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WEST VIRGINIA: Hope Scholarship Program

ESA comparison by Policy Hits: 114
  • Fund Administrator:
    • Synopsis:

      State Treasurer

      , Statute Language:

      (a) There is hereby created in the State Treasury a special revenue fund designated and known as the West Virginia Hope Scholarship Program Fund. The fund shall be administered by the Treasurer and shall consist of funds transferred by the Department of Education in accordance with §18-9A-25 of this code. All interest and other returns derived from the deposit and investment of moneys in the Hope Scholarship Fund shall be credited to the fund. Any balance, including accrued interest and other returns, remaining in the fund at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the General Revenue Fund but shall remain in the fund and be expended as provided by this section.
  • Funding Mechanism:
    • Synopsis:

      Direct

      , Statute Language:

      (e) Funds deposited in a student’s Hope Scholarship account, other than those funds expended on transportation services pursuant to §18-31-7(11) of this code, do not constitute taxable income to the parent or the Hope Scholarship student.
      (f) The board shall continue to make deposits into an eligible recipient’s Hope Scholarship account in accordance with the provisions of this section unless any of the following conditions have occurred:
  • Program Administrator (Gov't):
    • Synopsis:

      Hope Scholarship Board

      , Statute Language:

      (a) The West Virginia Hope Scholarship Program shall be administered by the West Virginia Hope Scholarship Board.
  • Third Party Administrator:
    • Synopsis:

      Student First Technologies
  • Role of DOE:
    • Synopsis:

      Rulemaking and data / enrollment tracking

      , Statute Language:

      (e) The board, in consultation with the Department of Education, may adopt rules and policies to provide the least disruptive process for Hope Scholarship students who desire to stop receiving Hope Scholarship payments and return full-time to a public school.
      (f) The board, in consultation with the Department of Education, may adopt rules and policies for Hope Scholarship students who want to continue to receive services provided by a public school or district, including individual classes and extracurricular programs, in combination with an individualized instructional program. The board, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall ensure that any public school or school district providing such services receives the appropriate pro rata share of a student’s Hope Scholarship funds based on the percentage of total instruction provided to the student by the public school or school district. County boards shall charge tuition to Hope Scholarship students who enroll for services in a public school within the county. Hope Scholarship students who enroll for services part-time in public school shall not be included in net enrollment for state aid funding purposes under §18-9A-2 of this code. Nothing in this subsection prohibits a Hope Scholarship student from using the funds deposited in his or her account on both services provided by a public school or district and other qualifying expenses as provided for in §18-31-7 of this code.
  • Application Window/Dates:
    • Synopsis:

      Year-round

      , Statute Language:

      The Hope Scholarship Board will accept applications year-round, but the timing of submission of the original application for the program will determine the amount of the Hope Scholarship received for the student’s initial year of participation in the program.
  • Fund Disbursement Frequency:
    • Synopsis:

      Biannually on August 15 and January 15

      , Statute Language:

      (d) The first deposit of Hope Scholarship funds into an eligible recipient account shall be subject to the execution of the parental agreement required by §18-31-5 of this code. Upon execution of the required parental agreement, and subject to the provisions of §18-31-9(e) of this code, one half of the total annually required deposit shall be made no later than August 15 of every year into an eligible recipient’s Hope Scholarship account, and one half of the total annually required deposit shall be made no later than January 15 of every year. Any funds remaining in a Hope Scholarship account at the end of the fiscal year may be carried over to the next fiscal year upon successful renewal of the account.
  • Average Per-Pupil Funding:
    • Synopsis:

      $4,299

      , Statute Language:

      (b) The amount of Hope Scholarship funds made available to an eligible recipient on a yearly basis shall be equal to 100 percent of the prior year’s statewide average net state aid share allotted per pupil based on net enrollment adjusted for state aid purposes, subject to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section: Provided, That the amount of the funding to an eligible recipient who is awarded a Hope Scholarship account for less than a full fiscal year shall be prorated based on the portion of the fiscal year the eligible recipient is awarded the Hope Scholarship account. On or prior to the submission of the Department of Education’s budget request each year, the board shall notify the Department of Education of the total number of eligible Hope Scholarship applications received by the board, for purposes of facilitating the necessary transfer of moneys pursuant to §18-9A-25 of this code.
  • Income Limit:
    • Synopsis:

      None

      , Statute Language:

      (5) “Eligible recipient” means a child who:
      (A) Is a resident of this state; and
      (B) Is enrolled full-time and attending a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for at least 45 calendar days during an instructional term at the time of application and until an award letter is issued by the board under §18-31-5(c) of this code, or enrolled full-time in a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for the entire instructional term the previous year, or is eligible at the time of application to enroll in a kindergarten program in this state pursuant to §18-8-1a of this code, except that if on July 1, 2024, the participation rate of the combined number of students in the Hope Scholarship Program and students eligible who have applied to participate in the Hope Scholarship program during the previous school year is less than five percent of net public school enrollment adjusted for state aid purposes for the previous school year, then, effective July 1, 2026, a child is considered to meet the requirements of this paragraph if he or she is enrolled, eligible to be enrolled, or required to be enrolled in a kindergarten program or public elementary or secondary school program in this state at the time of application;
  • Prior Year Public School Requirement:
    • Synopsis:

      Yes

      , Statute Language:

      (B) Is enrolled full-time and attending a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for at least 45 calendar days during an instructional term at the time of application and until an award letter is issued by the board under §18-31-5(c) of this code, or enrolled full-time in a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for the entire instructional term the previous year, or is eligible at the time of application to enroll in a kindergarten program in this state pursuant to §18-8-1a of this code, except that if on July 1, 2024, the participation rate of the combined number of students in the Hope Scholarship Program and students eligible who have applied to participate in the Hope Scholarship program during the previous school year is less than five percent of net public school enrollment adjusted for state aid purposes for the previous school year, then, effective July 1, 2026, a child is considered to meet the requirements of this paragraph if he or she is enrolled, eligible to be enrolled, or required to be enrolled in a kindergarten program or public elementary or secondary school program in this state at the time of application;
  • Geographic Limit:
    • Synopsis:

      Statewide

      , Statute Language:

      (5) “Eligible recipient” means a child who:
      (A) Is a resident of this state; and
      (B) Is enrolled full-time and attending a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for at least 45 calendar days during an instructional term at the time of application and until an award letter is issued by the board under §18-31-5(c) of this code, or enrolled full-time in a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for the entire instructional term the previous year, or is eligible at the time of application to enroll in a kindergarten program in this state pursuant to §18-8-1a of this code, except that if on July 1, 2024, the participation rate of the combined number of students in the Hope Scholarship Program and students eligible who have applied to participate in the Hope Scholarship program during the previous school year is less than five percent of net public school enrollment adjusted for state aid purposes for the previous school year, then, effective July 1, 2026, a child is considered to meet the requirements of this paragraph if he or she is enrolled, eligible to be enrolled, or required to be enrolled in a kindergarten program or public elementary or secondary school program in this state at the time of application;
  • Additional Eligibility Check:
    • Synopsis:

      None
  • Homeschool Compatible:
    • Synopsis:

      Individualized Instruction Plan for home-based education

      , Statute Language:

      (5) “Eligible recipient” means a child who:
      (A) Is a resident of this state; and
      (B) Is enrolled full-time and attending a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for at least 45 calendar days during an instructional term at the time of application and until an award letter is issued by the board under §18-31-5(c) of this code, or enrolled full-time in a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for the entire instructional term the previous year, or is eligible at the time of application to enroll in a kindergarten program in this state pursuant to §18-8-1a of this code, except that if on July 1, 2024, the participation rate of the combined number of students in the Hope Scholarship Program and students eligible who have applied to participate in the Hope Scholarship program during the previous school year is less than five percent of net public school enrollment adjusted for state aid purposes for the previous school year, then, effective July 1, 2026, a child is considered to meet the requirements of this paragraph if he or she is enrolled, eligible to be enrolled, or required to be enrolled in a kindergarten program or public elementary or secondary school program in this state at the time of application;
  • Enrollment Cap:
    • Synopsis:

      None
  • Lottery:
    • Synopsis:

      None
  • Testing:
    • Synopsis:

      National (individualized instruction plan students only)

      , Statute Language:

      (A) (i) He or she has annually taken a nationally normed standardized achievement test of academic achievement;

      (ii) Individualized instructional program (homeschool) students can have a certified teacher certify they made academic progress.
  • Authorized Use of Funds:
    • Synopsis:

      Private School Tuition
      Uniforms
      Online Education
      Education Therapies
      Private Tutoring
      Public School Services (Classes and/or Extracurricular)
      Transportation
      Curricula and Supplementary Materials
      Computers/Technology
      Testing Fees
      Summer/Afterschool learning (not daycare)
      College Tuition/Fees
      CTE / Industry Credentials
      Other Approved by Admin

      , Statute Language:

      §18-31-7. Qualifying expenses for Hope Scholarship accounts.
      (a) Parents of a Hope Scholarship student shall agree to use the funds deposited in their student’s Hope Scholarship account only for the following qualifying expenses to educate the student:
      (1) Ongoing services provided by a public school district pursuant to §18-31-8(f) of this code, including without limitation, individual classes and extracurricular activities and programs;
      (2) Tuition and fees at a participating school;
      (3) Tutoring services provided by an individual or a tutoring facility: Provided, That such tutoring services are not provided by a member of the Hope Scholarship student’s immediate family;
      (4) Fees for nationally standardized assessments, advanced placement examinations, any examinations related to college or university admission, and tuition and/or fees for preparatory courses for the aforementioned exams;
      (5) Tuition and fees for programs of study or the curriculum of courses that lead to an industry-recognized credential that satisfies a workforce need;
      (6) Tuition and fees for nonpublic online learning programs;
      (7) Tuition and fees for alternative education programs;
      (8) Fees for after-school or summer education programs;
      (9) Educational services and therapies, including, but not limited to, occupational, behavioral, physical, speech-language, and audiology therapies;
      (10) Curriculum as defined in §18-31-2 of this code;
      (11) Fees for transportation paid to a fee-for-service transportation provider for the student to travel to and from an education service provider; and
      (12) Any other qualified expenses as approved by the board established pursuant to §18-31-3 of this code.
      (b) Hope Scholarship funds may only be used for educational purposes in accordance with subsection (a) of this section. Nothing in this section requires that a Hope Scholarship student be enrolled, full- or part-time, in either a private school or nonpublic online school.
      (c) Hope Scholarship funds may not be refunded, rebated, or shared with a parent or student in any manner. Any refund or rebate for goods or services purchased with Hope Scholarship funds shall be credited directly to a student’s Hope Scholarship account.
      (d) Nothing in this section prohibits the parents of a Hope Scholarship student from making payments for the costs of educational goods and services not covered by the funds in their student’s Hope Scholarship account. However, personal deposits into a Hope Scholarship account are not permitted.