By Kelly Allen

West Virginia Watch

Dec.  11, 2025

When the Hope Scholarship, West Virginia’s school voucher program, was enacted, proponents framed the program as one of choice — a way to provide alternative education options to families who could not otherwise afford it. Now, on the eve of the program’s expansion — set to double or even triple in annual cost amid unprecedented public school closures across the state — lawmakers will have the opportunity to decide the best way to allocate budget dollars to ensure West Virginia students receive an accountable, high-quality education.

In 2021, our state lawmakers placed a ticking time bomb in the Hope Scholarship bill that simultaneously made the program less about expanding choice and far more expensive, and now we’ve reached the point where it’s going to explode. That bomb was a trigger provision to make the program “universal” next school year. This was not to give more children “choice” at all but to subsidize the private school tuition of families who are already in — and can already afford — private school. Proponents can no longer argue this is simply money following the student from public schools to private schools — it’s nine figures in new taxpayer funds lawmakers have to squeeze into an already shrinking budget for families who were never in the public school system to begin with.

And as program officials recently admitted, this is nothing new for the Hope Scholarship. Ninety percent of the vouchers have gone to students who “would have done alternative education without Hope.” This is a damning admission that the program has not achieved its supposed purpose of providing choice to families who could not afford it.

Notably, since the program was enacted, many of West Virginia’s public school families have seen their choice eroded or taken away altogether. Since 2019, more than 70 public schools have closed in West Virginia, from Hampshire and Mineral to Kanawha counties. In each of the communities impacted by school closures, parents and community members have opposed the closures, arguing their choice is for their children to receive an education in their neighborhood schools that are close to home, trusted and beloved. 

Other families have faced the loss of music and arts classes, advanced placement courses and certified teachers as school districts deal with balancing their budgets amid an outdated funding formula that falls short of today’s needs. Again, the vast majority of families are telling us they choose well-funded public schools that offer their children the resources they need to succeed.

Earlier this month, the State Treasurer’s Office published its annual report for the 2024-25 school year, showing even more clearly how the program lacks equitable access and accountability.

• One in three Hope Scholarship recipients reside in just four counties: Berkeley, Kanawha, Monongalia and Wood

• Over $2.5 million in West Virginia taxpayer funds flowed to entities outside of West Virginia

• Nearly $14 million dollars (or 44%) went to unaccredited schools which, according to the West Virginia Department of Education, do not have to have credentialed educators or meet established graduation requirements or student achievement benchmarks

• Just 6.5% of program recipients submitted nationally normed academic achievement test results, leaving policymakers unable to assess whether the vouchers are having a positive impact on educational attainment for the vast majority of recipients

Non-public schools that accept the Hope Scholarship are unaccountable to taxpayers, and recent admissions and reporting show the program is overwhelmingly benefiting households that already had choice in places that have private school options — at the cost of students in our public schools in all 55 counties.

While West Virginia has no tracking of educational outcomes for voucher recipients, the evidence in other states is clear: vouchers do not improve student achievement, they primarily benefit wealthy households at the expense of low-income and rural communities, and they lead to fewer funds for public schools. 

In West Virginia, private schools that receive Hope taxpayer dollars are not required to meet the most basic of accountability or transparency standards: they are not required to provide assessment results, utilize certified educators, meet specific curriculum standards, undergo audits, accept all students, or have open meetings accessible to the public.

Public schools, which serve more than 85% of school-aged children in West Virginia, meet all of those standards and serve all students regardless of socioeconomic status, disability, religion, or need.

In the upcoming legislative session, state lawmakers will have the opportunity to put resources toward proven, transparent and accessible K-12 education policies that support all children. The vast majority of children receive their education in our public schools and they and their families are counting on lawmakers to make the right choice.