ODE extends EdChoice deadline to Sept. 5

Staff report

COLUMBUS

The Ohio Department of Education has extended the deadline to apply for scholarships that help students from underperforming public schools attend participating private schools until Sept. 5.

The investigation of data scrubbing by a handful of districts may change the report card designations of some schools, making more students eligible for the scholarships. The extension is statewide.

The EdChoice Scholarship Program enables students who are assigned to attend underperforming public schools with the opportunity to attend a participating private school if awarded one of up to 60,000 state-funded scholarships.

Students in 220 schools in 30 districts are eligible to participate. A list of eligible underperforming schools and participating private schools is available at the Ohio Department of Education website.

The maximum amount of the scholarship for kindergarten through eighth-grade students is $4,250, while the maximum amount for high-school students is $5,000. Students can determine if they are eligible for the EdChoice Scholarship by using the eligibility flow chart on ODE’s website.

Designated schools include East High and Martin Luther King, Williamson and Harding Elementary schools and Youngstown Virtual academy in Youngstown; and Jefferson, McGuffey and Willard Avenue Prekindergarten through Eighth Grade schools in Warren.

Several private schools Mahoning and Trumbull counties accept the EdChoice scholarships including Cardinal Mooney and Ursuline high schools, both campuses of John F. Kennedy, Akiva Academy, Youngstown Christian, St. Patrick in Hubbard, St. Nicholas in Struthers and St. Christine in Youngstown. A full list is available at the Ohio Department of Education website.