Does South Carolina have an ESA, voucher, or school-choice program?

South Carolina has 3 school-choice program(s): Education Savings Account (ESA) (Active, $7,500 per student); Tax-Credit Scholarship (Active, $2,000-$5,000 per student); Refundable Tax Credit (Active, $2,000-$5,000 per student).

How much is charter school per-pupil funding in South Carolina?

Charter per-pupil funding in South Carolina runs about $7,500-$9,500, allocated using Average Daily Membership (ADM).

School Funding in South Carolina

How charter per-pupil funding and school-choice programs (ESA, vouchers, tax-credit scholarships) work for schools in South Carolina, with the current per-student amounts and program status.

Funding data verified as of 2026-06-30

Charter school per-pupil funding

$7,500-$9,500

estimated per-pupil, per year

Allocation method: Average Daily Membership (ADM).

Your state funds charter schools based on Average Daily Membership (ADM). Funding counts every enrolled student each day, regardless of whether they attend. This is generally more favorable for innovative school models, and it gives you more predictability in your revenue planning. - SchoolStack Team

EFA base student cost + weighted pupil units

School-choice programs (ESA, vouchers & tax-credit scholarships)

Education Savings Account (ESA)

Active

$7,500

per student, per year

Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) - re-enacted in 2025 (Act 11 / S.62) after the Sept 2024 SC Supreme Court ruling barred private-tuition use; $7,500/student. Not yet universal: eligibility 300% FPL for 2025-26, rising to 500% FPL (2026-27), then no income limit from 2027-28. Demand is high - the program hit its ~10,000-student statutory cap for 2025-26, so availability is not guaranteed even to eligible families.

Tax-Credit Scholarship

Active

$2,000-$5,000

per student, per year

Refundable Tax Credit

Active

$2,000-$5,000

per student, per year

Educational Credit for Exceptional Needs Children (ECENC)

Private schools: federal services & the South Carolina ombudsman

Private and faith-based schools in South Carolina can't take federal Title money as cash, but their students and teachers are entitled to a fair share of the services it funds - tutoring, teacher training, technology, and English-learner support - delivered by the local public school district at no cost to the school. If a district won't cooperate, South Carolina's equitable-services ombudsman is the referee who enforces it.

South Carolina equitable-services ombudsman: Official South Carolina ombudsman page · tgregory@ed.sc.gov

Names and contacts change, so the official page always carries the current person. Read the step-by-step guide to claiming equitable services - it includes a copy-paste email to send your district.

School meal programs in South Carolina (real revenue)

Nonprofit private schools in South Carolina can join the federal National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs and get paid a cash reimbursement for every qualifying meal - a revenue line, not an in-kind service. You apply to your state child-nutrition agency, not your district.

South Carolina Department of Education - Office of Health and Nutrition: Official South Carolina school-meals page · 803-734-0518

New to this? Read the step-by-step meal-programs guide - how to apply, get reimbursed, and budget for it.

Build a budget around South Carolina's funding

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Sources: state education-agency program pages, EdChoice, NCSL K-12 funding tracker, and the Institute for Justice educational-choice litigation tracker. Figures are estimates for planning and change frequently - verify current amounts with your state agency before relying on them.