Hope Scholarship spending jumps to $68.5 million as enrollment doubles

The West Virginia Hope Scholarship program spent $68,549,544.10 in the past school year, a substantial increase from the previous year's total of $43,766,093.47. State Treasurer Larry Pack, who chairs the Hope Scholarship Board, released the 2025-2026 annual report on Monday. The program provides funds for private school tuition, homeschool curriculum, and other approved educational expenses.

The report indicates that 14,486 students received some level of financial assistance. Students who received the full scholarship were paid $5,267.38 each, up from $4,921.39 the previous year. The average disbursement per student was $5,435.62. Applicants who submitted their forms after the June deadline received prorated amounts, sliding from 75% down to 25% based on the submission date.

Most of the funds went to nonpublic schools, including private religious institutions. These schools received $45,513,562.04, up from $31,921,518.22 in the prior year. Faith Christian Academy in Martinsburg was the top recipient, receiving more than $1.5 million. Each of the top 10 recipients received over $1 million in payments.

Geographic data shows that nearly 95% of payments to nonpublic schools went to institutions within West Virginia. However, more than $2.5 million was spent on schools in border states such as Maryland and Virginia. An additional $200,000 went to schools in seven other states, including Washington and California.

Suppliers and orders placed through the program's TheoPay application accounted for the next largest category of spending, totaling $12,817,916.98. The majority of these payments, more than $9,419,040.50, were for purchases made via Amazon.

Demographic data reveals that 9,372 recipients, or nearly two-thirds of all participants, were elementary school students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Usage was highest in high-population counties like Kanawha, Berkeley, and Jefferson. In a lawsuit filed in September by ten parents in Mingo County, the plaintiffs argued that the lack of nearby private schools limited their practical access to the funds. The suit sought to halt disbursements to new applicants under the 2026-2027 universal eligibility expansion but was dismissed shortly after filing.

The report notes that the requirement for applicants to be enrolled in public school for at least 45 days was dropped for the 2026-2027 school year. This change allows existing private school and traditional homeschool students to apply. Pack's office estimated the program's cost after universal enrollment would be around $245 million, and the state legislature appropriated more than $270 million for the program in the most recent budget.

By late August, the program had received more than 25,000 approved applications for the 2026-2027 school year. This number nearly doubles the participation from the previous year. The data also shows that only 8.4% of recipients reported their student as having special needs, while 89.7% answered no.