Hope Scholarship report released for 2025-2026 school year; program cost $68M

Kanawha County leads the state in the amount of students participating in the Hope Scholarship during the 2025-26 school year, according to an annual report released Monday by the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office. 

A little more than 1,600 students took the Hope Scholarship, an increase of nearly 300 students from the prior school year. Berkeley County saw an increase of nearly 500 students taking the scholarship. 

The data also shows incoming kindergartens make up the biggest portion of students, with 2,100 students listed in the school year. 

The 2025-26 school year is the last the Hope Scholarship had restrictions on eligibility. In the current school year, any resident student can receive the scholarship, regardless of whether or not they have ever participated in public schools. In prior years, it was only open to students in public school or in-coming kindergarteners. 

The report showed the Hope Scholarship cost $68 million in 2025-26, with $45 million of it going to non-public schools. 

Faith Christian Academy, located outside of Martinsburg, received the most payments, at $1.5 million. 

Microschools, a highly unregulated form of private education, received $5 million. The biggest recipient was City on a Hill Christian Academy Inc in Fairmont, at $674,000. 

Computer purchases ranked number one for educational supplies, coming in at $2.3 million, followed by instructional materials and curriculum at $1.8 million. 

More information on the Hope Scholarship can be found here.