How to Leave the NH EFA and Return to Homeschooling

Leaving Is Simpler Than Joining

The EFA enrollment process involves documentation uploads, verification periods, and priority tier evaluations. Leaving takes two steps: a withdrawal form to CSF NH and a notice of intent to your participating agency if you're returning to RSA 193-A homeschooling.

You can leave mid-year by submitting the withdrawal form to CSF NH.

Step 1: Submit the EFA Student Withdrawal Form

Contact CSF NH at [email protected] to request and submit the official EFA Student Withdrawal Form. This form notifies CSF NH that your child is exiting the program.

Once processed:

• Your child's ClassWallet account is deactivated
• All remaining funds — including any rolled-over balances from prior years — revert to the state Education Trust Fund
• You cannot transfer remaining funds to a sibling's EFA account or withdraw them as cash

The fund reversion is immediate and complete. If you're considering leaving, spend down any legitimate educational expenses first. Once the account is closed, the money is gone.

Step 2: File a New RSA 193-A Notice of Intent

If you're returning to independent homeschooling, you need to file a new Notice of Intent to Home Educate under RSA 193-A within 14 days of beginning home instruction. Your original notice from before the EFA was terminated when you joined the program — it doesn't reactivate automatically.

You choose your participating agency: the local school district superintendent, a participating private school, or the New Hampshire Department of Education (NHED). It doesn't have to be the same entity you filed with before the EFA.

The RSA 193-A notice includes:

• Parent/guardian name and contact information
• Student name and date of birth
• A statement of intent to provide home instruction
• The participating agency you're designating for oversight

Once filed, you're back under RSA 193-A rules: full curriculum autonomy, no ClassWallet restrictions, no vendor approval requirements, and your annual evaluation stays at home (portfolio review or standardized test, submitted to or kept for your participating agency — not uploaded to a state portal).

What You Gain and Lose by Leaving

You gain back:

• Complete curriculum freedom with no approved-vendor restrictions
• Privacy — under RSA 193-A, families keep a portfolio and arrange an evaluation or test under that program
• The ability to pay yourself for instruction (not that you were paid under EFA, where it was prohibited)
• Freedom from ClassWallet receipt requirements and CSF NH compliance audits

You lose:

• State funding ($4,351+ per year)
• Differentiated aid for special education, FRPM, or ELL status
• Priority Tier 1 renewal status (if you reapply later, you enter as a new applicant)
• Any accumulated ClassWallet balance

Can You Rejoin the EFA Later?

Yes. There's no permanent ban on families who leave. You'd apply as a new applicant through the standard CSF NH portal, going through the full documentation and verification process again.

The catch: you lose Priority Tier 1 (renewing student) status. You'd be placed in whatever tier you qualify for — siblings, special needs, income-qualified, or the general pool. If the enrollment cap is tight, re-entry isn't guaranteed.

Any funds that reverted when you left are gone permanently. Your new account starts fresh with no rollover balance.

When Leaving Makes Sense

Most families who leave the EFA do so for one of three reasons:

The autonomy trade-off no longer works. The ClassWallet approval process, vendor restrictions, and annual assessment submissions feel like too much oversight relative to the funding received — especially for families whose educational expenses are modest.

Legislative uncertainty. If pending bills (like HB 1521 or HB 1490) change the program's terms in ways a family finds unacceptable, leaving restores full RSA 193-A independence immediately.

The child's situation changed. A high schooler approaching graduation, a family moving out of state, or a child returning to public school — all valid exit scenarios where the EFA is no longer relevant.

For exit checklists, re-entry timelines, and a side-by-side comparison of what changes when you switch back to RSA 193-A, see the New Hampshire EFA Parent Guide.

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