A new report indicates demand for school choice in Pennsylvania is higher than it’s ever been since its inception 25 years ago.
The commonwealth was at the forefront of school choice when it adopted the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Scholarship, and later its supplemental Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit, in 2001.
Since then, it’s provided tuition support to more than 1 million lower-income students, an increase of 33% over the last decade. Most of those families earn between $22,000 and $44,000 below the state’s median income of $100,557. Six counties receive the majority of the financial aid: Philadelphia, Allegheny, Delaware, Chester, Bucks and Lancaster.
“Even now, 25 years later, the program’s popularity continues to grow,” said Rachel Langan, senior policy analyst for the Commonwealth Foundation. “Despite doubling the amount of scholarships awarded over the last 10 years, nearly 70,000 students remain stuck on waiting lists.”
The foundation, a conservative nonprofit, has lobbied for school choice programs in Pennsylvania over the last two decades, noting its role in helping boost tax credits available through the programs by $275 million over the last two years.
