America’s School Choice Programs Ranked by Participation, 2016 Edition
Which of America’s school choice programs has the most participants? Which has the least? The latest edition of The ABCs of School Choice gives the most up-to-date information we have on program participation. Here, we’ve ranked the programs by how many participants they have.
Eligibility, regulations, and funding also play important roles in how people and schools interact with school choice programs. Stay tuned to our blog this week for more rankings and our annual superlatives post, where we assess programs holistically and provide our readers states to watch in 2016.
1. Illinois’s Tax Credits for Educational Expenses
Individual Tax Credit | 302,855 tax returns
2. Minnesota’s Education Deduction
Individual Tax Deduction | 219,914 tax returns
3. Iowa’s Tuition and Textbook Tax Credit
Individual Tax Credit | 136,937 tax returns
4. Louisiana’s Elementary & Secondary School Tuition Deduction
Individual Tax Deduction | 106,549 tax returns
5. Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 78,142 students*
6. Minnesota’s K–12 Education Credit
Individual Tax Credit | 53,712 tax returns
7. Indiana’s Private School/Homeschool Deduction
Individual Tax Deduction | 52,149 tax returns
8. Wisconsin’s K–12 Private School Tuition Deduction
Individual Tax Deduction | 39,500 tax returns
9. Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 34,826 scholarships
10. Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program
Voucher | 32,686 students
11. Florida’s John M. McKay Scholarship for Students with Disabilities Program
Voucher | 30,104 students*
12. Wisconsin’s Milwaukee Parental Choice Program
Voucher | 27,619 students
13. Arizona’s Original Individual Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 27,362 scholarships
14. Ohio’s Educational Choice Scholarship Program
Voucher | 21,556 students
15. Pennsylvania’s Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 14,987 scholarships
16. Arizona’s “Switcher” Individual Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 13,548 scholarships
17. Georgia’s Qualified Educational Expense Tax Credit
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 13,428 scholarships
18. Arizona’s Low-Income Corporate Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 13,118 scholarships
19. Iowa’s School Tuition Organization Tax Credit
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 10,848 scholarships
20. Indiana’s School Scholarship Tax Credit
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 9,127 scholarships
21. Ohio’s Cleveland Scholarship Program
Voucher | 8,088 students
22. Louisiana Scholarship Program
Voucher | 7,110 students
23. Ohio’s Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program
Voucher | 6,904 students
24. Ohio’s Income-Based Scholarship Program
Voucher | 5,718 students
25. Maine’s Town Tuitioning Program
Voucher | 5,559 students
26. Florida’s Gardiner Scholarships
ESA | 4,080 students
27. Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program
Voucher | 3,811 students
28. Alabama’s Education Scholarship Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 3,696 students*
29. Vermont’s Town Tuitioning Program
Voucher | 3,585 students
30. Ohio’s Autism Scholarship
Voucher | 3,193 students
31. North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarships
Voucher | 2,522 students*
32. Wisconsin’s Parental Choice Program (Statewide)
Voucher | 2,514 students
33. Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts
ESA | 2,501 students
34. Wisconsin’s Parental Private School Choice Program (Racine)
Voucher | 2,172 students
35. South Carolina’s Educational Credit for Exceptional Needs Children
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 2,100 students
36. Virginia’s Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credits Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 1,368 scholarships
37. Washington D.C.’s Opportunity Scholarships Program
Voucher | 1,259 students
39. Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarships
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 904 students
38. Louisiana’s Tuition Donation Rebate Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 781 students
40. Utah’s Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship
Voucher | 700 students
41. North Carolina’s Special Education Scholarship Grants for Children with Disabilities
Voucher | 611 students
42. Nevada’s Educational Choice Scholarship Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 541 scholarships
43. Rhode Island’s Tax Credits for Contributions to Scholarship Organizations
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 503 students
44. Douglas County, Colorado’s Choice Scholarship Pilot Program
Voucher | 494 students
45. Oklahoma’s Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities
Voucher | 377 students
46. Arizona’s Lexie’s Law for Disabled and Displaced Students Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Tax-Credit Scholarships | 349 scholarships
47. Louisiana’s School Choice Program for Certain Students with Exceptionalities
Voucher | 342 students
48. Mississippi’s Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Program
ESA | 275 students
49. Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with Dyslexia Program
Voucher | 148 students
50. New Hampshire’s Education Tax Credit Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 128 students
51. Alabama’s Accountability Act of 2013 Parent/Taxpayer Refundable Tax Credits
Individual Tax Credit | 88 tax returns
52. Kansas’s Tax Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship Program
Tax-Credit Scholarship | 73 students
53. Mississippi’s Nate Rogers Scholarship for Students with Disabilities Program
Voucher | 1 student
Nevada’s Education Savings Account
ESA | Not yet available
Arkansas’s Succeed Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities
Voucher | Not yet available
Montana’s Tax Credits for Contributions to Student Scholarship Organizations
Tax-Credit Scholarship | Not yet available
South Carolina’s Refundable Educational Credit for Exceptional Needs Children
Individual Tax Credit| Not yet available
Tennessee’s Individualized Education Account Program
ESA | Not yet available
Wisconsin’s Special Needs Scholarship Program
Voucher | Not yet available
