What's left after the voucher? Six Indy-metro examples
The real question after the award letter. Published 2026-27 district amounts against tuition levels from reporting or labeled assumptions.
How much do Indianapolis families pay after the Choice voucher?
Anywhere from nothing to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on tuition and district. Chalkbeat's July 2026 analysis put the median gap at $1,694 for an IPS-area student at voucher schools inside IPS boundaries.
Where tuition is below the district amount, the state pays tuition and the gap is zero; IDOE capped 19,907 awards at tuition in 2025-26.
| Scenario | Voucher cap | Tuition and fees | Family share | Then what |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPS-area student at a voucher school with the median gap (Chalkbeat, July 2026) | $7,456 | $9,150 | $1,694 to cover | Chalkbeat's median gap across 21 voucher schools inside IPS; an SGO grant or school aid usually closes it. |
| IPS-area student at Providence Cristo Rey (2026-27 tuition $27,900) | $7,456 | $27,900 | $20,444 to cover | Cristo Rey admits families up to 250% of poverty and estimates family contributions of $365 to $2,100; the rest comes from its own model. |
| Carmel Clay student at a parish school charging $5,900 (illustrative) | $6,395 | $5,900 | $0 to cover | Tuition is below the district amount, so the voucher pays tuition in full. |
| Hamilton Southeastern student at a $12,000 Christian high school (illustrative) | $6,460 | $12,000 | $5,540 to cover | A large gap: SGO grants (if under the income line), sibling rates and school aid are the next layers. |
| Avon student at a $9,500 Christian K-8 (illustrative) | $6,590 | $9,500 | $2,910 to cover | Check the church-member rate first, then an SGO partner grant. |
| Warren Township student enrolling in period two at an $8,000 school (illustrative) | $3,649 | $4,000 | $351 to cover | Half the district amount against half a year of tuition. |
Rows marked illustrative use assumed tuition, not quotes. The first two rows use figures reported by Chalkbeat Indiana (July 24, 2026). Voucher amounts are IDOE's 2026-27 estimates.
What fills the gap after the voucher?
In order: an SGO scholarship if the household is within 400% of the lunch-program line, parish or member rates, school need-based aid and, at participating schools, the Edu Fund partner scholarship. From 2027 the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit may add SGO money for families under 300% of area median income.
| If there's a gap | If there's no gap |
|---|---|
| The voucher paid its full district amount | The voucher was capped at tuition |
| Look at SGO grants and school aid | Nothing left to cover from tuition; fees may still apply |
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.