TL;DR: For 2026-27, 95 of the 112 open buildings in Columbus City Schools are on Ohio's EdChoice designated list, and so are buildings in South-Western, Groveport Madison, Whitehall and Newark. A child assigned to one of them qualifies for traditional EdChoice with no income test. For a higher-earning family, that can be worth thousands of dollars more than EdChoice Expansion.
How many Columbus City Schools buildings are EdChoice-designated for 2026-27?
Ninety-five of 112 open buildings, according to the 2026-2027 designated list published by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Seventeen of them are high schools or high-school-grade buildings. Across Franklin, Delaware, Licking and Fairfield counties, 120 open buildings are designated, in only five of the 38 districts that appear in the state file for those counties.
| District | Designated | Open buildings in the file |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus City Schools | 95 | 112 |
| South-Western City | 13 | 30 |
| Groveport Madison | 6 | 10 |
| Whitehall City | 4 | 5 |
| Newark City | 2 | 12 |
No building in Delaware or Fairfield County is designated. Our page on every designated building in Central Ohio lists each one by name.
Which Columbus City Schools buildings are not designated?
Because nearly every building is on the list, the shorter list is the useful one. The 17 open Columbus City Schools buildings that are not designated for 2026-27 are: Alpine Elementary, Avalon Elementary, Clinton Elementary, Colerain Elementary, Columbus Alternative High School, Cranbrook Elementary, Dominion Middle, Ecole Kenwood French Immersion, Gables Elementary, Georgian Heights Alt Elementary, Indian Springs Elementary, Indianola Informal K-8, Northgate Intermediate, Olde Orchard Alt Elementary, Parkmoor Elementary, South Mifflin STEM Academy (K-6), Winterset Elementary. If your child would be assigned to one of these, traditional EdChoice through the building route is not available, though a sibling, foster or kinship placement can still qualify a child, and EdChoice Expansion remains open to everyone.
Traditional EdChoice vs EdChoice Expansion: which should a Columbus family use?
Both pay the same maximums in 2026-27: $6,166 for K-8 and $8,408 for high school. The difference is what happens at higher incomes. EdChoice Expansion pays the full amount only up to 450% of the poverty guideline, $148,500 for a family of four, and then shrinks. At $181,500, for example, the K-8 Expansion award falls to $3,083. Traditional EdChoice does not look at income at all, so the same family would receive the full $6,166.
For a family under 450% of poverty, the dollars are identical either way. The traditional route still has a useful feature: siblings of a student who held a traditional EdChoice Scholarship last year are eligible too, under a definition broad enough to include step-siblings and cousins living in the home.
Who else qualifies for traditional EdChoice without a designated building?
Several groups qualify no matter which building they are zoned to. They include siblings of last year's traditional EdChoice recipients; foster children and students living in a certified foster home; students placed with a guardian, legal custodian or kinship caregiver, and the other children in that household once the placement has lasted 45 consecutive days; students who would otherwise have been homeless after living in another household for at least 45 days; and students who left the Autism or Jon Peterson scholarship because they no longer need special education services. Each of these routes pays the full traditional award with no income test. If a Columbus family thinks one of them applies, the private school can file a 2026-27 Affidavit of Eligibility with the application.
What happens if a traditional EdChoice family moves out of Columbus City Schools?
The scholarship only follows the family if the new district would also assign the child to a designated building. A move from Columbus City Schools to Dublin, Hilliard or Westerville, none of which has a designated building this year, generally ends traditional eligibility based on the building. The family can then apply for EdChoice Expansion, which works anywhere in Ohio outside the Cleveland district, at whatever amount its income allows.
How does a family use the designated-building route?
Apply to and be accepted by a participating chartered private school first; the school submits the EdChoice application. The family provides a birth certificate, proof of address dated within 90 days, and the Scholarship Request Form. Eligibility is based on the building the child would be assigned to, so a child who has never attended a Columbus City School can still qualify. Applications filed after October 14, 2026 are prorated for the rest of the year. Our school directory shows which of the private schools near you are state-chartered.
Frequently asked questions
How many Columbus City Schools buildings are EdChoice-designated for 2026-27?
Ninety-five of 112 open buildings, on DEW's 2026-2027 designated list; 120 buildings are designated across the four Central Ohio counties.
Which Columbus City Schools buildings are not designated?
Seventeen open buildings, including Indianola Informal K-8, Columbus Alternative High School, Ecole Kenwood French Immersion and Winterset Elementary.
Should a Columbus family use traditional EdChoice or EdChoice Expansion?
Under 450% of poverty the amounts match. Above it, traditional EdChoice pays more because it ignores income.
Who else qualifies for traditional EdChoice without a designated building?
Siblings of last year's recipients, foster and kinship-care students, students who would otherwise have been homeless, and former Autism or Peterson recipients who no longer need special education.
What happens if a traditional EdChoice family moves?
The building-based scholarship continues only if the new district assigns the child to another designated building; otherwise the family can switch to EdChoice Expansion.