As Hope Scholarship enrollment grows, public education concerns loom

According to a news release from West Virginia Treasurer Larry Pack’s office, this is more than 4,000 more students than the 2024-25 school year, when 10,750 students received some level of funding.

Anyone who missed the June 15 deadline for the full award amount may still apply. Those who apply between June 16 and Sept. 15 will receive 75% of the award amount. Anyone applying between Sept. 16 and Nov. 30 will receive 50% of the award, and anyone applying between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28 will receive 25%.

“This is really just investing more money in education for children in West Virginia,� Pack told HD Media.

Participation in the Hope Scholarship, which provides funding for families seeking education other than through public school, has been increasing each year since it launched in West Virginia in 2022.

According to the release, in the 2022-23 school year, 2,333 students statewide received some amount of funding. This coming school year, Pack’s office is expecting nearly 19,000 students to participate.

The scholarship will be open to all school-age children in West Virginia in the 2026-27 school year. Currently, the scholarship is available to incoming kindergarteners, students enrolled in a public school for the entire academic year preceding the academic year they are applying for the scholarship for, or students enrolled in public school for at least 45 days if applying for the scholarship to be used in the same academic year.

“It is tremendous that we continue to see exponential growth year after year with more parents taking full advantage of the Hope Scholarship program,� Pack said in the release. Pack thinks the growth will continue in the 2026-27 school year when the Hope Scholarship will become available to all school-aged children in West Virginia. At that time, the 45-day rule will also be dropped.

Hope award amounts vary each school year depending on the amount of state aid provided per student to county boards of education. For the 2025-26 school year, the scholarship will be about $5,267.

Concerns about Hope

As costs for the Hope Scholarship for the state reach over $100 million in Fiscal Year 2026 and enrollment and state aid continues to decline for many public schools, some concerns about the program have been shared.

For example, during a public forum in Huntington last month, a policy fellow from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy shared a report pointing to a lack of enrollment caps, income limits, public reporting requirements or requirements for schools receiving funding as possible concerns about the scholarship.

The report, presented by Tamaya Browder, also said nearly $17.3 million in taxpayer dollars went to non-public schools during the 2023-24 school year, $6 million went to unaccredited schools, and $1 million went to out-of-state education service providers.

In Kanawha County, 1,721 students have either been approved or are in the process of being approved for the Hope Scholarship, according to the Treasurer's Office.

Angela Blankenship, executive secretary of student support for Cabell County Schools, said in an email to HD Media the school district’s current records show 622 students who were formerly enrolled in public school and are now Hope Scholarship recipients.

“There may be a little bit of competition,� Pack told HD Media, regarding students enrolling in public schools as opposed to accepting Hope Scholarship funds.

He said his office believes only about 10% of the more than 10,000 students who received the Hope Scholarship last year were enrolled in public school before transferring to private or homeschool settings.

Overall, he said the largest driver of enrollment decline in public schools is lower birth rates, although Cabell County School officials have told HD Media this isn’t painting “the whole picture.�

Pack also pointed out the state Legislature’s overall budget for public education for FY26 is more than $2.3 billion, or about 40%, of the state budget.

“The state has invested a lot of additional dollars in public ed over the past number of years,� Pack said, pointing to teacher raises, funding for mandatory classroom aides and Public Employees Insurance Agency funding.

At the same time, the Cabell County Board of Education has reported several times that the district’s state aid isn’t covering its personnel, meaning they’ve needed to cut programs and positions. Educators throughout the state have also repeated concerns about rising costs of PEIA and how it’s counteracted increases in pay.

When asked about public education dollars moving out-of-state or to potentially unaccredited schools, Pack responded by saying, “It’s part of choice. … Hope Scholarship puts those choices in the hands of parents.�

But the current program does not require students receiving the Hope Scholarship to enroll in programs meeting certain education standards, although those students must complete yearly assessments, Pack said.

Still, Keith Thomas, director of health, wellness and student support services at Cabell County Schools, told HD Media the school district has seen some students re-enroll in public school after receiving the Hope Scholarship who have been several levels behind in reading.

“It’s all up to the parents to do that,� Pack said. “It’s not an either/or. It’s basically the parents making the right decisions.�