Most Idaho school-choice funds spent on Christian private schools, report finds

Sarah Cutler, The Idaho Statesman on Nov 13, 2026

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BOISE, Idaho — Supporters of a plan to spend $50 million in state money on private schools and homeschooling costs said it would help increase Idaho families’ access to education opportunities for children with a range of learning abilities.

The money, given to parents in the form of tax credits, would help families of “modest resources” pay for private education that might have otherwise been out of reach, then-Rep. Wendy Horman said when Gov. Brad Little signed the bill into law in 2025.

But a Friday report by the Idaho State Tax Commission suggests that, in the first year of the program, that’s largely not how it’s playing out.

The program prioritizes lower-income families — those making less than three times the federal poverty level, or about $96,000 for a family of four. But over half of this year’s awardees made more, according to the report.

Of the over 12,000 students who received funds under the Parental Choice Tax Credit Program, only about 5% claimed a disability, according to the report.

And though sponsors said the program would increase education options for families around the state, over half of the applications this year came from the Treasure Valley, the report found. Only 25% of the students reported ever having enrolled in a public school.

“Idahoans were sold a lie about this voucher scheme,” Idaho House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said in an emailed statement. “We were told this program would help low-income children leave public schools for supposedly better-performing private schools. Instead, more than half of the families awarded tax credits are above the income threshold Republicans promised to prioritize, and nearly three-quarters of students have never attended an Idaho public school. … We should repeal this program or, at the very least, end subsidies for higher-income families.”

The Tax Commission withheld information from the report that could be identifying, including the approximately 20% of cases where fewer than 50 families spent award money at a particular school.

In the remaining cases, about 13% of awards were spent on homeschooling — though those individual awards tended to be smaller, according to the report.

Parents used most of the rest of the credits at Christian private schools around the state.

The most common schools where parents used their awards were Cole Valley Christian School and The Ambrose School, both in Meridian, and Bishop Kelly High School in Boise. Nampa Christian Schools and Moscow’s Logos Classical Christian School, founded by Doug Wilson, the pastor of Christ Church, are next on the list.

The report does not specify whether the funds were spent on tuition or other services at those schools. But overall, parents spent about 94% of the funds on tuition, the report found.

Idaho Democrats pointed out in a press release that they, the media and other members of the public had tried previously to get the details released Friday only to be denied until after the midterm election.

“It’s hard enough for working parents to make ends meet without being asked to subsidize private school tuition for families who are better off than they are,” Idaho Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Janie Ward-Engelking said in an emailed statement. “I want someone to explain to a rural parent why their child’s school can’t afford another teacher, but the state can afford to help a well-off family pay private school tuition. … If we have $50 million for education, it ought to help the kids who need it, not families who can already afford to send their children wherever they want.”

Backers of the tax credit, however, said the data showed a successful launch.

“… The overwhelming evidence shows it has been a monumental success,” the Mountain States Policy Center said in an unsigned press release. Idaho should “create room for more eligible students,” MSPC said, offering speculation on what a budget of $75 million or $100 million could mean.

The report on the school-choice program will be updated at the end of the year and provided to the Legislature, the Idaho State Tax Commission said in a press release.

“Transparency and accountability are important to ensuring the Parental Choice Tax Credit works as intended and serves Idaho families well,” Little said in the release. “The Legislature called for transparency, and my administration went above and beyond to provide as much information and data as possible while protecting taxpayers’ personal information. This report gives policymakers and the public a clearer picture of the program and provides the best available data to evaluate its effectiveness, identify opportunities for improvement, and ensure it continues to serve Idahoans well.”

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