Summer vacation may still be in its early days for New Hampshire students, but it’s already clear that next school year will see big changes for the state’s education system.
A new law allows any New Hampshire family to seek money from the state to pay for private school and homeschool expenses through the state’s voucher-style Education Freedom Account program. Previously, the program was only available to families who earned below a specific income level.
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Nearly 5,300 children received payments through the Education Freedom Account program before the new expansion took effect. But in the days since the state expanded it, nearly 2,000 additional children applied for an EFA, according to Kate Baker Demers, executive director of the Children’s Scholarship Fund NH, which runs the program. That number is expected to keep climbing through the summer, as the next school year approaches.
The expansion has brought big changes – as well as confusion for families already in the program and those considering it for the first time. Here’s what you need to know about how to apply, how enrollment might be capped, and where kids are using EFAs to leave public schools.
Is there a limit on how many students can participate?
The new law limits EFAs to 10,000 students in the first year.
But here’s the caveat. If the state hits the 10,000 student cap, the students who qualified under the old eligibility rules could still get an EFA. That “prioritized group” includes families who are at or below 350 percent federal poverty level, have a sibling in the program, or have any of a range of “disabling conditions.”
Anyone who is shut out of the program would likely get in the following school year because the enrollment cap increases by 25 percent, to 12,500 students, if the program nears the 10,000 limit.
What happens to students currently receiving EFAs? Do they need to reapply?
Baker Demers said the nearly 5,300 children currently receiving money from an EFA are automatically eligible for the program next school year, as are their siblings and students with disabilities, which would include students deemed eligible for special education services in school and students found to have a disabling condition by their medical provider.
The same is true for families who are not in the program now but have household incomes at or below 350 percent of the federal poverty level guidelines, or $112,525 a year for a family of four.
The remaining slots would be open to new families at any income level. For example, if current EFA enrollment remained at 5,300 students, that would leave 4,300 spots for new students from households at any income.
What kind of income documentation is required?
Families can choose not to report their income, but that comes with risks.
All families whose household income is at or below 350 percent federal poverty level will be assured an EFA – but only if they can show their income meets the threshold. Families who choose not to report their income can get an EFA only if there are spots available under the enrollment cap.
Applicants who choose to report their income must provide tax returns, business income if they are self-employed, and any child support, alimony, public assistance, or unemployment they receive. The details are in the program’s parent handbook.
When is the deadline?
Families can apply for an EFA at any time, even after the school year starts. But, in order to receive the full EFA payment for the next school year, families must submit an application early enough to have their eligibility documents verified by July 15.
Applying early also increases the chances of getting an EFA before the cap is reached. Baker Demers said families should apply as soon as possible to ensure her office has time to verify the application is complete.
How does EFA enrollment vary across the state?
In the majority of New Hampshire school districts, fewer than 10 percent of students currently have an EFA, according to NHPR’s analysis of enrollment and EFA data from the state Department of Education.
In many communities, it’s less than 3 percent. Deerfield, Hampstead, Epping, Holderness, and Hollis are among that group. But the percentage is much higher in several other communities. In the towns Dublin, Rindge, Dummer, and Richmond, for instance, more than 20 percent of students currently have an EFA.
In Nelson, 21 of the town’s 68 students have EFAs, according to the Department of Education. That represents 31 percent of students, the highest percentage in the state.
Baker Demers said families leave public schools for a wide range of reasons, such as bullying, academic needs, mental health concerns, and the district's proficiency rates in math, reading, and science. The proximity to a local private school can also be a factor, she said.
There are three private schools in Dublin, for example, where 39 of the town’s 140 students – or 28 percent – have EFAs. Nelson, where a third of students have EFAs, is a short drive from at least four private schools.
