School choice in New Jersey
No state program pays private school tuition.
What exists in New Jersey
| State program | No state program pays private school tuition |
|---|---|
| What families can use instead | No New Jersey program pays private school tuition, and the state has no tuition tax credit or deduction. When a district does not bus an eligible nonpublic school student, it pays the parent aid in lieu of transportation: $1,177 for 2026-27. |
| Help paying | Aid in lieu of transportation, and tax-free state treatment of 529 withdrawals for K-12 tuition. |
| Coming up | There is no state application. Ask each school about its own financial aid deadlines. Transportation applications after March 15 are late. |
| Federal tax credit, 2027 | New Jersey was not on the IRS opt-in list for the federal scholarship tax credit as of September 14, 2026. |
Worth knowing: Bills introduced in 2026 (S4121, A4777) would require New Jersey to opt into the federal credit. Neither has passed.
We read this on from: NJ Division of Taxation, gross income tax and 529 K-12 tuition; NJ Department of Education, nonpublic school transportation; IRS, participating states for 2027 (as of September 14, 2026); NJ Department of Education, nonpublic schools. Rules change when the legislature meets, so check the official program site before you count on a number.
Private schools in New Jersey
We list 765 private schools in New Jersey, with grades, size and affiliation, by city and county.
Browse private schools in New Jersey
- Private schools in Lakewood (107 nearby)
- Private schools in Paterson (76 nearby)
- Private schools in Montclair (74 nearby)
- Private schools in Bloomfield (70 nearby)
- Private schools in Fair Lawn (69 nearby)
- Private schools in Clifton (67 nearby)
- Private schools in Paramus (65 nearby)
- Private schools in Passaic (64 nearby)
- Private schools in River Edge (64 nearby)
- Private schools in Verona (64 nearby)
- Private schools in New Milford (61 nearby)
- Private schools in Westfield (61 nearby)
- Private schools in Cranford (58 nearby)
- Private schools in Ridgewood (58 nearby)
- Private schools in Summit (57 nearby)
- Private schools in West Orange (57 nearby)
- Private schools in East Orange (56 nearby)
- Private schools in Scotch Plains (55 nearby)
Questions parents ask
Does New Jersey have school vouchers or an ESA?
No state program pays private school tuition.
What can families in New Jersey use instead?
No New Jersey program pays private school tuition, and the state has no tuition tax credit or deduction. When a district does not bus an eligible nonpublic school student, it pays the parent aid in lieu of transportation: $1,177 for 2026-27.
Will the federal scholarship tax credit help in New Jersey?
New Jersey was not on the IRS opt-in list for the federal scholarship tax credit as of September 14, 2026.
Other states
- Texas: TEFA
- Arkansas: EFA
- Oklahoma: PCTC
- Tennessee: EFS
- Missouri: MOScholars
- Florida: FES / FTC
- Arizona: ESA
- Iowa: Students First ESA
- Utah: UFA
- West Virginia: Hope
- North Carolina: Opportunity Scholarship
- Indiana: Choice Scholarship
- Ohio: EdChoice
- Alabama: CHOOSE Act
- Louisiana: LA GATOR
- Georgia: Promise Scholarship
- South Carolina: ESTF
- New Hampshire: EFA
- Idaho: PCTC
- Wisconsin: WI Choice
- Maryland: BOOST
- Nevada: Opportunity Scholarship
- Wyoming: Steamboat Legacy ESA
- Kansas: TCLISS
- Montana: SSO tax credit
- South Dakota: Partners in Education
- Rhode Island: RI scholarship tax credit
- Mississippi: ESA
- Maine: Town tuitioning
- Vermont: Town tuitioning
- District of Columbia: OSP
- California: no state program
- Pennsylvania: EITC / OSTC
- New York: no state program
- Illinois: no state program
- Virginia: EISTC
- Michigan: no state program
- Washington: no state program
- Massachusetts: no state program
- Minnesota: no state program
- Oregon: no state program
- Colorado: no state program
- Kentucky: no state program
- Connecticut: no state program
- Nebraska: no state program
- New Mexico: no state program
- Hawaii: no state program
- Delaware: no state program
- North Dakota: no state program
- Alaska: no state program