North Carolina's Complete Guide to ESA+ Funds

The Education Student Accounts (ESA+) program is North Carolina's state-funded initiative for students with disabilities, giving families funds to spend on approved educational expenses, including tutoring, therapies, private school tuition, and educational technology.

We're working to become an approved ESA+ vendor so North Carolina families can use their funds for live, online math instruction with our expert teachers.

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements for the ESA+ in North Carolina

The ESA+ is available to K–12 students with a documented disability requiring special education services.

Students must meet the following requirements:

A North Carolina resident in grades K–12
Have an eligibility determination issued by a North Carolina public school within the last three years, confirming a disability that requires special education services

Note — an Individualised Education Program is not required to apply, only the eligibility determination document.

Application

The ESA+ application process in North Carolina

Applications for the ESA+ are administered by the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) through their MyPortal system.

The next window for 2027–28 is expected to open in early 2027.

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To apply, parents/guardians must:

Create an account on MyPortal (this can be done before the application window opens)
Submit the ESA+ application during the priority window
Upload the student's Eligibility Determination — a document issued by a North Carolina school confirming the student has a qualifying disability. This must be uploaded within seven days of submitting the application.
Provide proof of North Carolina residency if requested (e.g. NC driver's licence, state ID, current bank statement, or paycheck). Not all families are asked for this — you'll see a task in MyPortal if it applies to you.

Families must renew annually, and renewal requires submitting test results to maintain eligibility.

Using Your Funds

How to spend ESA+ funds and what they can be spent on

The annual ESA+ award is $9,000 – $17,000 per student.

All purchases must be made through ClassWallet — direct reimbursements to parents are not permitted.

ESA+ funds can be spent on:

Tuition and fees at a registered private school
Tutoring services (live instruction in core subjects including math, reading, and science)
MyEdSpace (see more information below)
Educational therapies and paraprofessional services
Textbooks, curriculum, and instructional materials
Educational software and technology
Fees for standardised tests, AP exams, and college entrance exams

Note: tutoring must be live instruction, either in-person or online. Recorded programmes or self-guided apps alone do not qualify.

For students awarded $17,000, up to $4,500 may roll over per year, capped at $30,000 over a lifetime.

Students receiving the ESA+ are required to take a nationally standardized test each year. Scores are reported to the state anonymously and no minimum score is required.

MyEdSpace

How to use your ESA+ funds with MyEdSpace

MyEdSpace is preparing to launch for North Carolina families using their ESA+ scholarship.

While we're not yet an approved ESA+ vendor, we're actively working to meet NCSEAA's programme requirements so families can use their ESA+ funds on live, online math classes through MyEdSpace.

Once approved, you may be able to use ESA+ funds for:

2x live weekly lessons with expert math teacher Eddie Kang
Every live lesson recorded and available to re-watch whenever and wherever, 24/7
Bespoke workbooks for every lesson
Targeted practice questions to reinforce knowledge
Step-by-step video explanations for every topic
24/7 Math Coach for support between lessons

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