Ohio can put $6,166 toward your child's private school tuition this year.
Every K-12 student in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties can apply for EdChoice Expansion, and a household of four keeps the full award up to $148,500. In our directory, 143 of 178 schools hold the Ohio charter the scholarship requires. Tell us about your child and we will line up the programs, dates and schools.
High school ceiling for 2026-27. Grades K-8 top out at $6,166. The money goes to the school as tuition.
Ohio-chartered schools among the 178 in our four-county directory, the type that can enroll scholarship students.
Cincinnati Public Schools buildings are EdChoice-designated for 2026-27, which opens traditional EdChoice with no income test.
The 2026-27 window closes in 2027. Applications filed since October 14, 2026 are prorated.
At many parish grade schools, the scholarship covers the bill.
An illustrative second grader at a West Side parish school with $6,900 tuition, from a household under 450% of poverty with a sibling already enrolled.
An illustration, not a quote: Ohio private schools do not report tuition to the state, and every school prices differently. A household that verifies income at or below 200% of poverty owes no tuition above the award; fees are billed separately.
Where Southwest Ohio families find tuition money
Both forms of EdChoice, two disability scholarships, local SGOs, archdiocesan grants, College Credit Plus, Cincinnati Preschool Promise and county child care help.
EdChoice Expansion Scholarship
Ohio's income-scaled voucher. Every K-12 child in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties can apply; homes at or under 450% of poverty receive the whole $6,166 (K-8) or $8,408 (9-12), and the amount tapers above that line.
Eligibility and amounts →Designated buildings · no income testTraditional EdChoice Scholarship
The original, building-based EdChoice. A child who would be assigned to a designated public building qualifies at any income, and 45 of 62 open Cincinnati Public Schools buildings are on the 2026-27 list.
Eligibility and amounts →IEP needed · up to $34,000Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship (JPSN)
Ohio's scholarship for children with disabilities, from preschool age through 21. The ETR's primary category sets the 2026-27 value, anywhere from $10,045 up to $34,000, and the money follows the child to a registered private provider.
Eligibility and amounts →Autism · $34,000Autism Scholarship Program
Ohio runs a second disability scholarship just for autism. Its FY2027 cap is $34,000, paid on the child's behalf to a participating provider for planned special education and related services.
Eligibility and amounts →Donor-funded · state creditOhio SGO Tax-Credit Scholarships
Donor-funded scholarship pools certified each year by Ohio's Attorney General. A donor's gift is credited against Ohio income tax up to $750 ($1,500 joint), and ten such funds based in Greater Cincinnati hold 2026 certification, most connected to Catholic schools.
Eligibility and amounts →New · January 2027Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (2027)
Starting with 2027 gifts, donors to an approved SGO in an opted-in state can claim as much as $1,700 against federal tax. Ohio made the IRS's June 2026 list of participating states.
Eligibility and amounts →| EdChoice Expansion | Traditional EdChoice | Jon Peterson | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Any Ohio K-12 student outside Cleveland | Students zoned to a designated building, plus certain siblings and placements | Ages 3-21 with a district IEP |
| 2026-27 value | Up to $6,166 / $8,408, scaled by income | $6,166 / $8,408 | $10,045-$34,000 by category |
| Not | Usable for fees or supplies | Reduced for higher incomes | Means-tested |
The costs EdChoice pays, and the ones it skips
Ohio's vouchers pay tuition and nothing else. Fees, uniforms, aftercare and preschool are on a separate track, and Ohio has no homeschool spending account.
Tuition at a chartered school taking scholarship students
Sent to the school: up to $6,166 for K-8 or $8,408 for 9-12 in 2026-27, or the tuition itself if that is lower.
Tuition above the award, income verified at or under 200% of poverty
DEW's fact sheet says low-income families do not owe tuition the scholarship leaves unpaid.
Tuition above the award, income above 200% of poverty
The school can charge the difference; its own aid, an SGO grant or parish help usually fills the gap.
Registration, materials and activity fees
The fact sheets warn families they may still pay registration, material and similar fees.
Uniforms, lunches and busing
The scholarship is tuition-only. Busing for chartered-school students runs through the public district, separately from EdChoice.
Before- and after-school care
Only a licensed program enrolled with the county can draw subsidy or Choice Voucher money.
Three steps with Cincinnati Edu Funding
Tell us the basics
Your child's grade, the kind of school you want, your area, household size and timing. No tax documents and no login.
Get a funding plan
A counselor sorts out Expansion versus traditional EdChoice, any disability scholarship, Catholic Education Foundation and SGO options, and the dates you cannot miss.
Enroll where the money works
You get a short list of chartered schools that fit, plus a plain explanation of the forms the school submits after admission.
178 private schools across four Ohio counties
Built from federal survey records and Ohio's own chartered and non-chartered lists: grades, affiliation, enrollment and whether EdChoice can be used.
Browse by area: Price Hill, Westwood, Cheviot & the West End · Bridgetown, Delhi, Green Township & Harrison · College Hill, Mount Airy, Colerain & Finneytown · Downtown, OTR, Clifton, Walnut Hills & Avondale · Roselawn, Bond Hill, Norwood & Reading · Hyde Park, Oakley, Mariemont, Anderson & the East Side · Kenwood, Blue Ash, Montgomery & Sharonville · Milford, Loveland, Amelia & Clermont County · Mason, Lebanon, Springboro & Warren County · West Chester, Liberty Township & Fairfield · Hamilton, Middletown, Oxford & Franklin
Catholic Schools
Archdiocese of Cincinnati parish and regional grade schools, the region's many Catholic high schools, and independent Catholic programs.
81 schools →Christian Schools
Non-denominational, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal and other Protestant schools in the four counties.
31 schools →Jewish, Islamic & Other Faith Schools
Jewish day schools and yeshivas, Islamic academies and schools of other traditions.
9 schools →Independent & Nonsectarian Schools
Country day schools, Montessori and Waldorf programs, gifted and learning-difference schools with no religious tie.
45 schools →Schools With No Affiliation on File
Chartered schools whose religious orientation neither the federal survey nor the state directory records.
12 schools →Special Education & Learning-Difference Schools
Schools the federal survey codes as special education, plus deaf-education and therapeutic programs.
12 schools →Montessori Schools
Montessori classrooms from toddler rooms to K-8, across Norwood, Mason, the east side and beyond.
20 schools →Preschools & Early Learning
Programs whose oldest grade is pre-K or kindergarten, from church preschools to early-learning chains.
25 schools →Work with Cincinnati Edu Funding
Families who find you through us already know which Ohio programs they qualify for. If your congregation is weighing a school, we can walk you through the chartered and non-chartered paths.
Recent posts from Cincinnati Edu Funding
Greater Cincinnati's Certified SGOs for 2026, and What the 2027 Federal Credit Adds
Most local SGOs are tied to Catholic schools, but not all. Here is the 2026 list, how donors use the credits and how families actually receive the scholarships.
Read the post →Oct 26, 2026Preschool Promise, the Ohio Preschool Program or Child Care Aid: Which One Pays for Your Cincinnati 3- or 4-Year-Old?
EdChoice starts at kindergarten. Before that, where you live inside or outside the CPS boundary decides which preschool help you can get.
Read the post →Oct 23, 2026The October 15 EdChoice Ruling: What Cincinnati Parish and Christian School Families Should Know
The Tenth District sided with the public school districts, but scholarships keep paying. A timeline, what the stay means and how to plan for 2027-28.
Read the post →What Cincinnati parents ask us first
How much EdChoice can a Cincinnati student get for 2026-27?
Up to $6,166 in grades K-8 and $8,408 in grades 9-12. Through EdChoice Expansion, households at or below 450% of the poverty guideline, $148,500 for four people, get the whole amount; higher-income households get a smaller award that never drops below 10% of the maximum.
Does EdChoice have an income limit in Hamilton, Butler, Warren or Clermont County?
No. Expansion accepts any Ohio K-12 student who lives outside the Cleveland district, and income only sets the size of the award. Traditional EdChoice, based on the public building a child is assigned to, ignores income entirely.
How many private schools around Cincinnati can enroll EdChoice students?
In our directory, 143 of 178 schools appear in Ohio's state directory as chartered nonpublic schools, the only type that can take scholarship students (pulled October 28, 2026). Schools decide separately whether to accept scholarship students, so confirm with each one.
Is EdChoice still paying after the October 15, 2026 appeals decision?
Yes. The Tenth District Court of Appeals held the program unconstitutional but left it in place until the Ohio Supreme Court rules, so current awards and new 2026-27 applications continue.
Can Northern Kentucky families use EdChoice at a Cincinnati school?
No. Ohio's scholarships require Ohio residency, and Kentucky has no voucher or education savings account of its own. Kentucky families rely on each school's need-based aid.
Find out which programs fit your child
Five short questions, about two minutes. A Cincinnati tuition counselor follows up with the scholarships, aid and dates that apply to you.