More churches opening schools as states expand tuition voucher programs

Educational voucher programs enacted in several states are making it easier for churches to start Christian schools on their campuses.

Advocates for taxpayer-funded religious schools say their aim is not to hurt public schools but to give parents more schooling options that align with their Christian values. In Christian classrooms, pastors say religious beliefs can inform lessons on morals and character building, teachers are free to incorporate the Bible across subjects and the immersive environment may give students a better chance of staying believers as adults.

Ohio passed universal school choice, with taxpayer dollars available for private school tuition without income limits, in 2023. Troy McIntosh, executive director of the Ohio Christian Education Network, said he wants all Ohio families to have access to a Christian education. “We didn’t need five Christian schools in the state — we needed 50,” he said, according to Religion News Service.

A wave of school voucher laws have been passed nationwide, including in Arizona, Florida and West Virginia, following key Supreme Court rulings in recent years. This year, universal school choice became an official national Republican Party policy, including equal treatment for homeschooling “We’re not trying to burn anything down,” said Pastor Jimmy Scroggins of Family Church in South Florida. “We’re trying to build something constructive.”

It’s not only Christian congregations establishing schools. Jewish, Muslim and other faiths are also creating more schools for their communities.

Opponents worry about church-state issues and harm to public schools.

“The problem isn’t churches starting schools,” said Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “The problem is taxpayer funding for these schools, or any private schools.”

Conservative Christian schools accounted for nearly 12 percent of the country’s private options during the 2021-22 academic year, according to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Private School Universe Survey. The Association of Christian Schools International, an accreditation group, represents about 2,200 U.S. schools. This summer, the association said it had 17 churches in its emerging schools program.

“We are calling upon pastors to envision a generation of ambassadors for Jesus Christ, molded through Christian education,” association President Larry Taylor said in a news release.

–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice