CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Treasurer Larry Pack said Tuesday he’s encouraged that so many families are taking advantage of the education options in the state.
“Roughly 26,000 students have taken advantage of that in West Virginia, and that’s doubled from last year,” Pack said on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.” “But the reason it increased is because now all students can take advantage of it.”
Pack, who also serves as chairman of the Hope Scholarship Board, officially announced Monday 26,617 students have applied for full funding through the Hope Scholarship Program for the 2026-2027 school year.
Pack said the big increase in numbers year over year is due to legislative changes making all students eligible.
The scholarship allows families to make the choice that’s right for their situation after consulting with their children. Families are selecting private schools, charter schools, home schools, micro-schools, and other approved options that fit the needs of families.
“It’s really choosing the path that works for your child,” Pack said. “I think parents give the educational path of their children a lot of high-level thoughts, and so they’re making good decisions, and we’re doing everything we can to get them ready for this school year.”
During the most recent legislative session, a change to the payment schedule was adopted that eases the burden on state cash flow. Now, the $5,435.62 is disbursed to families in quarterly payments.
“We changed that to quarterly payments and that takes pressure off of the state cash flow and doesn’t really have a negative impact to the parents or the schools,” Pack said. “It was a good positive change that I’m glad we got done, and it will help the state manage cash.”
During the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers and the governor approved about $277 million for Hope. Based on the total number of students approved for the upcoming school year the budget impact to the state will be much less than the appropriated amount, Pack said.
“The 26,000 students mean about $156 million in spend for West Virginia, so it’s well within our budget constraints and well within our ability to move this program forward,” Pack said.
Pack said he supports public schools as well as other options to be sure students can get a good education and find viable opportunities to enable them to stay in West Virginia.
“They’re struggling with fewer and fewer students each year just because we’re having fewer children worldwide, not just in West Virginia,” Pack said. “In West Virginia, I think it’s prudent to be both pro-public schools and pro-Hope Scholarship.”