12 tuition support by $640 million, a 5% increase over the biennium, to its highest level yet. Nearly half of our state budget goes toward K-12 education (47%). Indiana's minimum teacher salary was also increased by $5,000, and schools are now required to spend at least 65% of their state tuition support on teacher compensation.
These policies and investments are leading to positive outcomes for students. On the recently released IREAD test results, reading scores for Indiana's third-graders increased for the 5th consecutive year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Indiana ranks 6th in the nation for both 4th and 8th grade reading proficiency according to the most recent Nations' Report Card.
To learn more about efforts from Indiana House Republicans to prepare our students for success, visit indianahouserepublicans.com. To learn more about the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program, visit in.gov/doe.
