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Began Operation 1869
| FAST FACTS |
- 8,040 students tuitioned in 2004-05
- 4,445 chose private schools
- 136 towns tuition students
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Many small towns in Vermont do not operate local high schools, and some do not operate local elementary schools. Students in these towns are eligible for a voucher to attend public schools in other towns or non-religious private schools, even outside the state. The “sending” towns pay tuition directly to the “receiving” schools. While most towns allow parents to choose which schools will receive their students, some towns send all their students to one school. In 2004-05 about 6,250 students attended schools chosen by their parents, while about 1,800 attended schools chosen by their towns.
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| Scholarship or Voucher Value: |
When students are tuitioned at public schools, the sending town pays the receiving school district an amount equal to the receiving district’s average per-pupil costs, as calculated by the state Department of Education. When students are tuitioned at private schools, the voucher is worth up to the average announced tuition for union schools, calculated each year by the state. This figure is calculated separately for grades K-6, 7-8 and 9-12. For 2005-06 the figures will be $8,155 for grades K-6, $9,000 for grades 7-8 and $8,890 for grades 9-12.
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| Student or School Participation: |
In 2004-05, 136 towns tuitioned at least some students. Out of 8,040 tuitioned students, 3,595 (45 percent) were tuitioned at public schools and 4,445 (55 percent) were tuitioned at private schools.
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| Student Eligibility: |
Students must live in Vermont and reside in an identified tuition town.
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| Legal Status of Program: |
Vermont has a complex legal history with school choice. In 1961, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that including religious schools in the program violated the First Amendment but not the state constitution. In 1994, the Vermont Supreme Court overturned this decision, but the Vermont Department of Education refused to allow parents to choose religious schools. In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court again barred religious schools from participating, this time under the state constitution. In light of the 2002 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of vouchers in Cleveland, the Institute for Justice mounted another legal challenge, arguing that barring parents from choosing religious schools is unconstitutional religious discrimination and a violation of the right to free exercise of religion. The Institute for Justice terminated the suit, however, after its clients – in a decision unrelated to the litigation – withdrew their children from religious schools to transfer them to public schools.
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| Regulations on the Program: |
Participating schools must be non-religious, obey anti discrimination laws and meet state standards for private schools.
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| Research on Program: |
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| News on Program: |
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| Governing Statutes: |
Vermont Statutes, Title 16, Chapter 21
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