Paying for private school in the Indy metro: every source
10 programs and sources for Marion, Hamilton, Hendricks and Johnson county families, with who qualifies, what each pays and the dates ahead.
Indiana Choice Scholarship (Voucher)
Indiana's voucher, run by the Department of Education. From 2026-27 every Hoosier student aged 5 to 21 qualifies; the award is the smaller of the school's tuition and fees or 90% of the state funding for the student's home district — $6,395 to $7,456 across this metro.
Rules and amounts →Disability ESA · Up to $20,000Indiana Education Scholarship Account (ESA)
A parent-directed account for Indiana students with an IEP, service plan or CSEP, worth up to $20,000 a year, with up to $8,000 for a sibling. IDOE took over the program for 2026-27 and pays providers through ClassWallet.
Rules and amounts →Privately funded · Income-basedSGO Tax-Credit Scholarships
Scholarships from scholarship granting organizations such as the Institute for Quality Education and Sagamore Institute, funded by donors who take a 50% Indiana tax credit. They start at age four and stack with Choice.
Rules and amounts →New · January 2027Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (2027)
Indiana opted into the new federal scholarship tax credit in January 2026. From January 1, 2027, a taxpayer can claim up to $1,700 for gifts to approved SGOs, which fund K-12 students in households within 300% of area median income.
Rules and amounts →Free pre-K · Income-basedOn My Way Pre-K
Indiana's state-funded pre-K voucher for four-year-olds in working families at or below 135% of the federal poverty level, capped at 2,500 children statewide for 2026-27 and at $6,800 per child.
Rules and amounts →Income-based · WaitlistCCDF Child Care Vouchers
Federal Child Care and Development Fund vouchers, run by FSSA's Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning, for children under 13 in families at or below 135% of poverty. New applicants go on a waitlist.
Rules and amounts →Grades 10-12 · Up to $5,000Career Scholarship Account (CSA)
A state account of up to $5,000 a year for 10th to 12th graders pursuing apprenticeships, work-based learning or industry credentials, run by IDOE for the first time in 2026-27.
Rules and amounts →Catholic schoolsCatholic School Tuition Help (Archdiocese of Indianapolis & Diocese of Lafayette)
Marion, Hendricks and Johnson county Catholic schools belong to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis; Hamilton County's belong to the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. Families typically combine the Choice award with parish rates and SGO grants.
Rules and amounts →At the schoolSchool-Based Tuition Assistance
Sliding-scale tuition, need-based aid, sibling and parishioner rates at the school itself, usually the layer that closes the gap between the voucher and the bill.
Rules and amounts →Partner fundEdu Fund Partner Scholarship
Privately funded help for families at participating church and community schools, aimed at the balance that remains once Choice, SGO grants and school aid are counted.
Rules and amounts →Voucher by school district
All 29 districts in the four counties, period one and period two.
See the table →Voucher calculator
Your district, your children, your school's tuition.
Calculate →What's left after the voucher
Six metro scenarios, from a parish school to Cristo Rey.
See examples →Dates ahead
- Nov 1, 2026Choice Scholarship period two opens for 2026-27: students who enroll at a Choice school now can be approved for a half-year award
- Dec 31, 2026Last day for a scholarship granting organization to be approved by IDOE as a federal SGO for the 2027 tax year
- Jan 1, 2027The federal Education Freedom Tax Credit starts: donors can claim up to $1,700 for gifts to approved federal SGOs
- Jan 15, 2027Choice Scholarship period two closes; after this date no new 2026-27 Choice awards are approved
- Mar 1, 2027Choice Scholarship period one opens for 2027-28 (the window runs to September 1), and the ESA application traditionally opens the same day
- Sep 1, 2027Choice period one closes for 2027-28; a full-year award needs an approved application by this date
See which Indiana programs fit your child
Five questions, about two minutes. Then a tuition counselor phones with your district's voucher figure and the layers that stack on it.