Here's who uses Indiana's private school voucher program

Indiana’s private school voucher program saw the largest amount of participation during the 2022-23 school year since the program’s creation, and most of the scholarships are going toward white wealthy families.

There was a total of 53,262 students across Indiana who used vouchers during the most recent school year, totaling around $311.8 million in scholarships awarded, according to the recently released annual report from the Indiana Department of Education.

Here's what you need to know:

How much did participation increase?

The amount of scholarships awarded increased by about $70 million and there are 8,886 more students participating in the 2022-23 school year from the 2021-22 school year, resulting in a 20% increase.

The increase in participation will likely only continue in the coming years now that the state legislature expanded the income limit threshold to 400% of the free-and-reduced-lunch threshold, enabling a family of four making $220,000 a year to get a voucher, whereas the program currently cuts off families of that size at an income of $166,500.

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According to the IDOE, the “average” student who participated in the voucher program is a white female student in an elementary school who lives in a metropolitan area and is from a four-person household that has an income of $81,817.

What is the racial makeup of voucher students?

White students are using the voucher program the most at 62%, while Hispanic students are the second most at 19% and Black students at 9.5%.

Multiracial students made up around 5% and Asian students made up 4% of voucher students.

White and Asian students were the only ethnicities that saw an increase from the 2021-22 to 2022-23 school year with an increase of 3% and 0.16% respectively.

Hispanic students saw the largest decrease between the two school years at 1.86%, and all other ethnicities decreased by less than 0.95% or stayed the same.

What is the household income of voucher students?

A majority of students that used vouchers this school year came from households that had an income of $50,000-$100,000, with 38% qualifying in that income range.

The median household income for an Indiana family in 2021 was $61,944, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The largest increase from 2021-22 to 2022-23 came in household income of $100,000-$150,000 at roughly 8%. The largest decrease in the same time period came in the income range of up to $50,000 at roughly 9%.

The IDOE report says that these changes in income types are likely due to the income guidelines changes.

Where do voucher students live?

Most students participating are from a metropolitan area at 54% while the next common is a suburban area at 29%. Only 10% of students are from rural areas in the state.

About 59% of students awarded a scholarship chose to use it for a choice school within the boundaries of their public school corporation.

Which private schools receive the most money?

Two private schools in Indianapolis received the most students and state funds from the voucher program in Indiana for the 2022-23 school year.

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Roncalli High School received $4.2 million and 655 voucher students. Heritage Christian School received the second most at $3.7 million and had 606 voucher students.

Who uses vouchers in Marion County?

There were 11,923 students who live in Marion County that used the school voucher program during the 2022-2023 school year, which is an increase of 1,396 students from the previous school year.

Most of the students using the vouchers live within the Indianapolis Public Schools district boundaries, which is also the largest district in Marion County in terms of student population size.

Who uses vouchers in Hamilton County?

Hamilton County school districts saw a significant increase in the number of students claiming vouchers since the 2021-22 school year.

Both Carmel Clay Schools and Westfield Washington Schools increased vouchers by about 60%. Hamilton Southeastern Schools remains highest in students who claim vouchers but that number only increased by 30% since 2021-22.

In Fishers, three private schools began accepting vouchers over that period, including Eman Schools, Fishers Christian Academy and Saint Louis de Montfort Catholic School.

Contact the reporter at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com.

This story is made possible by Report for America and Glick Philanthropies. As part of its work in Marion County, Glick Philanthropies partners with organizations focused on closing access and achievement gaps in education.

Report for America is a program of The GroundTruth Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local newsrooms. Report for America provides funding for up to half of the reporter’s salary during their time with us, and IndyStar is fundraising the remainder.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana's private school vouchers: Who uses it in the Hoosier state