The Expansion of Eligibility in Indiana’s Voucher Program - Impacts on Student Participation and Sorting

Oct 15, 2026

Study examines how Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program shifted from a means-tested voucher model to near-universal eligibility and how that change reshaped student participation and private school demographics. Using sixteen years of student-level data (2008–09 to 2023–24), the research tracks voucher use and private enrollment patterns relative to public schools. Results show participation increases after the 2023–24 income threshold rose to 400% of reduced-price lunch eligibility, alongside measurable shifts by race, income, and achievement concentration across private schools.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages38

Reading Time1 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Background and policy context

Growth of universal eligibility and potential sorting

Data access and research gap

Program on Education Policy and Governance Conference Papers Series The Expansion of Eligibility in Indiana’s Voucher Program and Impacts on Student Participation and Sorting R. Joseph Waddington, Mark Berends, Megan J. Austin, Joseph J. Ferrare, and Ron Zimmer 1 PEPG 25-12 This paper was presented at the School Choice Tradeoffs and Evidence-Based Policy Making conference held at the Harvard Kennedy School, May 8-9, 2025 Harvard Kennedy School 79 JFK Street, Taubman 220 Cambridge, MA 02138 Tel: 617-495-7976 Fax: 617-496-4428 [www.hks.harvard.edu/pepg/](www.hks.harvard.edu/pepg/) 1 Waddington: University of Notre Dame; Berends: University of Notre Dame. Austin: American Institutes for Research; Ferrare: University of Washington Bothell; Zimmer: University of Kentucky The Expansion of Eligibility in Indiana’s Voucher Program and Impacts on Student Participation and Sorting R. Joseph Waddington University of Notre Dame [rwadding@nd.edu](rwadding@nd.edu) [Megan J. Austin](Megan J. Austin)[ ](Megan J. Austin)American Institutes for Research [maustin@air.org](maustin@air.org) Mark Berends University of Notre Dame [mberends@nd.edu](mberends@nd.edu) [Joseph J. Ferrare](Joseph J. Ferrare)[ ](Joseph J. Ferrare)University of Washington Bothell [j](jferrare@uw.edu)[ferrare@uw.edu](jferrare@uw.edu) Ron Zimmer University of Kentucky [ron.zimmer@uky.edu](ron.zimmer@uky.edu) Abstract This study examines how Indiana's Choice Scholarship Program (ICSP) evolved from a meanstested voucher program to one with near-universal eligibility and how this shift affected student participation and private school demographics. Using sixteen years of student-level data (2008–09 to 2023–24), we observed changes in voucher usage and private school enrollment patterns, especially when compared to public schools over the same time period. The most notable increase in voucher participation occurred among White students and higher-income families after the program’s income eligibility threshold rose to 400 percent of reduced-price lunch eligibility in 2023–24. Private school demographics also shifted over time. Following the program’s launch, Black student enrollment in private schools rose by 1 percentage point, with no further gains in later expansions. Hispanic student representation grew by 1 to 3 percentage points during initial and expanded eligibility phases. Lower-income student enrollment in private schools increased by 5 to 7 percentage points during early phases but dropped by 9 percentage points after the recent income threshold increase. These compositional changes varied across private schools by achievement level: earlier increases in Hispanic and lower-income students were concentrated in schools in the middle of the achievement distribution, while the recent decline in lower-income enrollment was most pronounced in lower-to-middle achieving schools, which also attracted a sizable proportion of the new higher-income entrants to the private school sector. The Expansion of Eligibility in Indiana’s Voucher Program and Impacts on Student Participation and Sorting INTRODUCTION In recent years, few education policies have garnered as much attention among state policymakers than school choice policies that appropriate taxpayer dollars to fund private forms of education. These programs are typically implemented as either a voucher provided to parents to pay for private school tuition, or as a publicly funded educational savings account (ESA) that parents can use for a variety of educational expenses. The initial wave of these programs primarily targeted underserved students, especially those from low-income families, students attending lowperforming schools, or students with disabilities. The last decade, though, has been defined by the expansion of eligibility to near universal access, with the majority of this shift happening in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 29 states (including Wash

FAQs

What change occurred in Indiana’s voucher program eligibility?

Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program evolved from a means-tested voucher approach to one with near-universal eligibility.

Which data period and comparison does the study use?

The study uses sixteen years of student-level data from 2008–09 to 2023–24 and compares voucher outcomes and private enrollment patterns with public schools over the same period.

How did the expansion affect student participation and private school demographics?

Voucher participation rose notably after the 2023–24 income eligibility threshold increased to 400% of reduced-price lunch eligibility, while private school demographic composition shifted over time by race and income.

Oct 15, 2026

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