The Hope Scholarship will be expanded to allow all West Virginia students to apply.
State Treasurer Riley Moore announced Tuesday that all school-age children residing in West Virginia will be eligible to apply for the program beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.
The scholarship allows the families of K-12 students to receive state funds that can be used for tuition at private schools, homeschool curriculum and other qualifying expenses.
The 2021 law that established the Hope Scholarship Program, House Bill 2013, included a requirement that the program be expanded if the total number of Hope Scholarship students and applicants was less than five percent of the state’s total public school enrollment by July 1, 2024.
According to a press release from Moore’s office, data from the West Virginia Department of Education shows the total number of Hope Scholarship students and applicants (9,980 as of Monday, July 1) is well below 5 percent of the net public school enrollment threshold for the previous school year (12,416).
Moore also serves as the Chairman of the Hope Scholarship Board.
Previously, only children entering kindergarten or enrolled in public school for a qualifying period of time qualified for the Hope Scholarship.
Payments in recent years have averaged more than $4,400 per child, with estimates the Hope Scholarship costs West Virginia public schools up to $21.6 million.
In December it was announced that applications would be accepted year-round, with the amount of money received for the student’s initial year of participation prorated on the time of application.