Student Funding

The maximum voucher value is $5,500 for students in grades K–8 and $7,500 for high school students. Schools must accept vouchers from K–8 recipients with a household income no greater than twice the federal poverty level as full tuition payment. Parents whose household income is more than the 200 percent threshold or whose student is in high school may pay the remaining tuition or provide in-kind services of the remaining tuition.

(Last updated February 15, 2023)

Student Eligibility

Children in grades K–12 who reside in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District are eligible. Priority is given to families with incomes less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($55,500 for a family of four in 2022–23). Children from families with incomes above 200 percent of poverty are eligible to receive vouchers if approved by the Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction. Participating private schools must prioritize renewing scholarship recipients, siblings of enrolled students, and low-income students in admitting scholarship students; otherwise, participating private schools must accept voucher students on a random basis as space allows.

(Last updated February 15, 2023)

EdChoice Expert Feedback

Ohio’s Cleveland Scholarship Program helps thousands of students access schools that are the right fit for them, but policymakers could do much more to expand educational opportunity.

All K–12 who reside in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District are eligible, but less than 5 percent of students statewide actually use one of Ohio’s five educational choice programs (including the Autism Scholarship Program, the Educational Choice Scholarship Program, the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program, and the Income-Based Scholarship Program).

The average voucher value is about $5,800, which is about 42 percent of the average expenditure per student at Ohio’s district schools.

In order to expand access to educational choice, Ohio policymakers should expand eligibility to all students statewide and fund the vouchers on par with the per-pupil funding at district schools. The program could also be converted into an education savings account to ensure that all students have access to the education that’s the right fit for them, whether private school or a customized course of education.

Ohio’s voucher program generally avoids unnecessary and counterproductive regulations. Participants are required to take a nationally norm-referenced assessment.

(Last updated February 15, 2023)

Rules and Regulations

• Income Limit: None (Priority given to families up to 200% x Poverty)
• Prior Year Public School Requirement: None
• Geographic Limit: District (Cleveland Metropolitan)
• Enrollment Cap: None
• Voucher Cap: $5,500 (K–8) / $7,500 (9–12)
• Testing Mandates: Nationally norm-referenced tests

School Requirements:

• Be licensed, registered and chartered by the state
• Prioritize admission of voucher students based for returning students, siblings of enrolled students, and low-income students
  • Otherwise, admit voucher students on a random basis as space allows
• Meet state standards for chartered nonpublic schools
• Accept voucher as full tuition for K–8 students whose family income is less than 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold
• Comply with state laws regarding nondiscrimination and health and safety codes
• Administer to voucher students a nationally norm-referenced test approved by the state department of education

(Last updated February 15, 2023)

Governing Statutes

Ohio Rev. Code §§ 3313.974 through 979

(Last updated February 15, 2023)

Legal History

On June 27, 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris ruled that the Cleveland school voucher program does not violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution; vouchers are constitutional when parents have independent, private choice of schools without favoring or disfavoring religion. By design, the voucher program is “school neutral.” The Ohio Supreme Court had previously struck down the Cleveland voucher program, Simmons-Harris v. Goff, 711 N.E.2d 203 (Ohio 1999), ruling it was unconstitutional because the legislation adopting the voucher program violated the single subject rule. However, the Ohio court also held that the voucher program did not violate the state constitution’s compelled support or education clauses and did not violate the Federal constitution’s Establishment Clause. In Zelman, the U.S. Supreme Court opined, “We believe that the program challenged here is a program of true private choice . . .  and thus constitutional.” The Court held that the program is “entirely neutral with respect to religion” that parents may “exercise genuine choice among options public and private, secular and religious” and that this program of true private choice “does not offend the Establishment Clause.” Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 536 U.S. 639 (2002). 

(Last updated January 5, 2023)