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Homeschooling in South Carolina

A year-round South Carolina homeschool marketplace — curriculum, tutoring, therapy, STEM, arts and enrichment providers, plus a plain-English guide to the Education Scholarship Trust Fund and South Carolina's three homeschool options.

South Carolina homeschooling by topic

• South Carolina Homeschool Laws & Requirements
• How to Start Homeschooling in South Carolina
• South Carolina School Choice, ESAs & Scholarships
• Homeschool Sports & Activities in South Carolina
• Dual Enrollment & College for South Carolina Homeschoolers
• Special Needs & Special Education Homeschooling in South Carolina

Education Scholarship Trust Fund at a glance

• Overseen by: South Carolina Department of Education, under the Education Scholarship Trust Fund law (S.C. Code §59-8-110 and following, rewritten by 2025 Act No. 11). The money is held in a trust fund managed by a trustee the State Superintendent appoints.
• Administered by: SCDE, with ClassWallet running each student's digital wallet. Families pay approved providers with "Pay Vendor" or shop the ClassWallet Marketplace. There is no reimbursement, and money is never paid to parents.
• Amount per student, 2026–27: $7,634 ($7,500 in 2025–26), deposited in four payments of
  ,908.50 on or before July 31, September 30 and December 31, 2026 and February 28, 2027. By law the amount rises each year with average state per-pupil funding unless the budget sets another figure. Unused money rolls over while the student stays eligible.
• Who is eligible: South Carolina residents in grades K–12 who were 5 by September 1 (or had a scholarship the year before), haven't graduated and are under 22, from households at or below 500% of the federal poverty guidelines (
  60,750 for a family of four on the 2025 guidelines). The student can't be enrolled full-time in their zoned public school, can't get an Exceptional SC scholarship the same year, and can't be homeschooled under Option 1, 2 or 3.
• Application window / next dates: 2026–27 reached its 15,000-student cap and closed; families can join the waitlist to get 2027–28 updates. By law, each year's early window for current students and their siblings opens November 1, followed by a priority window and then a general window. SCDE says 2027–28 renewals start processing in November 2026. New-applicant dates for 2027–28 haven't been posted.
• Homeschool status: Students homeschooled under S.C. Code §59-65-40, 59-65-45 or 59-65-47 (Options 1–3) are not eligible. A family that leaves its homeschool option for the ESTF can still teach at home: the parent's signed ESTF agreement satisfies compulsory attendance (§59-8-115(H)).

Read the full guide: South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) — A Guide for Homeschool Families

Coming up in South Carolina

• Mon, Oct 19, 2026 – Mon, Nov 30, 2026 · Coastal Discovery Museum Creature Feature Series
  Hilton Head Island · Coastal Discovery Museum, Honey Horn · $7 per person (ages 4 and up)
  Weekly Monday live-animal sessions (1:30 and 3:45 p.m.): horseshoe crabs Oct. 19, turtles Oct. 26, anemones Nov. 2, snakes Nov. 9, frogs and toads Nov. 16, marine invertebrates Nov. 23, reptiles Nov. 30.
• Sat, Nov 7, 2026 · SAT Weekend Test Date (November 2026)
  Statewide · SAT test centers across South Carolina · SAT registration fee; late registration costs extra; fee waivers for eligible students
  National SAT weekend administration; registration deadline Oct. 23, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET).
• Sat, Nov 7, 2026 · SCGSAH Early Decision Dance Auditions
  Greenville · SC Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities, 15 University St
  Audition day for Early Decision Dance applicants to SCGSAH's residential high school and summer dance programs.
• Sat, Nov 7, 2026 · SCGSAH Go Govie! Day Campus Tour (November)
  Greenville · SC Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities, 15 University St
  Saturday campus tour day for families considering SCGSAH's tuition-free residential high school or summer arts programs (grades 6–11 can apply for 2027-28).
• Mon, Nov 9, 2026 · Admissions Campus Tour
  Greenville · All across campus
  An evening campus tour from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM, held across the Governor's School campus.
• Wed, Nov 11, 2026 – Thu, Nov 12, 2026 · Brookgreen Gardens Homeschool Explorers: Amazing Adaptations
  Murrells Inlet · Brookgreen Gardens, Leonard Pavilion, 1931 Brookgreen Dr · $7 per student; one parent per family free
  Hands-on session for ages 5 to 13 on how plants and animals are suited to their habitats, with time in the Lowcountry Zoo, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Capacity is 50 people; registration opens at 12:01 a.m. on the Wednesday two weeks before.
• Thu, Nov 12, 2026 · Homeschool Hub: Farm to Table at Lexington Main Library
  Lexington · Lexington Main Library, 5440 Augusta Rd
  6 p.m. interactive program on how food grows and travels from farms to the table, for families with children.
• Fri, Nov 13, 2026 · Starry, Starry Sky at Ninety Six National Historic Site
  Ninety Six · Ninety Six National Historic Site (meet at visitor center) · Free
  Evening ranger program (6–7:30 p.m.) on constellations and their myths, with a telescope for viewing planets and stars along the battlefield trail.
• Fri, Nov 13, 2026 · Teen Homeschool History Day: Spying Game
  Charleston · The Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting St ·
  0 per student,

  5 per adult (members: $5 student, adults free)
  1 to 2:30 p.m. program for students 13 to 17 on Revolutionary War spies in South Carolina, with a field trip experience, time in the museum and a hands-on activity.
• Sat, Nov 14, 2026 · CLT (Classic Learning Test) Remote Test Date (November 2026)
  Online · Remotely proctored (at home) · CLT registration fee (see cltexam.com)
  Remotely proctored CLT administration; registration deadline Nov. 5, 2026.

See all 121 upcoming South Carolina events

South Carolina homeschool & school choice news

• South Carolina Legislature Online - Amendment History — South Carolina Legislature Online
• SC Education Scholarship Trust Fund: 2027-28 applications and waitlist — SC Department of Education ESTF program site
• South Carolina Microschool Families Win in Budget Deal — National Microschooling Center
• Cyberattack targeted SC's K-12 vouchers. Officials trying to recover an estimated
  00,000. — The Post and Courier
• Former school administrator challenges think tank founder for SC superintendent — SC Daily Gazette

All news & regulations

Co-ops, groups and vendors

282 homeschool co-ops, support groups, microschools and hybrid schools across South Carolina — browse the list. Homeschool vendors serving South Carolina.

Homeschooling by city

Greenville · Columbia · Anderson · Charleston · Spartanburg · Rock Hill · Lexington · Simpsonville · Summerville · Aiken · Greer · Myrtle Beach · Irmo · Conway · Easley · Fort Mill · Greenwood · Kansas City · Mount Pleasant · Beaufort · Bluffton · Boiling Springs · Florence · Hartsville · Lancaster · Moncks Corner · Sumter · Taylors · Travelers Rest · Blythewood · Chapin · Clemson · Darlington · Liberty · Moore · Mountain Rest · Newberry · North Charleston · North Myrtle Beach · Okatie · all cities

Articles for South Carolina families

• Why IDEAL?
• School of Rock has come to Greenville SC!
• Homeschool Option or ESTF? Two Legal Ways to Teach at Home in South Carolina, and Why Not Both
• Math Doesn’t Have to Be Scary: Why Mathnasium Should Be Your First Stop, Not Your Last Hope
• The Best Thing I Did as an Educator Was Get Out of the Way
• Dad, I Need to Pick a Major!
• South Carolina's Education Scholarship Trust Fund in Plain English: Who Qualifies, What It Pays, How It Works

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