NH EFA Award Amount: How Much Per Student in 2026-27

The Base Award for 2026-27

Every EFA student receives the state's per-pupil base adequacy aid. For FY2027 (the 2026-27 school year), that figure is $4,351 per student. The base rate increases by 2% annually under state law, with rounding up to the nearest whole dollar starting FY2027.

For reference, the base aid has climbed steadily:

• FY2024: $4,100
• FY2025: $4,182
• FY2026: $4,266
• FY2027: $4,351

This is the floor. Many families receive more through differentiated aid.

Differentiated Aid: The Stacking Categories

Three categories of additional funding stack on top of the base grant. A student can qualify for more than one.

Free and Reduced-Price Meal (FRPM) eligibility: +$2,441. Your household income must be at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level, or the student must be directly certified through TANF or SNAP. You don't need to be participating in a school lunch program — the income threshold is what matters.

Special Education (SPED): +$2,229. Requires either an IEP from a public school district or a medical diagnosis under 34 CFR 300.8, documented on CSF NH's Medical Certification Form and signed by a licensed physician.

English Language Learner (ELL): +$849. Requires documentation that the student is actively receiving English language instruction.

A student who qualifies for all three categories could receive $4,351 + $2,441 + $2,229 + $849 = $9,870 in a single year. The statewide average award, accounting for the mix of base-only and differentiated-aid students, runs between $4,800 and $5,200.

When the Money Arrives

EFA funds are deposited into your child's ClassWallet digital account in four tranches across the school year:

• September: 20% of the annual grant
• November: 20%
• January: 30%
• April: 30%

The back-loaded schedule means the largest deposits come in the second half of the year. Families planning a major purchase — private school tuition for a spring semester, or a set of standardized curriculum materials — should plan around the January and April deposits.

Prorated Awards for Late Applicants

If your application is verified after July 15, you receive a prorated share based on how many quarterly payments remain. An application verified in October, for example, would miss the September tranche and receive only three of the four payments.

This is why the playbook advice is consistent: submit your application during the spring window with all documents attached, and aim for verification before July 15.

What Happens to Unused Funds

Money left in your child's ClassWallet account at the end of the school year rolls forward into the next year automatically. Families can accumulate funds for larger future expenses — upper-level curriculum packages, private school tuition, or high school testing fees.

But if your child leaves the program (graduates, moves out of state, returns to public school, or withdraws), the remaining balance reverts to the state Education Trust Fund. You can't cash it out, and you can't transfer it to a sibling's account.

One restriction to note: you cannot deposit your own money into the ClassWallet account. Out-of-pocket co-payments for items that cost more than your EFA balance must go directly to the vendor, not through ClassWallet.

The New Hampshire EFA Parent Guide includes a quarterly budget planner that maps disbursement dates against typical expense categories so you can allocate funds before each tranche arrives.

See more New Hampshire guides →