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School choice refers to policies that give families access to public education funding to attend a school outside their assigned district. The main mechanisms are Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), school vouchers, and tax-credit scholarships. Each works differently, but the outcome is the same: families receive state funds to pay tuition at an accredited private school, online program, or other approved provider. As of 2026, 18 states listed on this page have active programs, and more are expanding eligibility every year.

An ESA is a state-funded account that deposits public education dollars directly to families. Parents spend those funds on approved educational expenses including private school tuition, online learning programs, tutoring, curriculum materials, and standardized testing fees. Unlike vouchers, ESAs give families flexibility to allocate funds across multiple categories. States like Arizona, Florida, Utah, Iowa, and West Virginia operate ESA programs with universal eligibility, meaning all K-12 students qualify regardless of income.

An ESA deposits funds into a parent-controlled account that can be spent on multiple types of approved education expenses. A voucher pays private school tuition directly, typically covering a fixed amount per student. A tax-credit scholarship uses tax credits to fund donations to nonprofit scholarship organizations, which then award scholarships to eligible students. All three can be used at accredited private schools including online programs. The specific program type available depends on your state.

As of 2026, the 18 states listed on this page have active programs that can fund private school tuition. ESA programs operate in Arizona, Florida, Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Voucher programs operate in Indiana, Louisiana, and North Carolina. Tax-credit scholarship programs operate in Alabama, Georgia, Montana, and South Carolina. Several of these states offer universal eligibility, meaning all K-12 families qualify regardless of income.

Yes. Most state ESA and voucher programs explicitly include accredited online learning programs as an approved use of funds. The school must hold recognized accreditation, typically Cognia or equivalent, to qualify as an approved provider. Score Academy Online is a Cognia-accredited, NCAA-approved online private school for grades K-12. It is an approved provider in Arizona, Alabama, and New Hampshire, a participating school for the West Virginia Hope Scholarship, and an approved TEFA vendor for Asynchronous courses in Texas.

The process varies by state, but the general steps are: confirm your eligibility through your state's program requirements, gather required documents (proof of residency, student birth certificate, and in some cases income verification), submit an application through your state's ESA or scholarship administrator, and designate your chosen accredited school. Most programs open applications in spring for the following school year, though some states like Arizona accept applications year-round.

Eligible expenses typically include private school tuition and fees, accredited online learning programs, tutoring services, curriculum and textbooks, standardized testing fees, and in some states, educational therapy services for students with special needs. Specifics vary by state. Most ESA programs distribute funds quarterly, and unused balances roll forward to the following year. Families are required to keep receipts and documentation for all ESA purchases.

Yes. Score Academy Online works with state funding in five states: Arizona (Empowerment Scholarship Account), Alabama (CHOOSE Act), New Hampshire (Education Freedom Account), West Virginia (Hope Scholarship), and Texas (Texas Education Freedom Accounts, for Asynchronous courses). Families in those states can apply their state funding directly to Score Academy Online tuition. Read the complete guides for Arizona ESA, Alabama CHOOSE Act, New Hampshire EFA, West Virginia Hope Scholarship, and Texas TEFA for full funding amounts, eligibility, and step-by-step enrollment instructions. Score Academy Online is pursuing approval in other active ESA states. Contact the admissions team to confirm current availability in your state.

TEFA is the Texas education savings account program, created by Senate Bill 2 in 2025 and launched for the 2026-27 school year with $1 billion in funding. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts oversees it, and Odyssey runs the accounts and the marketplace. For 2026-27, a student at a participating Texas private school receives $10,474, a private school student with an IEP on file can receive up to $30,000, and homeschool and other students receive $2,000. Any Texas child who is a U.S. citizen or lawfully present and eligible to attend a Texas public school can apply, with no income limit, and awards follow priority tiers when applications exceed funding. Score Academy Online is an approved TEFA vendor for its Asynchronous courses. Read our Texas TEFA guide for details.

Step Up For Students is the nonprofit organization that administers Florida's Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) and Florida Tax Credit (FTC) scholarship programs. Eligible Florida families receive up to $8,800 per student annually for tuition at an approved private school. The program has universal eligibility. Students apply through Step Up For Students directly.