TL;DR: IDOE's 2025-26 Choice report counted 19,401 Marion County residents using a voucher in period one, up from 14,736 two years earlier. Heritage Christian School enrolled the most Choice students of any metro school. Statewide, the program reached 80,548 students, and households earning over $100,000 now hold more vouchers than those earning less.
How many students in the four counties used a voucher in 2025-26?
About 24,600 in period one, counting students by county of residence: 19,401 in Marion, 2,330 in Hamilton, 1,548 in Johnson and 1,323 in Hendricks, according to Appendix H of the annual report. Marion alone accounts for roughly a quarter of the 78,965 period-one students statewide.
| County of residence | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion | 14,736 | 17,573 | 19,401 |
| Hamilton | 2,577 | 1,950 | 2,330 |
| Johnson | 1,499 | 1,432 | 1,548 |
| Hendricks | 1,852 | 1,750 | 1,323 |
Period-two use grew even faster in Marion County: 781 residents received a half-year award in 2025-26, against 503 the year before and 350 in 2023-24. The three suburban counties together had 69 period-two students in 2025-26.
The suburban counties move less predictably than Marion. Hamilton dropped in 2024-25 and recovered in 2025-26; Hendricks has declined two years running. The report does not explain county swings, and income limits were still in place in all three years, so the 2026-27 numbers will be the first to show what universal eligibility does in the suburbs.
Which metro schools enrolled the most Choice students?
Heritage Christian School on the northeast side, with 963 period-one Choice students in 2025-26, followed by Roncalli High School on the south side with 871. Appendix B lists every participating school, and we have attached each metro school's count to its listing in our directory.
| School | Choice students, 2025-26 (period one) |
|---|---|
| Heritage Christian School | 963 |
| Roncalli High School | 871 |
| Suburban Christian School | 667 |
| Cathedral High School | 656 |
| Bethesda Christian School | 553 |
| Cardinal Ritter High School | 549 |
| Bishop Chatard High School | 517 |
| Greenwood Christian Academy | 480 |
The list mixes large Christian K-12 campuses with the Archdiocese's high schools. Below the top eight, parish elementaries such as St. Mark (435), St. Barnabas (397) and St. Jude (370) make up much of the next tier. Two Islamic schools sit right behind the leaders: MTI School of Knowledge on the west side enrolled 429 Choice students and Eman Schools in Fishers enrolled 425, the largest count in Hamilton County.
Who is using Indiana vouchers now?
Increasingly, middle- and upper-income families. Among students whose eligibility was checked by household size and income, 7,146 came from households earning more than $200,000 in 2025-26, up from 3,699 in 2023-24, while those under $50,000 fell from 14,252 to 11,905. Chalkbeat Indiana reported in September that, for the first time, more vouchers went to families over $100,000 than under it.
Two cautions apply. The income tables cover only students verified by household income, not those verified through the state's benefits database (14,136 students in 2025-26). And the 2025-26 income ceiling was still in force, at $237,910 for a family of four, so families above it don't appear at all yet.
Full awards vs tuition-capped awards: which is more common?
Full awards, by a wide margin. In 2025-26, 60,641 students received the full 90% district amount and 19,907 had their award capped at the school's tuition and fees. The capped group has shrunk since 2023-24, when it was 30,243; the report records the shift without explaining it.
A capped award is not a smaller scholarship in any meaningful sense; it means the voucher covered tuition. A full award is the opposite situation: tuition was higher than the district figure, and a family balance is likely. Our worked examples show both cases in metro terms.
How much money did Choice awards add up to in 2025-26?
IDOE counted $548,012,632.46 in qualified awards statewide for 2025-26, up from $497,195,861.37 the year before. That is the maximum the state would pay if every student stayed enrolled all year; Chalkbeat reported actual payments of about $491 million. Students who leave a Choice school before the last day have their awards prorated to the time they were enrolled, which is why the qualified total and the money actually paid never match.
Tuition levels explain why most awards are full ones. Of the 80,548 students in 2025-26, 62,508 attended at a tuition and fee level between $5,001 and $10,000, 13,164 between $10,001 and $15,000, and 998 above $20,000. With metro district amounts between roughly $6,400 and $7,500, a school charging in the upper half of that common band will usually leave a balance.
What changes in 2026-27?
Eligibility: the income cap is gone, so any Indiana student aged five to 21 can use a voucher at a participating school. IDOE's 2026-27 participating list held 435 schools statewide when we downloaded it on October 28, 2026, up from 395 schools that received payments in 2025-26; lawmakers projected about 3,000 additional students from the change, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. The first universal-year report will tell us whether the suburban counties move.
Frequently asked questions
How many Marion County students used a Choice Scholarship in 2025-26?
19,401 in period one, by county of residence, according to IDOE's 2025-26 annual report.
Which metro school enrolled the most Choice students?
Heritage Christian School, with 963 period-one Choice students in 2025-26.
Are more high-income families using vouchers?
Yes. Students from households over $200,000 rose to 7,146 in 2025-26 among those verified by income, and more vouchers now go to families over $100,000 than under it.
Related questions
- Who qualifies for the voucher now that the income cap is gone?
- Which Christian schools take the voucher?
- Which Catholic schools take the voucher?
- What is the voucher worth in my district?