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The number of students participating in Wisconsin’s statewide private school voucher program has more than doubled, since enrollment caps were lifted.
Figures released by the state Department of Public Instruction show 2,514 students were enrolled in a voucher school for the current year, up from 1,008 students last year when the cap was in place.
Of the new students, 75 percent were already attending a private school in the previous year before they started receiving a voucher to continue their education. The DPI said only 19 percent of new voucher school enrollees came from a public school.
The vouchers are worth over $7,000 a year to students through grade eight, and nearly $8,000 for high school students. The total cost for the statewide program this school year was $18.3 million.