May 18th, 2023 by WCBC Radio
State Treasurer Riley Moore, who serves as chairman of the Hope Scholarship Board, today announced more than 6,300 West Virginia students’ families applied to receive the Hope Scholarship education savings account for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.
“We have seen a surge of interest in the Hope Scholarship this year,” Treasurer Moore said. “That tells me West Virginia families have a strong interest in educational freedom and school-choice options, and our Office has been proud to help empower them to pursue the educational opportunities they believe will work best for their children.”
As of Monday, May 15, the deadline to apply, the Office had received 6,323 Hope Scholarship applications for the academic year that begins this fall. The Office received roughly 3,600 applications last year, approving approximately 3,200 prior to a legal injunction that halted further processing. About 2,200 students ended up using the Hope Scholarship for the current academic year after that injunction was lifted.
“I’m encouraged to see such rapid growth of interest in this program,” Treasurer Moore said. “That tells me that parents are getting more involved in their children’s education and doing everything they can to find the educational path that will work best for their child’s future.”
Of the 6,323 applications received as of Monday, 3,698 have already been awarded the Hope Scholarship with approximately 2,500 applications in various stages of submission, review or on hold awaiting further documentation. Only 99 applications so far have been deemed ineligible with five applicants declining after they received an award notification.
“We will be spending the next few weeks working diligently to review and approve the remaining portion of applications and notifying the families of their status soon,” Treasurer Moore said. “If families haven’t received an approval notification yet, I ask they remain patient and continue checking their email in case staff have follow-up questions or need additional information or documents to process their child’s application.”
All submitted applications should be reviewed by July 1, 2023.
The Hope Scholarship Program is an education savings account available for kindergarten through 12th grade students. It is designed to allow parents and families to use the state portion of their child’s education funding to tailor an individualized learning experience through the approved Hope Scholarship Program Schools and Education Service Providers. The scholarship amount varies each school year; for the 2023-24 year, it will be $4,488.82. The first portion of Hope Scholarship funds will be distributed to approved students through the program’s online portal by Aug. 15, with remaining funds distributed by Jan. 15, 2024.
