Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credits Program

Students must come from households where family income is less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) ($93,600 for a family of four in 2024–2025). Students with special needs also are eligible and have an income limitation of 400% of the Federal Poverty Level ($124,800 for a family of four in 2024–2025). Students must either: (1) be enrollees in kindergarten or first grade, or (2) be a public school student the previous school year, a previous scholarship recipient, or a new resident of Virginia. Pre-kindergartners are also eligible if they are deemed an at-risk 4-year-old unable to obtain public early childhood services and meet the income requirements. _(Last updated July 22, 2024)_

Qualifying expenses include tuition and fees including textbooks, workbooks, and supplies used solely for school-related work. _(Last updated July 3, 2024)_

The total scholarship funding for students without special needs cannot exceed the actual education expenses of the student or 100% of the per-pupil amount distributed to the local public school by the state, whichever is less. Students may receive more than one scholarship from scholarship foundations. Students with special needs may be funded with scholarships that cover actual education expenses up to 300% of the commonwealth’s per-pupil amount if they attend specially licensed schools specifically for students with special needs. Otherwise, special needs students receive up to 100% of the per-pupil amount. The cap on scholarship values is pegged to the state’s average per-pupil allocation to district schools. Tax credits are worth only 65% of the value of the contributions to scholarship organizations. Total credits claimed cannot exceed $25 million, meaning roughly 8,500 students can participate, or less than 1% of Virginia’s K–12 student population _(Last updated July 3, 2024)_

No legal challenges have been filed against the program. _(Last updated September 27, 2024)_