West Virginia holds the sixth spot nationally for educational choice, but its scholarship awards cover only about 36 percent of what public schools receive per student, according to the 2026 EdChoice Friedman Index. The Mountain State earned an index score of 36 out of 100, up from 33 in 2025, as measured by a system designed to gauge how much actual educational choice families have in each state. Despite launching a universal education savings account program in 2022, West Virginia falls short on funding parity with traditional public schools.
The EdChoice index evaluates states on three criteria: whether all students can access a choice program with available funding, whether families can use an education savings account to pay for services beyond tuition such as tutoring or textbooks, and whether scholarship awards match the average state and local revenue provided to public schools. West Virginia's Hope Scholarship Program offers full eligibility to all children statewide, with over 14,000 students enrolled in the 2025–26 school year. However, the average Hope Scholarship award amounts to roughly 36 percent of state and local per-pupil funding directed to public schools. The index formula multiplies the percentage of eligible students by the fraction of average scholarship dollars divided by public school per-pupil funding, then multiplies by 100, with a five-point deduction if a state lacks ESA-style flexibility for purchasing educational services outside school walls.
The report states that West Virginia has been "in the vanguard of the education choice movement in the United States" but needs to raise Hope Scholarship funding to match public school per-pupil levels to maintain that position. According to the analysis, state legislators should bring the funding award for each account much closer to the public school per-pupil funding level. The authors note that while Mountain State lawmakers have created a robust and rapidly expanding choice environment, "their work is not quite finished."
The report argues that closing the funding gap represents the final major step needed to place private schools on equal footing with charter and traditional public schools in West Virginia. Once scholarship funding matches public school per-pupil allocations, schools' success or failure will depend entirely on the quality of education they offer, the care they provide to students and families, and the results they produce, according to the analysis. With full eligibility already in place and ESA flexibility allowing families to purchase tutoring, textbooks, and therapies outside traditional schools, funding parity would complete West Virginia's transformation into a truly competitive educational marketplace where families hold equal purchasing power regardless of whether they choose public or private options.