Utah’s school choice scholarship attracts more homeschoolers
Mar 13, 2024, 11:00 AM
FILE: Students work on a computerize map at Hillsdale Elementary. There is intense interest in the Utah Education Fits All Scholarship, which gives eligible families up to $8 thousand to pay for approved education services. (Tom Smart)
(Tom Smart)
SALT LAKE CITY–Utah’s school choice scholarship has more homeschool students applying than anyone else, according to Utah Education Fits All Executive Director Robyn Bagley.
“There are 20,000 parents in our database and a little over half of them have indicated they plan to use it for homeschooling purposes.”
Bagley told KSL NewsRadio on Tuesday that parents also go hybrid sometimes.
“[Parents] mix and match; a lot of whom want to even take some courses or classes or programs from public school,” said Bagley.
According to the Deseret News, the latest Census data shows about 660,000 Utah students are in public and charter schools. Additionally, Bagley said 10,000 students are expected to get this scholarship.
According to the Utah Education Fits All website, the state’s scholarship program will give up to $8,000 per student.
Utah’s school choice scholarship became law in Utah during the 2023 legislative session when lawmakers allocated $40 million to serve around 5,000 students. This legislative session, they raised that amount to $82 million and effectively doubled how many students are eligible for the scholarship, according to KSL.com.
