During the 2024-2025 school year, as well as the current year, student enrollment rates have dramatically decreased in West Virginia. This drop restricts learning since certain programs in schools have to be cut due to the loss of state money that follows each student enrolled in public school.
Greenbrier County Superintendent Jeff Bryant said, “Almost 200 students have left the Greenbrier County Schools district, and are still continuing.”
What is one significant cause of dropping enrollment? The Hope Scholarship, which is a program that allows K-12 students to use public funds for private school tuition, homeschooling, tutoring, and other educational expenses. You must be enrolled in a WV public school for 45 days or enrolled to be eligible.
The Hope Scholarship puts a strain on state funding for not just Greenbrier County, but all of West Virginia. Because WV school funding is tied to student enrollment, public schools lose the per-pupil state funding for every student who uses the scholarship to leave the public school system.
The West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy tracks the effects of the scholarship’s effect on public education, and notes that “Currently the program has no cost or enrollment caps, no income eligibility limits, and requires no public accountability through collection and publication of program data.” Read more here. Public schools’ learning outcomes, on the other hand, are accountable to district, state, and federal standards, as well as to the taxpayers who help fund the schools.
According to West Virginia University, “Since the program began, public school enrollment has dropped 7% and at least 35 schools have closed or been consolidated.”
WVU also reports that “Opponents argue the Hope Scholarship is contributing to a worsening financial situation for Public schools.”
In an April 13 press release, State Treasurer Larry Pack announced that by next school year more than 20,000 students will have left public school to use the Hope program. This dropping enrollment affects not only students remaining in public school, but teachers also.
“In Greenbrier County alone,” Bryant said, “57 jobs have been abolished over the past year.”
