There will be no disruption of EdChoice Scholarship funds for the 2026-27 school year
NEWS RELEASE
October 15, 2026
Contact: Dennis Biviano, PR & Media Specialist, (330) 744-8451, ext. 320; dbiviano@youngstowndiocese.orgÂ
YOUNGSTOWN, OH – The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown expresses disappointment following today’s 10th District Court of Appeals ruling striking down Ohio’s EdChoice scholarship program. Despite the court ruling, there will be no disruption of funds for the 2026-27 school year. All scholarships remain active and funded. EdChoice does not divert money from public schools, and removing it does not automatically provide more funding to public schools. In 2023, EdChoice Scholarships were made available for K-12 students seeking alternatives to their local public schools. That was made possible as a result of Ohio House Bill 33, which was signed into law on July 4, 2023. While the appeal process continues, students will still have the opportunity to qualify for partial or full tuition assistance based on family income.
Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Steven Jones, PhD. says, “We remain very optimistic that EdChoice will ultimately be upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court. The Diocese of Youngstown remains fully committed to supporting its Catholic schools and will continue advocating alongside the families, community leaders and the Catholic Conference of Ohio, to share how these scholarships change the lives of students and families. Over 100 years ago the United States Supreme Court recognized that Americans have a right to educational options. EdChoice and programs like it are about making that right available to more and more American families. It’s unfortunate that today’s decision sets that right and the effort to guarantee it to more Ohio families back, since EdChoice is popular for the opportunities these scholarships offer.”
Parents and students can find more EdChoice Scholarship information on the diocesan Office of Catholic Schools’ website, as well as the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce website as well as on the Catholic Conference of Ohio website.
