Idaho School Vouchers
Reclaiming public dollars for all Idaho students.
The Issue:
For decades, anti-public education forces have spent millions of out-of-state dollars promoting their favorite government entitlement: private school vouchers. Despite widespread opposition from Idaho educators and citizens, Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 93 into law on February 27, 2025, creating Idaho’s most unaccountable and expansive private school voucher program to date.
HB 93 is a voucher in the form of a refundable tax credit that provides up to $5,000 per student (or $7,500 for students with special needs) to be used on private education expenses. Now, $50 million of public money will be diverted from the state general fund to pay for private schooling — money that could have been invested in Idaho’s chronically underfunded public schools.
The fight isn’t over. We must continue to make our voices heard to limit the damage of this program and prevent its expansion.
Vouchers have been disastrous in other areas, starving public schools of resources and siphoning taxpayer money away from vital needs and projects. In state after state, from Idaho to Iowa and Texas to Tennessee, state legislatures can’t seem to find funding for public schools — but they can find cash to compensate private school students. It’s not too late to stop Idaho from becoming a statistic. Here’s why vouchers must be stopped. Now.
RURAL STUDENTS SUFFER
- Nearly 50% of Idaho counties lack private schools and 30% of private schools are one county — Ada.
- Idaho school vouchers favor urban, wealthier students and rural students lose out.
- The state’s voucher program assists a maximum of 10,000 of Idaho’s 300,000 K-12 students and is unusable for many rural students who do not have access to private schools.
NO ACCOUNTABILITY
- Private schools are not held to the same accountability standards as public schools.
- A recent 2024 poll of Idaho voters showed that 88% support accountability for schools receiving taxpayer money.
-
Even Gov. Little admitted, “There’s not enough accountability in it,” before signing HB 93 into law.
-
The program will be administered through the Idaho State Tax Commission, with the only “accountability” measure being a survey that participating parents must fill out.
EXPLODING COSTS
-
Voucher schemes have failed in other states and led to huge deficits and cuts to critical services.
-
In Arizona, vouchers were projected to cost $70 million and ballooned to $708 million after one year — contributing significantly to a $1.4 billion budget deficit.
-
Even before it was implemented, the costs to administer HB 93 rocketed from the original estimate of $125,000 to $675,000.
UNNECESSARY
-
Studies show that vouchers are disproportionately used by wealthy families that do not need financial help.
-
HB 93 provides tax credits to families earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level in its first year – roughly $93,600 for a family of four. Idaho’s median income is more than $91,000.
-
In states with voucher programs, 65-90% of students who receive vouchers are not public school students and could already afford private school tuition.
Why We Care
What could your local school be with proper funding?
Idaho’s educators and schools move mountains to support students with the inadequate funding they receive from the state. But resourcefulness and responsibility can only do so much.
Instead of creating a separate system for the wealthy that siphons funds from public schools, we should demand our lawmakers invest in the system we have — a system that is open to every Idaho child, no exceptions.
We can do better, Idaho.
By the Numbers
71%
of 1300+ Idaho educators surveyed in November 2024 identified inadequate school funding as a very serious problem in their schools.
0
Zero improvement: Research has shown that vouchers do not improve student achievement. Recent studies in Louisiana, Indiana, and Ohio found that students using vouchers experienced worse academic outcomes than their public school peers.
88%
of Idaho voters polled in 2024 demand accountability for schools receiving taxpayer dollars. 94% support background checks for staff and 91% agree that schools must comply with anti-discrimination laws.
Take Action:
Tell your lawmaker to defeat Idaho school vouchers and fully fund our public schools instead.
School Voucher FAQs
What is wrong with parental or school choice?
Absolutely nothing, as long as taxpayer dollars are not used to create that choice outside of Idaho public schools. Did you know that Idaho public schools already offer a wide, varied menu of free public education choices for Idaho families? These options include:
- Online virtual charter schools
- In-person charter schools
- Gifted and talented education
- Special education
- Alternative education
- Career technical education
- Magnet schools
Reversing decades of chronic underfunding for Idaho’s public schools will undoubtedly spur even more innovation and choice in our school system.
How do vouchers create an unequal playing field for Idaho students?
Unlike public schools, private schools are allowed to limit enrollment. In many cases, private schools maintain exclusive admissions policies and charge tuition and fees far above the amount provided by taxpayer-funded vouchers. Private and religious schools can — and do — discriminate in admissions on the basis of gender, religion, sexual orientation, ability, behavioral history, prior academic achievement, standardized test scores, interviews with applicants and parents, and income.
Shouldn’t education tax dollars follow the child?
When a student leaves a public school, fixed costs such as teacher salaries, utilities, and transportation don’t decrease. Vouchers leave less funding for most students, which hurts all of our public schools. Despite additional funding provided in recent legislative sessions, Idaho still ranks near the bottom of all states in per-pupil funding.
Don’t vouchers give us more certainty about how our education dollars are spent?
No — the opposite is true. Private schools are not held accountable to taxpayers through elected office holders like school board members and state lawmakers. Transparency is a recognized problem with voucher school programs around the country and, as a result, taxpayer dollars are often misused.
Don’t vouchers benefit everyone?
No. Vouchers are often advertised by proponents as financial support intended for low-income families seeking higher-quality education options. Research on voucher programs across the nation tells a different story. Vouchers are often used by higher-income families to attend private schools — schools parents would have selected even without the availability of a voucher. Many private school tuitions are much higher than voucher amounts, making it hard for lower-income families to supplement the difference.
Stats and Facts About Public Dollars for Public Schools
- 62%: Of Idahoans say using tax dollars to pay for private school tuition is not important.
- Zero Improvement: Research has shown that vouchers do not improve student achievement. Recent studies in Louisiana, Indiana, and Ohio found that students using vouchers experienced worse academic outcomes than their public school peers.
- 51st: Idaho ranks at the very bottom of per-pupil public school funding.