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HB 715

Regards chartered nonpublic school EdChoice scholarship reporting

136th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Gayle Manning and 1 co-sponsor

The bill requires public, standardized reporting and a comparison tool for EdChoice and related chartered nonpublic schools, detailing enrollment, funding, demographics, and studen

Referred to committee
#education #primaryandsecondaryeducation
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Bill Summary · HB 715

HB 715 (136th General Assembly) — Ohio

Topic

Chartered nonpublic school EdChoice scholarship reporting and related data transparency requirements.

Purpose and Intent

  • Expand and standardize reporting and transparency around chartered nonpublic schools that participate in EdChoice and related state scholarship programs.
  • Create publicly accessible, comparative performance data and demographic breakdowns to inform families and stakeholders.

Key Provisions

  • New reporting framework (Section 3301.165)
    The Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) must establish:

    • A system to allow users to compare scholarship students in chartered nonpublic schools with similar students in the resident school district or in other local options (community schools, STEM schools, other chartered nonpublic schools).
    • The system must be publicly available on ODEW’s website.
    • When calculating “similar students,” factors to consider include age, grade, race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status.

  • Annual public disclosures by chartered nonpublic schools (Section 3301.165)
    ODEW must post, for each chartered nonpublic school:

    • Total enrollment.
    • Number of scholarship students enrolled, disaggregated by prior-year placement (in the same school, another chartered nonpublic school, a nonchartered nonpublic school, a city/local/exempted village district, a community school, a STEM school), and whether the student was homeschooled or enrolling for the first time in the current year.
    • The total amount of state support received by the school through:
    • State scholarship programs
    • Auxiliary services payments
    • Administrative and clerical services cost reimbursements

  • Income-based enrollment data (Section 3301.165)
    Beginning annually, post disaggregated counts of students receiving EdChoice Expansions (and, as data allows, traditional EdChoice and Cleveland scholarships) by family AGI relative to Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG):

    • ≤450% of FPG
    • >450% to ≤500%
    • >500% to ≤550%
    • >550% to ≤600%
    • >600% to ≤650%
    • >650% to ≤700%
    • >700% to ≤750%
    • >750% of FPG The department may disaggregate further as appropriate and must obtain necessary data from the Department of Taxation.

  • Data and privacy protections (Section 3301.165)
    The Department may not disclose statistically unreliable data or data that could identify individual students. Data for any group with fewer than 10 students shall not be reported.

  • Operational data sharing & residency verification (Section 3301.165(C))
    ODEW, the Department of Taxation, and other relevant agencies must enter a data-sharing agreement to verify scholarship eligibility and residency using student addresses. City, local, or exempted village school districts shall not have access to EdChoice applications.

  • Prior-year enrollment information requirement for applicants (Section 3310.16(E))
    EdChoice applicants must include the school and, if applicable, the district in which the student was enrolled for the school year prior to the one for which the scholarship is sought or indicate home education.

  • Deadline adjustments for student performance data (Section 3310.15)
    Current requirement to post EdChoice student performance data and deliver to parents by February 1 is changed to September 15 (or the preceding Friday if that date falls on a weekend).

  • Student growth measure (Section 3310.15)
    By July 1, 2025, ODEW must develop a measure of student growth for scholarship students in chartered nonpublic schools and report growth annually for students in grades 4–8, excluding schools with fewer than 10 scholarship students. Growth reports must be accessible on the public site.

Who Would Be Affected

  • Chartered nonpublic schools that participate in EdChoice and related programs (including expansions and Cleveland scholarships).
  • Scholarship students and their families, who would benefit from more transparent data on enrollment, funding, and performance.
  • Parents and prospective applicants, who would have access to a comparison tool and annual performance data to inform decisions.
  • State agencies (ODEW, Department of Taxation, and related departments) responsible for data collection, analysis, and disclosure.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Effective date: As introduced, with the expectation of ongoing implementation once enacted.
  • Annual reporting cycle: Schools’ enrollment, scholarships, and funding data posted each year.
  • Growth measure development: Required by July 1, 2025, with annual growth reporting for eligible grades thereafter.
  • Performance data timing: Shift from February 1 to September 15 for posting and parent distribution.

Summary

HB 715 focuses on increasing transparency and comparability of data related to EdChoice and other state scholarship programs for chartered nonpublic schools in Ohio. It requires the state to publish detailed school-level enrollment, funding, and scholarship data, disaggregated by income and school placement, and to provide a performance-comparison system. It also tightens data collection for applicants, adjusts performance reporting timelines, and mandates a growth metric for scholarship students in middle grades.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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