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Posted on Jan 13, 2020

Ohio EdChoice Scholarship Program

 

In November of this year, the Ohio Department of Education released a list of underperforming designated Ohio Schools for the 2020-2021 school year. There are several Licking County high schools on the list, among those are Newark City High School, Johnstown High School, Lakewood High School, and Utica High School. You can see the full list of all Licking County schools here. The state-funded Education Choice Scholarship Program (EdChoice) provides opportunities for Ohio students who are assigned to underperforming schools to attend a participating private school with significant financial assistance.

 

If your student is currently enrolled at Newark Catholic, and would otherwise be assigned to attend one of the public schools listed above, he/she qualifies for the Ohio EdChoice Scholarship. The scholarship grants up to $6000 toward their private school tuition. The actual scholarship amount will be either the maximum scholarship amount or the tuition amount charged by the private school, whichever is less. This is not a need-based scholarship.

 

The maximum scholarship amount is currently $6,000 for grades 9-12. Remember, your student may be eligible based on their designated public school district in which you live and is not based on need. The application period opens February 1, 2020, and closes on April 15, 2020.

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLY

The EdChoice Program has two portions: the scholarship program and the expansion/income-based program. 

The Educational Choice (EdChoice) Scholarship Program offers students in grades K – 12 the chance to attend a private school for little or no cost. Students from lower-rated (designated) public schools qualify for these scholarships.

The EdChoice Expansion Program is an income-based program. It offers private school scholarships to students whose families have a lower income.

The program provides up to 60,000 EdChoice scholarships to eligible students. If you qualify, the state of Ohio will pay for your tuition to attend Newark Catholic. We encourage all families to follow the steps below to sign up for this wonderful opportunity.

The application period opens February 1st and the deadline for submitting is April 30th

  • If your child is already enrolled in Newark Catholic, you will need to complete a Scholarship Request Form, along with your proof of current address and your child’s birth certificate.
  • Newark Catholic will submit an EdChoice application for your child through the ODE online secure application system, ONLY available to the school and not the parents.
  • This is not a need-based scholarship, however, if your family does want to apply for additional money due to financial hardship, please check the Federal Poverty Guidelines here: EdChoice Expansion Income Chart (pdf) to determine whether you meet the income requirements for your household size and you want your income verified to determine if you qualify for low-income status. [Note: Families applying for an expansion scholarship MUST have their income verified; it is NOT optional.]. Complete the Income Verification Form, gather all supporting income documents (see the list on the form), and mail to the address listed on the form by the listed deadline.
  • It is also important to still fill out the FACTS form through the Diocese.

 

EDCHOICE STUDENT APPLICATION SYSTEM WILL OPEN FEBRUARY 1, 2020

If your child meets the eligibility requirements for the scholarship and you have chosen a provider school, please follow the steps below to apply for the scholarship:

Apply for Scholarship

  1. Once your child has been accepted by the private school, the private school will have you complete a Scholarship Request Form, along with your proof of current address and your child’s birth certificate, to the private school.
  2. The private school will submit an EdChoice application for your child through the online secure application system, ONLY available to the private school.
  3. Check the Federal Poverty Guidelines to determine if you meet the income requirements for your household size and you want your income verified to determine if you qualify for low-income status.  [Note: Families applying for an expansion scholarship MUST have their income verified; it is NOT optional.]
  4. Obtain a copy of the Income Verification Form BELOW or from the private school where you applied. Complete the Income Verification Form, gather all supporting income documents (see the list on the form), and mail to the address listed on the form by the listed deadline.
  5. In July/August, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) will notify by mail those parents who applied during the first application period about whether or not their child has been awarded a scholarship