Indiana

Existing Programs:

Tuition tax deduction — 2011
Any parent with a child in private school or who is homeschooled can claim up to $1,000 in tax deductions for various expenditures.

Choice Scholarship Program — 2011
Provides vouchers for low-income students or for students with disabilities to go to private schools. Vouchers are capped at $4,500. 

School Scholarship Tax Credit Program — 2009
Allows students and corporations to receive 50-percent tax credits for donations to scholarship-giving organizations. The maximum amount of credits the state can give is $7 million total.

Legislature status:

Adjourned.

Pending Legislation:

None.

Breakdown:

Indiana had a major year in school privatization in 2013. Its Supreme Court upheld the state’s voucher program, which when enacted in 2011 was the largest first-year voucher program in national history. The court ruled that the voucher system did not violate the separation of church and state -- even though the vast majority of the vouchers were for parochial schools -- on the basis that the program benefited families more than it did religious organizations.

The state also enacted House Bill 1003, which majorly expanded both the voucher program and the incentives for groups giving scholarships under the School Scholarship Tax Credit Program. Over 20,000 students applied for vouchers for the 2013-2014 school year -- the largest in Indiana state history.

Get more information on the ALEC education bills introduced in Indiana during the 2013 session:

• Parental Choice Scholarship Program Act (HB 1003, HB 1001)
• Parental Rights Amendment (SB 332)
• The Smart Start Scholarship Program (HB 1003)
• The Special Needs Scholarship Program Act (HB 1003)

Click on a state for a more in-depth description of what's happening there.