America’s School Choice Programs Ranked by Eligibility, 2021 Edition

At EdChoice, eligibility is one of the most important factors in analyzing a school choice program. We believe that all parents—regardless geography, income, or any other factor—should have access to the educational options that best fit their children’s needs.

You can find specific program eligibility rates in this year’s ABCs of School Choice, or check out this comprehensive list for programs ranked by school choice eligibility. Last year’s rankings are in parentheses following each program name.

When possible, we calculate program eligibility based on the number of students in the state eligible to participate in that educational choice program. For programs with income limits, we calculate eligibility based on the number of families with children in the state who are income-eligible to participate in that educational choice program. See our May 2016 blog post for an in-depth look at our eligibility calculations.

Having high eligibility does not necessarily mean a program will have high participation. In some cases, such as with tax-credit scholarships, the number of eligible students may exceed the number of students a program has the resources to support. Of course, some families who are eligible will choose not to use a choice program, and that’s OK. Ultimately, we believe every family should be eligible to opt into an educational choice program and get their kids into the right learning setting.

T1. Minnesota’s Education Deduction (T1)
Individual Tax Deduction | 100% of taxpaying families with children eligible

T1. Iowa’s Tuition and Textbook Tax Credits (T1)
Individual Tax Credit | 100% of taxpaying families with children eligible

T1. Arizona’s Original Individual Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program (T1)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 100% of students eligible

T1. Ohio’s Cleveland Scholarship Program (T1)
Voucher | 100% of students eligible

T1. Montana’s Tax Credits for Contributions to Student Scholarship Organizations (T1)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 100% of students eligible

6. Illinois’s Tax Credits for Educational Expenses (6)
Individual Tax Credit | About 98% of taxpaying families with children eligible

7. Arizona’s “Switcher” Individual Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program (7)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 93% of families with children eligible

8. Georgia’s Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit (9)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 89% of students eligible

9. Florida’s Hope Scholarship Program (9)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 90% of students eligible

10. Oklahoma’s Equal Opportunity Education Scholarships (10)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 82% of families with children eligible

11. Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (12)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 73% of families with children eligible

12. Wisconsin’s Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (11)
Voucher | 71% of families with children eligible

13. Iowa’s School Tuition Organization Tax Credit (15)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 61% of families with children eligible

14. Indiana’s School Scholarship Tax Credit Program (13)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 60% of students eligible

15. Puerto Rico’s Free School Selection Program (19)
Voucher | 56% of families with children eligible

16. Arizona’s Low-Income Corporate Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program (14)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 56% of families with children eligible

17. Wisconsin’s Parental Private School Choice Program (Racine) (16)
Voucher | 54% of families with children eligible

18. Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship Program (18)
Voucher | 52% of families with children eligible

19. Nevada’s Educational Choice Scholarship Program (20)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 50% of families with children eligible

20. Louisiana’s Tuition Donation Credit Program (22)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 48% of families with children eligible

21. Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (21)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 46% of families with children eligible

22.Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program (23)
Voucher| 44% of families with children eligible

23. North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarships (24)
Voucher | 42% of families with children eligible

24. Illinois’s Invest in Kids Program (26)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 41% of families with children eligible

25. South Dakota’s Partners in Education Tax Credit Program (29F)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 41% of families with children eligible

26. Virginia’s Educational Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credits (25)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 37% of families with children eligible

27. Rhode Island’s Tax Credits for Contributions to Scholarship Organizations (27)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 35% of families with children eligible

28. Alabama’s Education Scholarship Program (28)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 34% of families with children eligible

29. Louisiana Scholarship Program (31)
Voucher| 33% of students eligible

30. Ohio’s Income-Based Scholarship Program (32)
Voucher | 33% of students eligible

31. New Hampshire’s Education Tax Credit Program (30)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 31% of families with children eligible

32. Ohio’s Educational Choice Scholarship Program (32)
Voucher | 29% of families with children eligible

33. Washington, D.C.’s Opportunity Scholarship Program (33)
Voucher | 29% of families with children eligible

34. Wisconsin’s Parental Choice Program (Statewide) (35)
Voucher | 26% of families with children eligible

35. Maryland’s Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) Program (38)
Voucher | 19% of families with children eligible

36. Minnesota’s K–12 Education Credit (37)
Individual Tax Credit | 18% of families with children eligible

37. Louisiana’s Elementary and Secondary School Tuition Deduction (39)
Individual Tax Deduction | 16% of students eligible

38. Oklahoma’s Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities (40)
Voucher | 15% of students eligible

39. Wisconsin’s K–12 Private School Tuition Deduction (41)
Individual Tax Deduction | 14% of taxpaying families with children eligible

40. Indiana’s Private/Homeschool Deduction (49)
Individual Tax Deduction | 13% of taxpaying families with children eligible

41. Wisconsin’s Special Needs Scholarship Program (43)
Voucher | 13% of taxpaying families eligible

42. Arkansas’s Succeed Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities (42)
Voucher | 13% of students eligible

43. Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (36)
Education Savings Account | 12% of students eligible

44. Ohio’s Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program (45)
Voucher | 12% of students eligible

45. Mississippi’s Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Program (46)
Education Savings Account | 12% of students eligible

46. Arizona’s Lexie’s Law for Disabled and Displaced Students Tax Credit Scholarship Program (44)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 11% of students eligible

47. Florida’s John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program (51)
Voucher | 11% of students eligible

T48. South Carolina’s Educational Credit for Exceptional Needs Children (T47)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 11% of students eligible

T48. South Carolina’s Refundable Educational Credit for Exceptional Needs Children (T47)
Individual Tax Credit | 11% of students eligible

50. Pennsylvania’s Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program (55)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 11% of students eligible

51. Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (53)
Voucher | 10% of students eligible

52. North Carolina’s Special Education Scholarship Grant for Children with Disabilities (54)
Voucher | 10% of students eligible

53. Utah’s Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship Program (50)
Voucher | 10% of students eligible

54. Florida’s Gardiner Scholarship Program (63)
Education Savings Account | 10% of students eligible

55. Louisiana’s School Choice Program for Certain Students with Exceptionalities (56)
Voucher | 6% of students eligible

56. Kansas’s Tax Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship Program (57)
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 5% of students eligible

57. Alabama Accountability Act of 2013 Parent-Taxpayer Refundable Tax Credits (58)
Individual Tax Credit | 5% of students eligible

58. Vermont’s Town Tuitioning Program (59)
Voucher | 4% of students eligible

59. Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with Dyslexia Program (60)
Voucher | 2% of students eligible

60. Maine’s Town Tuitioning Program (61)
Voucher | 2% of students eligible

61. Mississippi’s Nate Rogers Scholarship for Students with Disabilities Program (64)
Voucher | 2% of students eligible

62. Tennessee’s Individualized Education Accounts (62)
Education Savings Account | 2% of students eligible

63. Ohio’s Autism Scholarship Program (65)
Voucher | 1% of students eligible

64. New Hampshire’s Town Tuitioning Program (66)
Voucher | <1% of students eligible