New Hampshire Education Freedom Account: The Complete 2025 Guide

New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account program became universal in 2025 — which means any NH family can now apply, regardless of income. That is a significant change from how the program worked before, and it has created a surge of interest from families who had never considered it.

But EFA money does not come without trade-offs. Before you file a single form, you need to understand exactly what you are signing up for, what you are giving up, and how the program interacts with traditional homeschooling.

What Is the NH Education Freedom Account Program?

The Education Freedom Account program, established under RSA 194-F, is New Hampshire's school choice savings account program. It allows families to redirect a portion of the state education funding that would otherwise go to their local public school and use it instead for approved private education expenses.

The program is administered by a nonprofit scholarship organization — currently Children's Scholarship Fund NH — and funds are distributed through the ClassWallet digital marketplace.

In the 2024-2025 school year, 5,321 students were enrolled in the EFA program, representing a 14% increase from the prior year. That number will grow substantially now that income limits have been removed.

The 2025 Universal Expansion (SB 295)

Before 2025, the EFA program was income-limited to families at or below 350% of the federal poverty level. Senate Bill 295 eliminated that cap, making the program available to any NH family with a school-age child.

The expansion also introduced an initial enrollment cap of 10,000 students with an automatic growth escalator built in, meaning the cap increases over time as enrollment grows.

The practical effect has already been visible in the demographic data. Post-expansion, the share of enrolled students who qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch dropped from approximately 37% to 15%, indicating that higher-income families flooded in when the income restriction was lifted.

How Much Money Does the EFA Provide?

The base amount is the state's adequacy aid figure, which is currently approximately $4,266 per student per year. But many students receive more than the base because of differentiated aid add-ons:

• Students who qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch receive additional funding
• Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or special education designations receive additional funding
• English Language Learner students receive additional funding

When you average across all enrolled students including differentiated aid, the figure comes out to approximately $5,204 per student per year.

That is not a full private school tuition replacement in most cases, but it is meaningful money — enough to cover a significant tutoring bill, curriculum costs, or contribute substantially toward a private school placement.

What Can You Spend EFA Funds On?

Approved expenses under RSA 194-F include:

• Tuition and fees at approved private schools
• Online academies and virtual learning programs
• Individual tutoring from a certified or qualified tutor
• Educational therapies (including speech therapy, occupational therapy)
• Curriculum and textbooks
• Computer hardware required for educational use
• Standardized testing fees
• Contributions to 529 college savings accounts

The funds flow through ClassWallet, which functions as a digital marketplace where parents can find and pay approved vendors directly. Not every vendor is automatically eligible — the vendor must be registered in the ClassWallet system.

If you are primarily interested in using EFA funds for homeschool curriculum purchases, read the section below on EFA versus traditional homeschool carefully, because the interaction between these two programs is not what most people assume.

The ClassWallet Question

ClassWallet is a Florida-based financial technology platform that manages the fund disbursement. It has drawn scrutiny in New Hampshire and other states for two reasons: parent complaints about the purchasing interface and data handling, and concerns raised by advocacy groups about the company's ownership structure and foreign venture capital backing.

From a practical standpoint, most families find ClassWallet functional once they understand how it works. You submit a purchase request, upload documentation, and the platform approves or denies reimbursement based on whether the expense qualifies. Direct payment to vendors is also available for registered vendors.

The friction point is that not all homeschool vendors are registered in the system, which means families sometimes discover after joining the EFA program that their preferred curriculum provider cannot accept ClassWallet payments directly.

RSA 194-F: The Legal Foundation

RSA 194-F is the statute that created and governs the Education Freedom Account program. Key elements of the law include the eligibility requirements, the list of approved uses, the accountability provisions, and the legal status of EFA students.

One provision that surprises many families: EFA students are not classified as public school students. This matters because public school student status is what triggers the right to participate in public school extracurricular activities and sports under RSA 193:1-c. EFA students formally forfeit that access.

If your child plays a sport through the local school district — or you were counting on public school access for electives, band, or athletics — the EFA program removes that option. This is one of the most significant trade-offs in the program and is covered in detail in the comparison section below.

Who Administers the EFA Program?

Children's Scholarship Fund NH (CSFNH) is the scholarship organization designated by the state to administer the EFA program. Families apply directly through CSFNH, which reviews eligibility, issues fund approvals, and coordinates with ClassWallet on disbursements.

The application opens each spring for the following school year. Mid-year applications are available in some circumstances but are subject to available funding.

If you are leaving a public school to join the EFA program, the withdrawal process has its own requirements separate from the EFA application itself. The New Hampshire Legal Withdrawal Blueprint at /us/new-hampshire/withdrawal/ covers the withdrawal letter, timing rules, and documentation requirements so you complete both correctly.

Is the NH EFA Program Right for Your Family?

The EFA is a meaningful financial benefit — $4,266 to $5,204 per year per child is real money. But the program comes with constraints that make it the wrong choice for some families.

The EFA is likely a strong fit if you:

• Are enrolling your child in a private school and need help with tuition
• Are using an accredited online academy that is registered with ClassWallet
• Have a child with special needs who qualifies for differentiated aid and will benefit from approved therapies
• Do not need or want public school sports and activity access

The EFA may be the wrong fit if you:

• Want to homeschool under RSA 193-A with full curriculum freedom and no state oversight
• Have a child who participates in public school athletics or extracurriculars
• Prefer vendors and curriculum providers who are not in the ClassWallet system
• Value the simplicity of the traditional homeschool pathway over state funding

The most important thing to understand is that you cannot do both at the same time. A child enrolled as an RSA 193-A homeschooler and a child enrolled as an EFA participant are two different legal statuses. Choosing one means you are not on the other pathway. Switching requires formal termination of one program before entering the other.

That paperwork distinction matters more than most families realize at the time they apply.

Ready to make the move? The New Hampshire Legal Withdrawal Blueprint walks you through every step of the withdrawal and enrollment process so you do not get tripped up by the administrative requirements on either side of the transition.

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