Indiana Choice Scholarships

The State of Indiana school voucher movement known as Indiana Choice Scholarships was created in order to address the failings in the public education system. It is the largest school voucher program in the United States.

The movement to offer school vouchers was promoted as a way to allow underprivileged students stuck in underachieving schools the opportunity to attend a private school. The plan has been both hailed and criticized as either the new dawn of education or the beginning of the end of public education in America.

The Indiana Choice Scholarship was started as a part of House Enrolled Act 1003-2011 (Public Law 92-2011).^[1] The program works by providing qualifying students financial assistance to enroll in private schools through scholarships that help cover the cost of school.^[2]

Many opponents of the voucher program say that the program is unconstitutional because of the constitutional right of separation of church and state. Many proponents of the voucher program both in Indiana and at the national level say that voucher programs benefit both public and private schools.^[3]

There have been many studies on the impact of the Indiana Choice Program Scholarship. Short-term studies have shown some benefit to the voucher programs in Indiana.^[4] Some Long-term studies have shown no improvement for students or even backwards improvement for some students and no improvement for public schools in Indiana .

History and Future

In 2011 the initial school voucher program in Indiana passed while Mitch Daniels was governor. In 2013 the Indiana General Assembly passed HB 1003,^[5] which amended the school voucher program by creating tax credits for those already enrolled in private school and expanding voucher eligibility. Mike Pence was governor and supported the changes.^[6]

During the 2016-2017 school year, the voucher program saw 34,299 students going to 313 different schools. These voucher students accounted for twenty percent of the voucher students in the United States. During this school year, the voucher program families, both low income and middle class, were able to qualify for some sort of aid. Indiana also has no cap on how many students can be enrolled in the voucher program ^[7]

As of January 2025, the Indiana Choice Scholarship has 70,000 students and is the largest voucher program in the country. The program saw a thirty-two percent growth in the past year.^[8]

In the future, the Republican Caucus of Indiana House of Representatives hope to expand the Indiana Choice Scholarship by getting rid of the income cap to qualify for vouchers.^[8]

Study Findings

Short-term Studies

Short-term studies are the most reliable way to study the effects of the Indiana Scholarship of Choice because the program has only been around for fourteen years.^[9] Overall, short term studies have shown little to no improvement for most students.^[10] Short-term studies have shown there are no improvements of backwards improvements for student who are enrolled in voucher programs.

Long-term Studies

Long-term effects of the voucher program have not been studied enough to draw any conclusions. More studies and data need to be done to draw any conclusions about the long-term effects for students, schools, and the education system in the long term ^[9]

While there has not been a great deal of studies done on the long-term effects of voucher programs, recent studies done show little to no effects for students.^[9] Longer term studies show that while not affecting test scores, voucher programs do increase graduation rates of African American students if they attend a Catholic high school.^[11]

Proponents of vouchers

Those who support the voucher program point to the exponential growth of the program. In the 2011–12 school year 9,324 students were enrolled in the states voucher program making it one of the largest in the country. ^[12]

Opponents of vouchers

While a choice in school may be favored by many, there are those who do not like the idea. Supporters of public schools say the program undermines the foundation of the public school system. They also point to the irony that schools are expected to fix their shortfalls while losing money from the students who depart for private schools.^{[citation needed]}