Fast Facts:

Law passed: 1997

Most recently amended: 2023

Number of charter schools: 336

Number of charter students: 121,200

Cap on the number of schools allowed: No

Virtual charters allowed: Yes, but there is a limit of 5 new virtual charter schools each year.

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: A variety of authorizers are permitted by law and has increased and shifted dramatically since the law was first enacted. In addition to local school boards, board of a vocational district and boards of educational service centers, non-profit organizations and state universities approved by the state department of education can authorize. Only local school boards and educational service center boards may approve conversion charters.

GROWTH: Community/charter schools may open in districts statewide, a 2021 amendment that removed restrictions on charters only operating in the big 8 "challenged" districts. There is no cap on the number of schools allowed by authorizers rated as "exemplary" for two years in a row. A budget bill passed in 2021 permits the establishment of a new start-up community school in any school district, rather than only a "challenged school district" as under current law. This is a huge improvement from prior restrictions.

OPERATIONS: Community/charter schools do not receive a formal blanket waiver from state and local laws, but authorizers help establish flexibility when needed. The state has layered the authorizing and school operations climate, however with hundreds of compliance requirements that often results in an environment where schools have far less autonomy than the law prescribes. The potential for virtual charters lies with any authorizer with a quality rating in the state, with final review and approval by the Department for Education . Virtual charter schools have enrollment limits based on the local district school enrollment.

EQUITY: Efforts to bring charter funding in parity with traditional school districts are finally paying off. In fiscal years 2024 and 2025, charter schools, excluding virtual schools, will receive an equity supplement payment. The supplement for each community school will be calculated by multiplying the number of enrolled students by $650. Brick-and-mortar charter schools will now receive $1,000 per pupil for facilities, up from $500 in FY23. High-performing charter schools will get up to $3,000 per economically disadvantaged student and up to $2,250 per non-disadvantaged student annually. Foundation funding for charter schools is set to increase from $1.02 billion in 2023 to $1.14 billion in FY 2025. On average, high-quality charters will receive approximately $4,000 more per pupil in FY 2025 compared to FY 2023, representing a 40% increase in aid. The average Ohio brick-and-mortar charter school is projected to receive 86% of district funding in the next biennium, with high-quality charters receiving up to 92%.

Fast Facts:

Law enacted: 1995

Most recently amended: 2023

Number of programs: 9

Statewide participation: 78,000

Types of programs: Education savings account, tax-credit scholarship, voucher, individual tax-credit/deduction

Choice Laws & Analysis:

Voucher
Educational Choice Scholarship Program
Ohio's EdChoice Scholarship Program was enacted in 2005 and provides private school vouchers to K--12 students who are assigned to "low-performing" public schools. Participating private schools are required to accept the voucher as full tuition for students whose families are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. In 2023, the state's budget dramatically expanded the program to provide universal eligibility without a cap. The scholarship is approximately $6,165 for students in grades K-8 and $8,407 for students in grades 9-12, making it more accessible and impactful for a wide range of students. Students must be attending a private school that is chartered by the state, meaning homeschool and microschooling families are not eligible to access choice funds. Ohio's expansive choice programming is projected to benefit upwards of 1.5 million students by 2025.

Voucher
EdChoice Expansion Program
Ohio enacted this income-based Scholarship Program in 2013 to provide choices to students from low- and lower-middle-income households, not depending upon the quality of their schools and limited to families whose incomes do not exceed 250% of the federal poverty level. These school voucher amounts vary depending on family income. But as of the passage of the expanded EdChoice program in 2023 means as of the 2023-24 school year, all K-12 students are eligible, except those qualifying for Cleveland's voucher program. But this program is likely to be consumed into the overall choice program now that eligibility has been made universal, though on a sliding scale.

Voucher
Cleveland Scholarship Program
Ohio's Cleveland Scholarship Program was enacted in 1995 and was the constitutional precedent at the US Supreme Court for education choice. Through this program, students who attend the Cleveland Metropolitan School District can receive vouchers to attend neighboring public schools or private schools. "The maximum voucher value is $6,165 for students in grades K--8 and $8,407 for high school students. Schools must accept vouchers from K--8 recipients with a household income no greater than 200 percent of the federal poverty level as full tuition payment. Parents whose household income is more than the 200 percent threshold or whose student is in high school may pay the remaining tuition or provide in-kind services of the remaining tuition." (EdChoice)

Voucher
Autism Scholarship Program
Ohio Autism Scholarship Program, enacted in 2003 and is the nation's only private school choice program designed for students specifically with autism, offers reimbursement vouchers to students with autism who receive private educational services, including private schooling. In 2021 the maximum scholarship amount per student was increased for the Autism Scholarship Program from $27,000 to $31,500, for FY 2022, and $32,455, for FY 2023 and thereafter. The 2023 budget allows schools to use behavior analysts for intervention services and legislation broadened scholarship eligibility to students without an Autism IEP, if diagnosed or district-identified.

Voucher
Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program
The Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship was enacted in 2011 and began serving students in 2012. The program provides students with disabilities school vouchers for private tuition and other educational services. The Ohio Department of Education sets school voucher limits for different types of disabilities. The value of scholarships per student increased from "$8,941 to $30,000 depending on a student's special needs category in 2023--24." (EdChoice)

Education Savings Account
ACE Educational Savings Account
The Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment (Ohio ACE) program -- launched in April 2022 -- allows eligible families to apply for a $500 account for each of their K-12 children to help families pay for a variety of necessary educational services, including summer, before-school and after-school activities. In 2023, the amount was increased to $1,000. Ohio students ages 6-18 whose family income is less than 400% of the Federal Poverty Level are eligible for the $1,000 credit. Parents and guardians may select enrichment and educational activities from approved service providers in the ACE Marketplace or request that a service provider be approved and added to the marketplace.

USE OF STUDENT DATA IN EVALUATING TEACHER PREP

"Ohio requires educator preparation programs to collect and report data on completer effectiveness as measured by student growth in addition to value-added data for program graduates."

This is just one indicator from The National Council on Teacher Quality, which collects and analyzes states on how well their policies and practices lead to well-prepared teachers. They collect data on state laws and regulations concerning the preparation of teachers, the policies that govern their oversight and the contracts that guide their employment. Learn more about your state here.