CONCORD, N.H. — Enrollment in New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account program, which allows families to use public education funds to pay for private or home education, has increased about 40% this year, according to Kate Baker Demers. The project is currently costing approximately $20 million.
Mr. Demers is the executive director of the Children’s Scholarship Fund, the organization that administers the Educational Freedom Account program, which is now in its third year.
Demers said there are currently 4,211 students enrolled in the program. That’s about $14.7 million for the 3,025 students enrolled in 2022, according to a fact sheet on the New Hampshire Department of Education’s website.
Demers said the growth rate is comparable to the growth of similar programs in Arizona and Florida, which she looks to as a model for New Hampshire’s program. Students in the program remain a minority of the approximately 161,000 students enrolled in New Hampshire schools.
The program has seen an increase in enrollment and costs since it was approved by lawmakers in 2021, when it enrolled 1,635 students and cost about $8 million. The state budget passed this year includes about $40 million for the program over the next two years, and according to state law, the Children’s Scholarship Fund can devote up to 10 percent of its funds to the program’s operating costs. can.
Opponents of the program, including some Democrats, have criticized its spending as high and lacking oversight. Some worry that public education will be weakened. Mr. Demers rejected those criticisms. “Shouldn’t we be making sure that our children have what they need in 2023?” she said.
About 44 percent of enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, Demers said.
Only families who meet certain conditions are eligible for the program. This year, Congress passed legislation increasing eligibility from 300 percent to 350 percent of the federal poverty level. Families of four with incomes up to $105,000 are eligible. Demers said this resulted in about 200 additional students enrolling in the program who were previously ineligible.
She attributed the program’s growth to word-of-mouth, saying parents using the program spread the word and others started using the program. This allows those who qualify for income to receive money contributed by the state for public education expenses and use it to pay for private school tuition, educational materials purchased online, textbooks, online classes, and other educational expenses. It will look like this. .
Democrats said they believe the program lacks oversight and weakens the public school system by stripping funding away from it.
Demers rejected that idea, saying each parent should be able to choose the educational environment that is best for their child.
When the program was launched, about 70 percent of the funds went to private schools, she said in a presentation to the State Board of Education on Wednesday. That number is now even lower, at about 60 percent. The percentage of students who drop out of public school to start the program has remained stable at about 40%.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com.follow her @amanda_gokee.