On March 29, 2021, the Hope Scholarship was passed into law in West Virginia. At the time of its passage, Hope was the nation’s most expansive education savings account — available to 93% of West Virginia families looking for alternative education options. Aptly named, the Hope Scholarship represented a shift in the Mountain State toward greater education freedom and hope for families that had previously felt trapped by a state that was prioritizing systems over students.

West Virginia lead the pack during the Year of Educational Choice in 2021 as 18 states enacted new programs and 21 expanded existing programs. It is estimated that approximately 3.6 million students became eligible for education choice programs in 2021.