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Students can attend their assigned neighborhood public school or choose another public school through open enrollment if space allows.
Public charter schools are free public schools that have more flexibility to create unique learning environments while still being held to strong academic standards.
Private schools give families the freedom to choose a learning environment that aligns with their values and their child’s needs, and many offer scholarships to help make it affordable.
Magnet schools are public schools with specialized themes—like STEM, arts, or world languages—that students can choose to attend based on their interests and learning style.
Families can educate their children at home through one of three homeschooling options recognized in South Carolina law, or instead use the ESTF program to support their home learning.
Microschools and hybrid learning offer small, flexible learning communities where families can blend home-based, in-person, and online learning to create a personalized education experience.
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We’re proud to say South Carolina has several K-12 financial support options to meet the needs of students and families.
ESA
$7,600+ Annually | For K-12 students from moderate- to low-income families
The Education Scholarship Trust Fund is a new scholarship of $7,600+ for South Carolina’s K-12 students from low to moderate income families, administered by the SC Department of Education. It allows parents or guardians of eligible and approved K-12 students to use an online portal to electronically transfer funds from a student’s digital account to an approved education service provider (often a private school). Through the South Carolina ESA program, known as ESTF (Education Scholarship Trust Fund), parents are empowered to customize an education experience that meets the individual needs of their child, using their online wallet to pay for approved services like tuition, therapy, tutoring, textbooks, and more. There are a minimum of 15,000 scholarships available each school year starting in 2026-27.
Tax Credit Scholarship
Average Scholarship: $2,400 | For students with disabilities attending non-public schools
The program allows individuals, partnerships, and corporations to claim a 100% tax credit for contributions to a scholarship fund that benefits K–12 students with exceptional needs enrolled in approved independent schools. Eligible students must be residents of South Carolina and must either be designated by their school district as needing special education or be diagnosed within the past three years by a qualified professional with a condition that significantly impedes learning. Qualified expenses include tuition, fees, textbooks, and transportation, and the maximum scholarship is the lesser of $11,000 or the total cost of tuition and qualifying expenses. The statewide tax-credit cap for contributions is set at $12 million annually. Students cannot use both ESTF and Exceptional SC.
Refundable Tax Credit
Up to $11,000; Average Credit: $8,500 | For students with disabilities attending non-public schools
South Carolina’s Refundable Educational Credit for Exceptional Needs Children program offers parents of students with special needs a refundable tax credit for approved educational expenses at eligible independent schools. Students must be identified by their district or a licensed professional as having an impairment that significantly affects learning. The credit covers tuition, fees, textbooks, and transportation, up to $11,000 per student or the actual cost of attendance, whichever is less. If the credit exceeds taxes owed, the remaining amount is refunded to the family. There are a limited number of these credits available statewide. This tax credit cannot be stacked with ESTF; parents must pick one or the other.
Applying for ESTF!
If you’re interested in South Carolina’s ESA – the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) – you’ve come to the right place! Here’s what you need to know:
Primary Eligibility Factors:
The following groups have application priority for ESTF:
| Persons in Household | Household Income, 300% FPL | Household Income, 500% FPL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $46,950 | $78,250 |
| 2 | $63,450 | $105,750 |
| 3 | $79,950 | $133,250 |
| 4 | $96,450 | $160,750 |
| 5 | $112,950 | $188,250 |
| 6 | $129,450 | $215,750 |
| 7 | $145,950 | $243,250 |
| 8 | $162,450 | $270,750 |
2026-27 Applications are underway!
All scholarships for the 2025-26 school year have been awarded, but applications for 2026-27 are being accepted now. Spots are limited, so make sure you apply as soon as your application window opens!
To complete the application, you’ll need one of each of the following types of documents:
If you feel your current income situation is not reflected by your 2024 or 2025 tax returns, you can submit supporting documentation to petition for a change in circumstances waiver (eg. a divorce decree, prison sentence for a parent, unemployment paperwork, etc.)
Watch this video for more information on application documents.
Using your ESTF!
State law gives parents a specific list of qualifying expenses that the Education Scholarship Trust Fund can be spent on (our notes specified in italics):
Once you are approved for the ESTF program, you can set up an account on ClassWallet, the digital portal you will use to access your ESTF funds. Your scholarship will be loaded into each child’s account in four equal disbursements over the year, disbursed on July 31, September 30, December 31, and February 28.
To spend your scholarship, you must upload an invoice from an approved education service provider. Then, funds will be paid directly from your ClassWallet account to that provider. There are a few marketplace vendors in ClassWallet where you can shop for school supplies and other materials online and use ESTF as your payment method at checkout.
Important: ESTF is not a reimbursement program; all funds must be paid from your ClassWallet account to approved education service providers.
Once in the ESTF program, the child will remain in the program provided all the requirements continue to be met, and parents submit a renewal application every year until the student graduates from high school. Parents must annually submit documentation showing they live in South Carolina and still meet the program’s income limits (500% FPL). Additionally, at the end of each school year, ESTF students must submit standardized testing results to the Department of Education to continue with the program. Scholarship funds roll over year to year as long as the student remains a part of ESTF.
Yes. Students in the program must…
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An ESA, or Education Scholarship Account, is a type of school choice program that allows parents or guardians of eligible and approved K-12 students to use a portal (website) to electronically transfer funds from a digital account set up for that parent to an approved education service provider (often a private school).
Through the South Carolina ESA program, known as ESTF (Education Scholarship Trust Fund), parents are empowered to customize an education experience that meets the individual needs of their child, using their online account to pay for approved services like tuition, therapy, tutoring, textbooks, and more.
Already working successfully in other states, ESAs are a powerful, proven innovation that creates an additional pathway for South Carolina students to have an education that equips them to reach their full education potential. Note: Some states use debit cards to pay providers, and other states reimburse parents for allowable expenses. South Carolina uses an online portal and not debit cards or reimbursement mechanisms. ESTF funds can only be used when paid directly from the online account to an approved vendor.
No. While there is a natural learning curve for everyone using something new, parents of all income levels routinely navigate financial decisions like housing costs, car loans, healthcare expenses, and more. Consumer data shows that millennial parents, across all demographics, are well-versed in the use of online banking and similar products.
Parents of all income levels in other states have proven it possible, and ESAs are empowering South Carolina parents with the same options as their counterparts around the country. The vendor selected by the South Carolina Department of Education, ClassWallet has navigators available to assist by phone or email, and SCDE partners with Outbridge to offer individualized counseling for parents on how to use their scholarship funds. Palmetto NavigateEd is here to support South Carolina parents in their ESTF journey too!
As laid out in state law, parents of students receiving ESTF must agree to the following list of requirements (included in the parents’ affidavit signed when funds are accepted):
(a) to provide, at a minimum, a program of academic instruction for the eligible student in at least the subjects of English/language arts to include writing, mathematics, social studies, and science;
(b) to ensure the scholarship student takes assessments as referenced in Section 59-8-150 or provides assessments in a similar manner through other means if the scholarship student does not receive full-time instruction from an education service provider;
(c) to use the scholarship for qualifying expenses only for an approved provider to educate the scholarship student, subject to penalty;
(d) not to enroll their scholarship student in a public school as a full-time student in the resident school, as defined in this chapter;
(e) not to participate in a home instruction program under Section 59-65-40, 59-65-45, or 59-65-47 [homeschooling options 1, 2, and 3 respectively].
For the 2025-26 school year, the scholarship value is $7,634. The scholarship value increases slightly every year, in an amount based on South Carolina’s annual education budget.
The scholarship is not taxable. State law says that “[f]unds received pursuant to this section do not constitute taxable income to the parent of the scholarship student or to the student.”
Great question. There are a lot of different websites you will reference when it comes to the ESTF program. Here is a breakdown of them all:
There are a few ways parents can see the list of approved education service providers. Parents in the program can log into their ClassWallet accounts to access the list of providers there. Outbridge has a great list and map of providers on their website. And you can download the provider spreadsheet from the SC Department of Education here. But that list is always growing and providers can join the program at any point in the school year. Parents like you are the best way to help us recruit new therapists, schools, tutors, and more to the program–help us get the word out!
Parents who educate their child with the ESTF scholarship have to agree to provide their child a standardized test at the end of the school year and turn it in to the SC Department of Education, so they can use it to track program progress and success.
All students 3rd – 12th grades must take an approved standardized test and turn it in to the SC Department of Education. Special needs students must turn in alternative proof of academic progress (eg. a portfolio with some sample work, a report card, etc). Students in kindergarten through 2nd grade can test, but alternatively they are able to turn in portfolio work similar to what special needs students submit.
If a student attends a school with ESTF where they are receiving full-time instruction, it is the school’s responsibility to make sure these tests are given to students. Otherwise, the parent must ensure that their student is tested. Either parents or school administrators are able to submit those tests at the end of the school year; you’ll just need to plan with your child’s school to figure out who will be submitting it.
Approved standardized tests include the following formative assessments (given 3 times over the course of the school year):
Approved summative assessments (given once at the end of the school year) include:
The SC Department of Education is open to adding other tests to that approved list. Reach out to the ESTF team if you are interested in getting another type of test approved.
There are several options for students who are not at a school that offers approved testing. The easiest option is to enroll your child for an online offering of one of the approved tests. You can use your ESTF funds to pay a test vendor that is registered with the ESTF program, or you can pay out of pocket for a test with a different provider. Alternatively, if there is a nearby private, charter, or public school that offers an approved test, you are able to request that your child take the standardized test there. If that school is registered to receive ESTF payments, you can pay the testing fee from your ESTF funds directly to the school; just get an invoice from them for testing fees and submit that to ClassWallet.
The entry of ESAs onto the South Carolina educational landscape will not affect the rights of parents and students using the existing three options for homeschooling in any way. Homeschoolers using all three accountability methods will have the same freedoms and be unaffected by the ESA program.
The ESTF law specifically prohibits participation in homeschool options 1, 2, and 3 while using ESTF funds. This prohibition was enacted at the request of homeschool families and organizations that specifically asked to be left out of the program. Accordingly, parents who enroll their children to receive ESTF scholarships must agree “not to participate in a home instruction program under Section 59-65-40, 59-65-45, or 59-65-47.” Those South Carolina code sections refer to South Carolina’s homeschooling accountability options 1, 2, and 3 respectively.
However, the Education Scholarship Trust Fund law DOES create a new choice for ESTF parents to educate at home, outside the three homeschooling options in Title 59 Chapter 65 of SC law. The key phrase that allows parents the choice to educate at home resides in SC Code 59-8-115(I), which reads: “A parent’s signed agreement under subsection (E)(4) satisfies the state’s compulsory attendance law pursuant to Section 59-65-10.” This means that ESTF recipients are legally allowed to educate their children at home, provided they do not participate in the three traditional homeschool options.
Curriculum, online schools, instructional materials, and individual contracted classes are all qualifying ESTF expenses, so a parent could choose to customize an educational program for their child conducted primarily at home using ESTF, so long as they are not registered as an option 1, 2, or 3 homeschooler.
Learn more about educating at home with ESTF here.
No and yes. Co-ops and resource centers that require all students to be registered under homeschool options 1, 2, or 3 would not be compatible with ESTF, as state law prohibits ESTF students from being registered under one of those options.
However, if a co-op or resource center wants to offer tutoring services or contracted individual classes to ESTF students without making them register as an option 1, 2, or 3 homeschooler, they are welcome to do that. A homeschool co-op can be registered as an education service provider with ESTF as a tutor or as an “individual class provider.” These classes and offerings can be utilized by families who are creating a customized, at-home education with the ESTF program outside of SC’s three homeschooling options.
The Education Scholarship Trust Fund is for kindergarten through 12th grade (not exceeding age 22) students residing in the state of South Carolina. The program is income limited to families whose household adjusted gross income (AGI) is at or below 500% of the federal poverty (FPL) guidelines as set by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Families whose household income is at or below 300% of the federal poverty line are given priority in the application process.
The following groups have application priority for ESTF:
Here is how those income numbers break down for the 2026-27 application cycle:
| Persons in Household | Household Income, 300% FPL | Household Income, 500% FPL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $46,950 | $78,250 |
| 2 | $63,450 | $105,750 |
| 3 | $79,950 | $133,250 |
| 4 | $96,450 | $160,750 |
| 5 | $112,950 | $188,250 |
| 6 | $129,450 | $215,750 |
| 7 | $145,950 | $243,250 |
| 8 | $162,450 | $270,750 |
For households over 8, add $16,140 for each additional person to calculate 300%. Add $27,500 for each additional person to calculate 500%. If a family is expecting a baby to be born in 2025, that baby can be counted as a household member for the purposes of determining income eligibility (medical documentation will need to be submitted with your application).
Not sure if you are eligible? Take our free easy quiz!
No. State law strictly prohibits a student from receiving both ESTF and ExceptionalSC or both ESTF and the refundable educational tax credit. These two financial aid options are two other ways that parents of special needs students can pay for educational services, but neither can stack with ESTF.
Unfortunately yes. The income limits are firm, and the Department of Education has no flexibility on those numbers.
However, the federal poverty line metric increases annually for inflation, so parents can expect a slight increase to the eligibility numbers in future years of the program. Make sure to check back annually for the new eligibility threshold, in case your household income becomes within the limits of the program.
If your income has changed and is lower than what is reflected on your 2024 tax return, you are able to submit an appeal to the SC Department of Education over your application, as long as you are able to provide external documentation as proof of that change. Email us at info@scschoolchoice.com for help on your appeal!
There are no restrictions on what kind of school a student attends when applying for the scholarship, but there are limits on what kind of school a student can attend in the year they are using the ESTF scholarship. Students in the Education Scholarship Trust Fund program are prohibited from attending the public school that they are zoned for (but they can attend a public school that is not their zoned school). They are also prohibited from participating in a homeschool program via Options 1, 2, or 3. Parents must certify that their children will not be enrolled in any of these education options while in the ESTF program.
Students attending the following options are eligible to use ESTF:
No, if you already have a FACTS user account, you can sign into that previous account for your ESTF application. You will just need to log in through the ESTF-specific FACTS page (link available on January 15), rather than your school’s FACTS page. FACTS user accounts can be connected to multiple applications or products, so you can use your existing account for ESTF.
No, you can skip that requirement if you would like. But, if you ever forget your password, multi-factor authentication can be helpful to get back into your account!
You should give the Department of Education at least 2 weeks after you submit your application for it to be processed. By law, they have 30 days to make a decision on your application. You can log into your FACTS account to see if your supporting documents have been approved, rejected, or are still pending review. Often, they may reject a certain document or ask you to submit additional documentation.
If you would like to call FACTS for an update on your application status or if you just have questions about the application, you can reach their customer service at (866) 539-6359 Monday through Friday from 8 am – 8 pm ET or email FACTS info@factsmgt.com.
To complete the application, you’ll need one of each of the following types of documents:
Income calculations look at line 11 of your 1040. If you feel your current income situation is not reflected by your 2024 tax returns, you can submit supporting documentation to petition for a change in circumstances waiver (eg. a divorce decree, prison sentence for a parent, unemployment paperwork, etc.) Email us at info@scschoolchoice.com for help with your appeal!
Watch this video for more information on application documents.
Yes. You can submit your base application without that proof of income information and other supporting documents, but you must have income documentation uploaded to your application before it is officially considered to be “in line” for a scholarship. FACTS will not start processing your application until all your supporting documents are uploaded. Many applicants for the ESTF program have ended up rejected because of issues uploading income documentation in time, so make sure you submit everything that’s needed ASAP.
Once you submit the application, you will be taken to your application profile, which will show what documents are still needed. You will also receive an email listing each document required. This email will contain the link to get you right back into your application summary page to upload documents. Often, you may receive follow up emails asking for additional documentation–don’t worry, this is very normal. Be persistent and provide as much documentation as you can, and reach out to us if you need help.
For a walk-through of the application and what documents are accepted, watch this video.
You can upload it as a PDF file or an image taken with your phone/tablet, although PDF is preferred and will help your application be processed more quickly. Your application is considered submitted, but not complete, until all the required supporting documents are uploaded. You should get these supporting documents uploaded as soon as you can. Your application is not “in line” for a scholarship until your supporting documents are uploaded. Be careful, as the application will reject uploads that are too blurry (this is a particularly an issue with image files, which is part of why a PDF is better to submit).
It’s pretty easy to use your phone to scan documents to be PDFs if you don’t have a scanner at home! And your local library or private school are great places to ask for help scanning documents.
If you file taxes and are submitting your tax return as proof of income, the Department of Education should not need anything else for your application, as all the relevant income will be included in line 11 of your 1040.
If you do not file taxes, you must submit proof of where your income is coming from. That is when the Department of Education will ask you to report nontaxable income, including:
If asked, you will need documentation for these nontaxable forms of income. But if you submit your tax returns as proof of income, then you don’t have to worry about these nontaxable income sources.
Note that if you indicate that you did not file taxes in 2024, you will be required to provide other proof of your household income, like paystubs, proof of job loss, social security payments, unemployment paperwork, etc.
You should apply with the tax return that best represents your household income situation currently in 2025.
For example, maybe your household income level was above 300% of the federal poverty line in 2024, but in 2025, your income fell below the line. The ESTF application may ask for your 2024 tax returns, but you can submit your 2025 tax returns if you prefer. If, for some reason, your application is denied for financial reasons and you feel it was not justified, the Department has a financial appeals process where you can submit more documentation to prove that you really fall within the income limits of the program. Email us if you have any issues with this process.
The “applicant” on the ESTF application is the parent’s information and is linked to the information entered on your FACTS user account. Information about the student will be entered later in the application.
The Applicant and/or Co-Applicant (if applicable) will be the current legal guardian(s) of the student(s). This information is collected to match against documentation collected for eligibility confirmation (eg. birth certificate, tax returns…). If Mom fills out the application and she is the custodial parent and divorced, she would just list herself on the application without a co-applicant. If both Mom and Dad live in the household, they would both be on the application.
Yes, you can complete one application for multiple children using the same FACTS account. Under the “student” application in the portal, there is an option to “add student,” so you can list all children in your family in the application.
Students enrolled full time in their residential zoned public school are not eligible to use ESTF funds. Students using ESTF can be enrolled in another public school in their same school district or outside their school district. It just cannot be the school for which they are residentially zoned.
When it comes to public charter schools, a student using ESTF can be enrolled in a public charter school.
If you believe your application was denied because the income documentation submitted does not accurately represent your current income situation (eg. job loss or divorce since the last tax returns were filed, you can appeal your rejection and provide more documentation of your current income situation. Reach out to us at info@scschoolchoice.com if you need support in the appeal process.
There is also an appeals process for an education provider or school that has been denied. If you feel your application to be a provider was unjustly denied, reach out to our team at info@scschoolchoice.com, and we’ll see what we can do to help!
State law gives us a specific list of qualifying expenses that the Education Scholarship Trust Fund can be spent on (our notes specified in italics):
NOTE: ESTF is not a reimbursement program. There is no mechanism for ClassWallet to “pay you back” for money you spent before you received your first allotment of ESTF money or if you did not use ESTF money for a purchase. You may be able to return unused purchases and re-buy items with ESTF money using ClassWallet.
There are a few ways parents can see the list of approved education service providers. Parents in the program can log into their ClassWallet accounts to access the list of providers there. Outbridge has a great list and map of providers on their website. And you can download the provider spreadsheet from the SC Department of Education here. But that list is always growing and providers can join the program at any point in the school year. Parents like you are the best way to help us recruit new therapists, schools, tutors, and more to the program–help us get the word out!
The SC Department of Education/ClassWallet portal is open for providers to apply to be a part of the program on a rolling basis, so if you have a school, therapist, or other vendor you would like to pay with ESTF funds, ask them to register!
Each student approved for the ESTF scholarship will receive $7,634 total for the 2026-27 school year, distributed in four installments.
Funds are added to your ClassWallet account on or before the following dates: July 31, September 30, December 31, and February 28.
You’ll be able to use the funds directly through ClassWallet to pay for approved educational expenses. No reimbursements are allowed, so make sure to use the account for all purchases.
Once in the ESTF program, the child will remain in the program until high school graduation provided the parent submits a reapplication each year and provided all program requirements continue to be met (household income, SC residency, etc)..
Students in the program must…
Upon high school graduation, ESTF parents are asked to let the SC Department of Education know so that the scholarship can be passed along to someone else.
Yes. Students in the program must…
Technology orders are subject to limitations set by the SC Department of Education.
Every year:
Every two years:
“Computer” refers to laptops and desktop computers—you may not purchase both a laptop and desktop computer within a two-year interval. These limitations are subject to change at the state’s discretion. Check the ESTF Participant Guide for more details.
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