Navigating the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program: A Comprehensive Guide

Indiana is dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to high-quality educational opportunities. One of the key ways the state achieves this goal is through the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program, often called the voucher program. This program, authorized under IC 20-51-1 and IC 20-51-4, provides scholarships to eligible Indiana students in grades K-12. These scholarships help offset the cost of tuition at participating schools, giving families more options when it comes to their children's education.

Understanding Indiana's School Choice Landscape

Indiana extends the concept of choice to private schools, enabling them to decide whether or not to participate in specific choice programs. There are two primary school choice programs available to non-public schools in Indiana: the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program and the Tax Credit Scholarship Program. Schools can choose to participate in one or both of these programs.

The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program: A Closer Look

The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program is a school voucher program. During the 2017-18 school year, there were 318 participating schools and more than 35,458 students enrolled in the program. The Indiana Supreme Court ruled in Meredith v. Pence, a landmark 5-0 decision on March 26, 2013, that the Choice Scholarship Program does not violate the state constitution and that constitutional prohibitions against government funding of religious entities do not apply to entities providing primary and secondary education. The case began July 1, 2011, when teachers’ union officials and others challenged Indiana’s voucher program in state court, alleging the Indiana Constitution prohibits funding of religious schools. On direct appeal, the justices opined, “First, the voucher program expenditures do not directly benefit religious schools but rather directly benefit lower-income families with school-children by providing an opportunity for such children to attend non-public schools if desired. Second, the prohibition against government expenditures to benefit religious or theological institutions does not apply to institutions and programs providing primary and secondary education.” Meredith v. Pence, 984 N.E.2d 1213 (Ind.

Eligibility for the Indiana Choice Scholarship

To be eligible for the Indiana Choice Scholarship, students must meet specific requirements:

Residency: Be a resident of Indiana.
Age: Be at least five (5) years old and less than 22 years old by October 1 of the school year for which the student is applying.
Enrollment: Be accepted and enrolled at a participating Choice school in Indiana.
Income: Be a member of a household with an annual income of not more than 400% of the amount to qualify for the federal free and reduced price lunch program.

Qualifying families can earn up to (but not exceed) 400% of the Federal Free or Reduced-Price Lunch Program (FRL). For example, a family of four can earn up to $237,910.00 in the 2025-26 school year. In Northwest Indiana, 99% of families are financially eligible for the scholarship. Add $40,700.00 for each family member above 10.

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The total household income may include several types of income including wages earned from work, welfare/child support/alimony, retirement/disability benefits, and more. However, students who received an Early Education Grant to attend pre-K at an eligible Choice school at which they intend to enroll for kindergarten and are from families that meet the income requirement are eligible to apply for a Choice Scholarship that could potentially kick in before first grade.

Kindergarten students are eligible to apply for and receive an Indiana Choice Scholarship, as part of the 2023 program expansion.

Applying for the Choice Scholarship

The application process involves several key steps:

Enrollment: When a Choice school has been selected for an Indiana student, the student should enroll in the school.
Application Submission: The Choice school has access to an electronic application that they will use to submit the student’s Choice application. The parent/guardian must provide documentation of eligibility to the Choice school.
Application Periods: The 2025-2026 Choice Scholarship student application is available beginning on Friday, March 1, and ending on Sunday, September 1, for the first application period. The 2025-2026 period 2 Choice Scholarship application period begins Friday, November 1, 2025 and ends Wednesday, January 15, 2026.

It's important to note that the Indiana Choice Scholarship application is separate from the school enrollment application process. Once you have applied and are accepted to a Choice school, the school will then begin the process of submitting your application for the Choice Scholarship. Only an approved Choice school may submit a Choice Scholarship student application. A student can only have one Indiana Choice Scholarship application submitted to one school at a time. If an Indiana Choice Scholarship application has already been submitted, and a parent/guardian wishes to apply at a different school, the parent/guardian must withdraw the student's application at the original Choice school and submit an alternate application at the preferred Choice school.

Before starting your application, make sure you have researched Choice schools in your area to ensure you have found the school that is the right fit for your child and family. Next, check to make sure you meet the eligibility requirements to qualify for the Indiana Choice Scholarship. You can also use the calculator at NWIChoiceScholar.org to see how much your child may qualify for.

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), Office of School Finance, reviews Choice Scholarship applications and determines who is awarded scholarships. Once your Indiana Choice Scholarship application has been submitted, the Choice school will then review your materials and issue an award letter or a denial letter. If you receive an award letter, the initial amount listed is an estimated award amount. The actual amount will be updated and issued later on in the school year when all necessary information becomes available.

You can still apply for the Indiana Choice Scholarship as long as you are currently enrolled at a participating Choice school and meet the income eligibility requirements, even if your child is already enrolled in a Choice school but is not currently receiving an Indiana Choice Scholarship.

Scholarship Value and Usage

Vouchers are worth up to 90% of the state per-student spending amount for the sending school district. Families can supplement vouchers with additional funds. Students eligible to receive additional district-allocated special education funds are also eligible to use those funds for special education services at a voucher-accepting school.

Students may continue to receive free or reduced lunch, as well as curricular materials assistance, so long as they qualify for such assistance and those costs are not already included in the tuition fees and amounts covered by the Indiana Choice Scholarship.

Addressing Misconceptions

It's crucial to understand that the Indiana Choice Scholarship is not exclusively for Catholic families and students. You do not need to be Catholic to qualify for the Indiana Choice Scholarship and attend a Catholic school.

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The Tax Credit Scholarship Program

The Tax Credit Scholarship Program was designed to encourage private donations that provide low and middle income children an opportunity to attend a private school of their choice. Under Indiana law HEA 1003, which went into effect in May 2011, the Tax Credit Scholarship Program was expanded and may now be a pathway for families to enter the Indiana Choice Scholarship (school voucher) Program.

Families who meet the eligibility requirements can apply to certified Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) to receive a scholarship for their child to attend the K-12 private school of their choice.

Both corporate and individual donors are eligible to provide charitable donations to these SGOs in order to receive a 50% state tax credit, all while providing educational choices to families and opportunities to Hoosier students.

The total program cap is $7.5 million dollars; this could mean up to $15 million in potential scholarships statewide.

During the 2016-17 school year, more than 250 non-public schools participated in the Tax Credit Scholarship program, and more than 9,300 students received financial assistance through this program.

Eligibility for Schools

To be deemed eligible to participate in the Tax Credit Scholarship Program your school must meet the following criteria:

Non- public schools must be accredited by a national, state, or regional accreditation organization approved by the Indiana Department of Education.
School must administer annual standardized tests, such as the ISTEP+ or another nationally-recognized, norm-referenced standardized test.
Schools cannot accept students from a scholarship granting organization (SGO) that is administered by a relative of a school employee or board member.

Eligible schools must enroll with a scholarship granting organization (SGO). There are five SGOs in Indiana including the Institute for Quality Education (IQE).

Additional Financial Support: The Tax Deduction Program

Families in Indiana have access to another form of financial assistance for educational expenses. Families whose children are enrolled in a private school or who choose to homeschool can claim up to $1,000 per dependent child on state taxes for educational expenses (unreimbursed expenses only). Examples of such expenses are tuition and fees at a private school, textbooks, and other school supplies.

The Importance of School Choice: A Personal Perspective

School choice can make a significant difference in a student's life. As a graduate of Bishop Luers High School and a former recipient of the Indiana Choice Scholarship, the impact of school choice is clear. The education received at Bishop Luers was challenging and prepared for studying optometry at Indiana University Bloomington.

Without the Choice Scholarship, attending Bishop Luers would not have been possible. Choice Scholarships also assisted younger siblings, including one who, despite being bright and hardworking, has a disability that affects the way she learns. Without the help she has been granted from Bishop Luers and Indiana Choice, she also would not be where she is today in her education.

The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program can enable Choice Scholarship recipients who transfer from a private school during the school year to use the remaining scholarship funds awarded to them as financial aid toward tuition at another private school.

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