Second Year Of Hope Scholarship Applications Now Open

The application period for this year’s Hope Scholarship program opened Wednesday for the 2023-2024 school year.

The program provides state funding for West Virginia residents interested in alternative schooling methods, like private schools or homeschooling for their children.

It’s the second year these funds have been made available after a state law creating the program was passed in 2021.

Funds made available to first-year applicants were sent at the beginning of the year, after they were postponed when an injunction made in Kanawha Circuit Court halted the program last May. The injunction argued the program unconstitutionally diverted funds from the state’s public school system.

“We saw tremendous interest in this program for the current school year, despite unfortunate legal delays in the program’s implementation,” state treasurer and Hope Scholarship Board chairman Riley Moore said in an announcement. “We look forward to providing this program for the full school year that begins this fall.”

Following the lifting of the injunction in October, nearly 1,800 students and their families received vouchers to cover educational expenses.

Students from kindergarten through 12th grade are eligible for the funds. A notice of intent to participate is also required for families to file with their county superintendent.
The application period is open from March 1 until May 15. Applications are available online.