10,000 Kids and Counting
In 2021, New Hampshire created a program that let families use their child's share of state education funding to attend the school that actually works for them — public, private, religious, or homeschool. Critics predicted disaster. Parents called it a lifeline.
Five years later, more than 10,000 children are enrolled. The program is universal. And the results speak for themselves.
How It Works
Education Freedom Accounts give families direct control over their child's share of state adequacy aid — roughly $4,100 to $8,000 per student, depending on need. The money goes into an account managed by the Children's Scholarship Fund New Hampshire. Parents spend it on:
The principle is simple: the money follows the child, not the building. If a school isn't working for your kid, you don't have to fight the system. You leave.
The Timeline
Program created via HB 2, signed by Governor Sununu. Eligibility: families at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. First year: 1,635 students, $8 million.
First expansion — HB 367 raised the income threshold to 350% FPL (~$112,000 for a family of four). Enrollment surged past 3,000.
Enrollment surpassed 5,000 students. $28 million in program spending. Demand continued to outpace projections.
Universal eligibility — Governor Ayotte signs SB 295, eliminating income caps entirely. Every New Hampshire family can now apply, regardless of income. Enrollment cap set at 10,000. Budget: $39.3 million first year, $47.8 million in FY2027.
More than 10,000 students enrolled. The cap was reached, with 800 more families on the waitlist. $51.7 million in total program spending.
“We told parents we were going to make sure we got this done and we did.”— Governor Kelly Ayotte, June 10, 2025
The Numbers
Grant Thornton LLP issued an unqualified "clean" audit opinion for the program. The administrator, Children's Scholarship Fund NH, has returned millions in unspent funds to the state each year — money that was allocated but not needed. That's not runaway spending. That's responsible stewardship.
What the Critics Say — and What the Data Says
The teachers' unions and their legislative allies have been fighting EFAs since day one. Here's what they claim, and here's what's actually true.
“EFAs take money away from public schools.”
The vast majority of EFA families were already paying for private school, homeschooling, or had children not yet in the system. Only a small fraction of EFA students actually transferred out of a public school in any given year. The real fiscal impact on public schools is a fraction of total program spending.
Meanwhile, national research from EdChoice found that 31 of 33 studies show nearby public schools actually improve test scores when school choice programs exist. Competition works.
“It's a subsidy for rich families.”
The average EFA grant is roughly $5,000. That's not covering $40,000 prep school tuition. It's helping working families afford an alternative when their assigned public school isn't working. The program started as income-limited (300% FPL), then expanded — because parents at every income level demanded access to the same choices.
Universal eligibility means a parent in Manchester has the same options as a parent in Bedford. That's equality.
“There's no accountability.”
The program received a clean financial audit from Grant Thornton LLP. Unspent funds are returned to the state. The Legislative Budget Assistant is conducting a performance audit due in 2026. And here's the accountability that actually matters: parents can pull their kids out if the school isn't performing. Try doing that with a public school monopoly.
“It will destroy public education.”
New Hampshire has roughly 160,000 public school students. The EFA program serves about 10,000. That's around 6% of the student population. Public schools still receive the overwhelming majority of state education funding. NH still ranks #5 in best public schools nationally (World Population Review). EFAs haven't destroyed public education — they've given parents an alternative when public schools fail their kids.
Real Families, Real Results
“It was like a rainbow after a storm.”— Andrea LeClair, Manchester parent, whose daughter experienced bullying in public school and found a new path through an EFA
“My child excelled and is thriving.”— Rebecca Bettencourt, Hopkinton parent, on her introverted child's experience in a smaller private school
These aren't wealthy families gaming the system. They're parents who refused to accept that their zip code should determine their child's future. Education Freedom Accounts gave them a way out — and 10,000 families took it.
What the Research Says
The national evidence on school choice is overwhelming. EdChoice, the leading research organization on educational choice, compiled decades of peer-reviewed studies:
School choice doesn't weaken the system. It strengthens it. When parents have options, schools have to compete. When schools compete, kids win. That's not ideology — it's 33 studies' worth of data.
Leading the Nation
New Hampshire is now one of just seven states with universal Education Savings Account eligibility, joining Arizona, Florida, Utah, Arkansas, Texas, and Iowa. Nationally, 488,736 students use ESAs across 18 states.
But New Hampshire was an early mover. It was one of the first northeastern states to create an ESA program and among the first in the country to go universal. In a region where teachers' unions dominate state politics, the Granite State chose families over bureaucracies.
“New Hampshire funds students — not systems.”— Governor Chris Sununu
That's not a slogan. It's a policy — and 10,000 families are proof that it works.
The next time someone tells you that education freedom is "extreme," ask them this: what's extreme about letting parents choose the best school for their own children?
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