Last verified: October 2026
Which Columbus-area public school buildings are EdChoice-designated for 2026-27?
DEW's 2026-2027 designated list includes 120 buildings in the four counties: 95 in Columbus City Schools, 13 in South-Western City, 6 in Groveport Madison, 4 in Whitehall City and 2 in Newark City. A student who would be assigned to one of them is eligible whatever the family earns.
Buildings qualify through Ohio's performance-index ranking and Title I poverty measures. We list every designated building in the four counties on one page.
How is traditional EdChoice different from EdChoice Expansion?
Traditional EdChoice depends on where a child would attend public school, not on income, and it pays the full amount regardless of earnings. EdChoice Expansion is open to everyone but shrinks above 450% of poverty. If a Columbus family qualifies for both and earns more than 450% of poverty, the traditional scholarship pays more.
Both pay the same maximums for 2026-27 and both are filed by the private school through the same online system.
Who else qualifies for traditional EdChoice besides students in designated buildings?
Siblings of students who held a traditional EdChoice Scholarship last year, foster children and students in certified foster homes, students placed with a guardian, custodian or kinship caregiver, students who would otherwise have been homeless, and students who left the Autism or Jon Peterson scholarship because they no longer need special education services.
The sibling definition is broad: it includes half-siblings, step-siblings, cousins living in the household and any child who has lived in the home for 45 consecutive days.
Can a traditional EdChoice student move and keep the scholarship?
A student who qualified through a designated building keeps the scholarship after moving only if the new district would also assign them to a designated building. Moving from Columbus City Schools to Dublin, for example, generally ends traditional eligibility, though the family can then apply for EdChoice Expansion.
The other renewal rules are the same as Expansion: take all required tests and keep unexcused absences at 20 or fewer.
| Traditional EdChoice | EdChoice Expansion | |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Assigned public building, sibling or placement status | Household income |
| 2026-27 maximum | $6,166 K-8 · $8,408 9-12 | $6,166 K-8 · $8,408 9-12 |
| Reduced at higher incomes? | No | Yes, above 450% of poverty |
| Survives a move to a new district? | Only into another designated building | Yes, anywhere in Ohio outside Cleveland |