CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Catholic schools in West Virginia will participate in the state Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) program created this year, according to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.
The diocese (DWC) announced on Monday that Catholic schools may be eligible to apply for Hope Scholarships in 2026. In March, Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia signed into law House Bill 2013, which creates the Hope Scholarship Program for state residents. The program will create ESAs to assist eligible families who are investing in educational options other than traditional public schools in the Mountain State, DWC said.
In the 2022-23 school year, families with children entering kindergarten or transferring from public schools to homeschooling formats or non-public schools will be able to apply for Hope Scholarship accounts through the state Treasurer’s office.
Hope Scholarship funds in these accounts can then be used by those families for tuition at a private school or for educational services, tutoring, home school costs, online instruction, or other allowable expenses, the diocese said.
DWC said that the eligibility for families with children already enrolled in Catholic schools is dependent on the total number of families utilizing Hope Scholarship opportunities. A board will be established by the state Treasurer to oversee and regulate the Hope Scholarship Program, including participation in the program by qualified private schools and other education service providers.
“The Hope Scholarship Program can truly serve as a blessing for parents who seek a Catholic education for their children,” said Mark E. Brennan, Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston in a release. “This program empowers parents and families to make decisions about how best to educate their children and in so doing is in keeping with a key tenet of the Catholic faith: that parents are the primary educators of their children.
“Parents partner in a particular way with our Catholic schools in the education of their children, and the Hope Scholarship will help families secure a faith-and-values-based curriculum for their children that is built on centuries of excellence in our finest Catholic tradition.”
While Catholic schools in the diocese will not determine which families might be approved by the state for ESA accounts, all Catholic Schools within the Diocese plan to apply to fully participate in accordance with rules to be developed by the state Treasurer’s office, a release said.
“The 6 high schools and 18 elementary schools in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston will be carefully reviewing their school policies and reviewing the State Treasurer’s program rules in the coming months,” said Mary Ann Deschaine, Ed.S., Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the DWC said in a statement.