Students assigned to traditional public schools that have been in academic watch or emergency for two of the past three years are eligible to receive the vouchers, said Scott Blake, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education.
The vouchers cover the cost of private school tuition up to $4,250 for kindergarten through eighth grade and $5,000 for high school.
Students first must apply to and be accepted to a private school, Blake said, which then applies to the state for the voucher on their behalf.
The program is capped at 14,000 vouchers statewide and has had about 12,000 applicants.
EdChoice is an option lawmakers have provided to parents, Blake said.
“School choice and different options for education have long been a part of education in Ohio,” he said.
Emmanuel Christian Academy has about 100 students who use the program, spokeswoman Jessica Dewey said.
The school recently had an open house for prospective students and has two more planned from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 25 and March 23.
“It gives parents an opportunity to chose what they feel is the best education option for their child,” she said.
About 400 students from Springfield City Schools are using vouchers to attend a private school.
The data used to determine voucher eligibility is two years old and the city schools have improved since then, Superintendent David Estrop said in a statement.
He also said private schools are not held to the same standards as public schools.
“If vouchers consistently improved the academic performance of those students who take advantage of the vouchers, one could argue for them,” he said. “To date, I have not seen evidence to suggest that is the case, and unfortunately, some schools are getting rich at the expense of the students.”
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