The New Hampshire House passed a bill raising the Education Freedom Account income cap from 350 percent to 500 percent of the federal poverty level on a single-vote margin, NH Journal reported. Two other school choice measures considered the same day failed.
School choice advocates framed the narrow win as a meaningful step, according to NH Journal.
“The move by the New Hampshire House is an important step in ensuring that every Granite State student has access to the education they need to succeed,” said Americans for Prosperity-New Hampshire Deputy State Director Sarah Scott.
NH Journal
The bill’s practical effect would be to extend eligibility to more middle-income families across the state.
If the bill becomes law — and it’s likely to receive a welcome reception in the Senate — a family of four making a maximum of $150,000 annually would be able to use the state’s share of their child’s per-pupil education spending (about $5,000) for alternatives like private, parochial, or home school.
NH Journal
The cap measure was one of three proposals the House took up, and it was the only one to advance.
While it ultimately passed 190-189, another proposal to eliminate the cap altogether failed 186-194.
NH Journal
A third proposal also fell short, NH Journal reported.
The third proposal, which would have expanded education freedom accounts to ‘marginalized’ groups, regardless of their income, failed 185-197.
NH Journal
The votes came as the program drew national recognition.
The votes came in the wake of New Hampshire’s EFA program being named the most popular school choice program in the U.S.
NH Journal
Independent analysts documented the program’s rapid growth, per NH Journal.
“New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account Program grew by a whopping 58 percent in the past year—from 3,025 scholarships awarded in 2023 to 4,770 scholarships awarded in 2024,”
NH Journal
Read the full story at NH Journal.
