How does Indiana's Choice Scholarship work, and who qualifies now?
Programmes, amounts and rules change. Before acting on anything here, check the current details with the official source named in the answer.
Indiana's Choice Scholarship, usually called the voucher programme, helps pay tuition at a participating nonpublic school, including Christian schools that take part. The family chooses a participating school and enrols, the parent or guardian gives the school the documentation it needs, and the school submits the student's Choice application to the Indiana Department of Education through its secure system. If the student is approved, the school gives the family an award letter showing the estimated amount. Applications in the first application period are full year awards and applications in the second period are half year awards, provided the student stays enrolled to the end of the school year.
Who qualifies has just widened. The Department's own eligibility page lists two requirements: the student must have legal settlement in Indiana, and must be at least five years old and less than 22 years old by October 1 of the school year applied for. The household income test that applied in earlier years, most recently a limit of 400 percent of the amount required to qualify for the federal free or reduced price lunch programme, has been removed for the 2026-27 school year, so from 2026-27 the programme is open to Indiana students in that age range regardless of household income. Participating schools must be accredited by the State Board of Education or by a recognised national or regional accrediting agency and must administer the statewide assessment.
The award is the lesser of two figures: the tuition and fees the participating school charges, or 90 percent of the state per-pupil funding for the student's school corporation of residence. Because the second figure varies by district, awards vary across the state, and your award letter, not a statewide average, is the figure to plan on. For context only, the programme averaged $6,536 per student in 2024-25. Check the Department's estimated award amounts for 2026-27 for your own district, and confirm your chosen school is on the 2026-27 list of participating Choice schools before you enrol.
Sources: Indiana Department of Education, Indiana Choice Scholarship Program page (student eligibility: legal settlement; age five to under 22 by October 1; school submits the application; first period full year, second period half year; participating school accreditation and assessment requirements); Indiana Department of Education, Choice Scholarship Program annual reports (average award $6,536 per student in 2024-25); Find Christian Schools verified state file, shared/schoolChoice.ts, Indiana entry (last verified 2026-10-13: income limits removed starting 2026-27; up to 90 percent of state per-pupil funding). Checked October 2026.