School Funding in West Virginia

Hope Scholarship - ~$5,300, expanding to all homeschoolers 2026

About $5,267 per student for 2025-26, rising to roughly $5,436 for 2026-27 (pegged to a percentage of the state's basic foundation allowance and set by the Hope Scholarship Board each year). Confirm the current-year award against the live Parent Handbook before budgeting.

Who qualifies

Universal for 2026-27: any student eligible to be enrolled in a West Virginia public school in grades K-12 at the time of application qualifies, including students already in private school or homeschool who were previously excluded. No income test. (Earlier years phased in eligibility for public-school enrollees, kindergarteners, and transferring students.)

Allowable expenses

• Tuition and fees at participating private schools
• Tuition and fees for nonpublic online schools/programs
• Tutoring and tutorial services
• After-school and summer education program fees
• Educational therapies (occupational, behavioral, physical, speech-language, audiology)
• Curriculum, textbooks, and required supplemental materials
• Nationally standardized assessment and AP exam fees
• Programs leading to industry-recognized credentials
• Instruments or equipment required for a music course
• Fee-for-service transportation to/from an education provider
• Individual classes or activities purchased from a public school district

Reporting & oversight

Most qualifying purchases must be made through the Hope Scholarship online portal with a registered Education Service Provider (ESP). The limited cases that allow reimbursement require submission within 90 days with itemized receipts showing the student name, expense, amount, and date (per the Reimbursement Policy adopted Dec 2025). Operators must register and onboard as a participating ESP to receive portal payments. A Parent Handbook, ESP Handbook, Reimbursement Policy, and Non-Qualifying Expense List govern compliance.

How to apply

Accepted year-round with quarterly funding windows; apply by June 15 for full-year 2026-27 funding. Funds are released in two installments (by Aug 15 and Jan 15).

Operators must become a registered Education Service Provider to be paid through the portal. Unspent balances roll over only if the student keeps participating; if the student stops participating, remaining funds return to the State. Re-verify the 2026-27 award figure against the live handbook before budgeting.

Verified 2026-06-30 from official sources: hopescholarshipwv.com, hopescholarshipwv.com, wvtreasury.gov, code.wvlegislature.gov. Always confirm current rules with the program administrator before relying on them.