South Carolina's Complete Guide to ESTF Funds

The South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) Program is a state-funded education savings account initiative, administered by the South Carolina Department of Education, that allows qualifying South Carolina families to direct public education funds toward private school tuition and a wide range of approved educational expenses.

We're proud to be an approved provider, meaning South Carolina families can use their ESTF funds to get expert math tuition for their children.

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements for the ESTF in South Carolina

The ESTF program is open to K–12 students who meet four requirements:

A resident of South Carolina
At least 5-years-old on or before September 1 of the current school year, or received a scholarship the previous school year
A K–12 student who has not graduated and has not reached the age of 22
Live in a household where the income does not exceed 300% of federal poverty guidelines for 2025-2026, (increasing to 500% for 2026-2027)

Note — students cannot attend their zoned resident public school while receiving ESTF funds. Homeschool students and students participating in the Educational Credit for Exceptional Needs Children's Fund are not eligible for the ESTF program.

Application

The ESTF application process in South Carolina

Applications for ESTF funds are submitted through the official program portal at sc-estf-program.com. Applications open in three priority windows each year:

1.Window 1 (opens November 1): Current participants and their siblings
2.Window 2 (opens January 15): Active-duty military families stationed in South Carolina, families at or below 300% of federal poverty guidelines, and IDEA-eligible students
3.Window 3 (opens February 9): All other eligible students

Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis within each window and continue on a rolling basis until capacity is reached — 10,000 students for 2025-2026 and 15,000 students for 2026-2027. Once capacity is reached, eligible applicants are added to a waiting list.

To apply, applicants must submit:

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The ESTF application form with student and family information
Proof of South Carolina residency — driver's license or state-issued ID, utility bills, government-issued mail, or mortgage statements
Proof of income (typically the most recent tax return)
Legal documents establishing guardianship if applicable — foster paperwork, adoption papers, divorce agreements, tax return, or birth certificate
For active-duty military families: current Military ID, Leave and Earnings Statement (within 30 days), orders for active duty, or a Service Verification Letter

Once your student is approved, you will receive a Welcome Email from ClassWallet with next steps on how to access your scholarship funds through the ClassWallet platform.

Note — ESTF funds are awarded per student and cannot be shared. Every child must apply for and receive their own scholarship.

Using Your Funds

How to spend ESTF funds and what they can be spent on

For the 2025-2026 school year, the award amount is $7,500 per student. For the 2026-2027 school year, the award amount rises to $7,634 per student.

Funds are disbursed quarterly through the ClassWallet platform, with the first quarterly payment ($1,875 for 2025-2026) typically distributed by late July of each school year.

Important — South Carolina law does not allow parents to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses. All payments and purchases must be made directly through ClassWallet with approved Education Service Providers.

ESTF funds can be spent on:

Tuition and fees at an eligible nonprofit South Carolina independent school
MyEdSpace (see more information below)
Textbooks, curriculum, and instructional materials (including supplemental materials and associated online instruction)
Tutoring services
Online courses
Individual courses or interdistrict transfer fees at traditional public schools
Educational therapies (speech, physical, occupational, and vision therapies)
Standardized testing fees
Services for students with disabilities (IDEA-eligible)

Note — ESTF funds cannot be used for charter schools, duplicate services already provided as part of a student's school enrollment, or any unauthorized expenses.

Education service providers cannot refund, rebate, or share scholarship funds directly with parents or students. Substantial misuse (knowingly spending funds on non-qualifying expenses) can result in removal from the program and required repayment.

MyEdSpace

How to use your ESTF funds with MyEdSpace

Thanks to our expert teachers, world-class resources and proven record of success, MyEdSpace is a suitable option for South Carolina families to spend their ESTF funds on math education.

Families can use their ESTF funds with MyEdSpace, to give their children access to top US teachers, via live, online math lessons. Plus all this:

Every live lesson is 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

How to use your ESTF funds with MyEdSpace — live online math classes with expert teachers

To use your funds with MyEdSpace, follow these simple steps:

1.Log in to your ClassWallet account
2.Search "MyEdSpace" in the ClassWallet Directory
3.Select MyEdSpace and authorize the payment

At that point ClassWallet will work with us directly to process the transaction. Once processed, we'll email you your MyEdSpace login details. And, that's it.

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