Oklahoma school choice program opens, receives over 30K applications in 90 minutes

When enrollment opened last week for Oklahoma’s new school choice program, it only took 90 minutes for more than 30,000 applications to pour in.

The Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit program “provides a refundable income tax credit of $5,000-$7,500 for eligible Oklahoma Taxpayers who pay, or expect to pay, qualified expenses such as tuition and fees to an eligible private school on behalf of an eligible student” attending or planning to attend a private school,” the program’s application reads.

The program website also has a resource center with brochures, checklists and documents that may be needed. There is a separate application for schools to apply to participate in the program.

The potential value of a scholarship per student is based on household income levels, as follows:

• $7,500 per student in households earning under $75,000 annually; 
• $7,000 per student in households earning between $75,000 – $150,000 annually; 
• $6,500 per student in households earning between $150,000 – $225,000 annually; 
• $6,000 per student in households earning between $225,000 – $250,000 annually; and, 
• $5,000 per student in households earning over $250,000 annually. 

In addition, parents who homeschool their child can receive a $1,000 tax credit. 

The Oklahoma Tax Commission, which is administering the funds for the school choice program, will prioritize applicants with a household income below $150,000 in adjusted gross income. 

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who signed House Bill 1934 into law back in May, said he is “elated” with many applied for the program. The bill passed with a 61 to 31 vote in the state House, and 31 to 10 in the Senate. 

“School choice should be for everyone, not just the rich,” Stitt said in a press release last week. “What we’ve accomplished is a victory for students and a step towards true education freedom.”

Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters has also been a vocal supporter of the program.

“There is nothing you can do inside education that will truly empower parents, that will truly get the most out of every child, that will truly place incentives in an education system that has been so void of free-market incentives than to provide universal school choice,” Walters said in an interview with Ginny Gentles, the director of Independent Women’s Forum’s Education Freedom Center.

The governor’s press release also shared statements from several parents. 

“The oldest of my children is a senior in high school and the youngest will just be starting his education in August 2024,” said Keisha Booth, a single mother of four. “I am honored and grateful to have the opportunity to put our tax dollars to great use while securing a promising education for my children.” 

“I have some children in public schools, but this helps with having one child who has done much better in the private school setting,” said Genifer Gifford, a mother of five. “The process was self-explanatory and simple. I was able to complete the whole process in under 2 minutes.”