Hope Scholarship Parent Handbook: Your Step-by-Step Guide for 2026-27

The Hope Scholarship Parent Handbook runs 40-plus pages of administrative language, statutory references, and cross-linked forms. If you've opened it and closed it three times already, you're not alone — most parents hit the same wall somewhere between "Exemption M" and "Continued Participation Confirmation."

Here's the handbook distilled into the actual sequence of steps you need to follow, with the deadlines and gotchas that trip people up.

Step 1: Get Your Child's WVEIS ID

Every West Virginia student needs a WVEIS (West Virginia Education Information System) number before you can even start the Hope application. If your child attended public school, they already have one — check old report cards or call the school office.

If your child has never been in the public system (lifelong homeschooler, private school, or kindergarten entry), you need to request the WVEIS ID from your local county board of education. Contact the county superintendent's office directly — email works, but follow up by phone if you don't hear back within a week. Some rural counties take two to three weeks to process these requests, so start this before you do anything else.

Step 2: Create Your Portal Account and Apply

Go to hopescholarshipwv.com and create an Account Holder profile. You'll need:

• Your child's official state or county birth certificate (hospital certificates are rejected)
• Proof of West Virginia residency dated within 60 days (utility bill, lease, or mortgage document)
• Your child's WVEIS number
• Court documentation if you hold legal guardianship rather than biological custody

Submit one application per child. If you have multiple children, you'll create separate student sub-accounts under one Account Holder profile — each child gets their own funding balance.

The timing of your application determines how much funding you receive. Apply between March 2 and June 15 for the full $5,435.62 award. Applications from June 16 through September 15 receive 75%, those from September 16 through November 30 receive 50%, and those from December 1 through February 28 receive 25%. That's a difference of over $1,350 per tier you drop.

Step 3: File the Hope Notice of Intent

This is where the handbook gets confusing, and where parents make the most consequential mistakes.

Hope Scholarship families do not file the traditional homeschool Notice of Intent (Exemption C). You file the Hope Scholarship Notice of Intent Form (Version 5), which satisfies the compulsory attendance requirement under W. Va. Code §18-8-1(m). This dual-purpose form notifies both the Hope Scholarship Board and your county superintendent in one filing.

If your child was previously homeschooled under Exemption C, you stop filing that notice and switch to the Hope NOI. Filing both creates confusion in county records — file only the Hope version.

Your application can stall at "Eligible" status (rather than advancing to "Approved") if the county board hasn't confirmed receipt of your NOI. If you see "Eligible," contact your county superintendent's office to confirm they have the form on file.

Step 4: Navigate TheoPay and Your First Purchases

Once approved, your funding appears in the portal. Full-award applicants receive two deposits: 50% on August 15 and 50% on January 15. Later-window awards follow a different schedule: 75% awards are disbursed in October and January, 50% awards on January 15, and 25% awards in the spring. You spend through TheoPay, the integrated marketplace — you don't get a check or a debit card.

For curriculum and supplies, browse TheoPay's marketplace, add items to your cart, and check out. The system flags non-qualifying items at checkout. If something gets rejected, you can upload supporting documentation (a course syllabus or therapist recommendation letter) and request manual review.

For private school tuition, tutoring, or therapy, you'll use Direct Pay — the provider invoices through the portal, you approve the payment, and funds transfer directly from your child's account.

Key rules to know before you shop: technology purchases (one primary computer or tablet and one printer) are limited to once every two calendar years per student. You cannot pay immediate family members for tutoring or instruction. Check current Board guidance for the rules on qualifying art and other supplies.

Step 5: Complete the Annual Assessment and Renew

Every Hope student must complete an academic assessment by June 30 each year. You have two options: a nationally normed standardized test (scoring at or above the 23rd percentile in reading, language, math, science, and social studies) or a portfolio evaluation by a certified West Virginia teacher.

To keep your scholarship active for the following year, submit a Continued Participation Confirmation (CPC) through the portal by June 15. You don't need to resubmit birth certificates or residency documents unless your situation changed, but you do need to certify ongoing residency. Submit assessment results separately by June 30.

Miss the June 15 CPC deadline and your account deactivates. You'd lose your 100% funding tier for the next year.

The annual cycle includes the Hope Notice of Intent, CPC by June 15, and assessment results by June 30; requesting a WVEIS ID and submitting the initial application are enrollment steps. The West Virginia Hope Scholarship Parent Guide walks through each step with decision trees, document checklists, and a compliance calendar so nothing falls through the cracks.

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