New Hampshire this year became the fifth state to expand its school choice options by removing income limits, allowing all families to send their students to the school of their choice.
The Granite State joins Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, and West Virginia to offer true educational freedom, according to Robert Enloe, CEO of EdChoice, a leading advocate for School Choice:
“This is what educational freedom looks like, funding students, not systems, and trusting families to make the best choices fo their children. With this move, New Hampshire joins a short but growing list of states that offer true universal choice—where all students are eligible, all options are available, and all dollars are guaranteed.”
The New Hampshire program, signed into law by Governor Kelly Ayotte, provides families who choose not to send their children to public school at least $4,265 per child towards private school tuition or other educational expenses. Previously, the state capped eligibility for the program at 350% of federal poverty guidelines, which is $112,525 a year for a family of four.
2,000 children signed up for the program in the first week after the bill signing, with projected participation reaching 8,500, an education official told the Concord Monitor.
New Hampshire joins:
- 76 private school choice programs in 35 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico;
- 19 states offering choice programs to all students;
- 5 states offering true educational freedom by allowing all students to choose from all options, and guaranteeing all dollars;
- 21 ESA programs in 18 states; and
- 45% of students eligible to participate in a private school choice program nationwide.
Kansas offers open enrollment for students who want to attend a school outside the one designated by their zip code, subject to capacity for the receiving school and a tax credit scholarship program expanded recently. Universal School Choice, such as was approved in New Hampshire, has been stymied in the Sunflower State by the education establishment and Governor Laura Kelly, who sent her children to private school, but opposes that opportunity for most Kansas kids.
EdChoice’s Enloe concluded:
“What New Hampshire has done isn’t just expand eligibility—it’s set a new benchmark for what educational freedom should look like. We’re proud to support the Granite State in realizing the vision Milton Friedman outlined nearly 70 years ago—one in which every family has the freedom to choose, and every child has the opportunity to thrive.”
