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🎓 Utah School Choice, ESAs & Scholarships

Which Utah education savings accounts, scholarships and tax credits a homeschool family can use, what they pay for, and where Utah stands on school choice — from our Utah guide.

Overseen by	Utah State Board of Education, which contracts with the program manager and financial administrator (Utah Code 53F-6-401, 53F-6-404)
Administered by	Odyssey (program manager since May 16, 2025)
Amount per student, 2026–27	Up to $4,000 for home-based students ages 5–11 and $6,000 for ages 12–18 (age as of September 1); up to $8,000 for private school students (Utah Code 53F-6-402(2)(c))
Who is eligible / how awarded	Utah residents in K–12, age 5–18 on September 1, not enrolled in a public school (LEA) or the Carson Smith scholarships. When applications exceed funds, awards go in order: returning students, siblings, households at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, then lottery.
Application window / next dates	By statute: returning-student applications open March 1, new-student applications open April 1, and all applications close May 1. Portfolio or assessment for renewal is due May 31. For 2026–27, awards were issued June 16 and funds released July 15, 2026.
Legal status	A district court ruled the program unconstitutional on April 18, 2025. The program was not suspended, and the State's appeal is pending at the Utah Supreme Court. No Supreme Court decision had been issued as of September 17, 2026.

How Utah Fits All works for homeschool families

A parent applies through Odyssey for each child and each school year. A home-based student who was enrolled in a public school must be withdrawn from it. A student cannot be enrolled in a public school, a charter school, or the Statewide Online Education Program while receiving the scholarship.

Approved students get an account in the Odyssey Wallet. Families can buy from approved vendors in the Odyssey Marketplace, where Odyssey pays the vendor directly, or buy elsewhere and submit an itemized receipt and proof of payment for reimbursement.

To renew, a family must submit a portfolio of the student's learning or assessment results by May 31 and reapply each year. The 2026–27 program year runs July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. For 2026–27, Odyssey reported awards to more than 18,700 students and a waitlist of more than 8,800. Unspent funds roll over at two-thirds of the balance, capped at

What the money can pay for

Expenses must be incurred in the student's education. Parents cannot be paid for their own time teaching their own child. Odyssey's Eligible Expense Guide lists these categories:

Textbooks, curriculum, and other instructional materials

Educational software, apps, STEM kits, manipulatives, and art and school supplies

Tutoring, after-school and summer education programs, and fine arts instruction

Extracurricular activities and physical education, each limited to 20% of the award

Educational therapies: occupational, behavioral, physical, audiology, and speech-language

Computers, tablets, and printers up to

,500 each, with quantity caps

Tuition, course, registration, and exam fees, including technical college courses

Transportation to a qualifying provider, up to $750 per school year

Before you buy

Check whether the item is in the Odyssey Marketplace, where eligible products have already been reviewed.

For purchases outside the Marketplace, keep an itemized receipt and proof of completed payment. Cash and check purchases need a point-of-sale receipt.

Goods over

,000 get extra review. Reimbursement is limited to 10% above the price of a comparable Marketplace item.

Use the Eligibility Request tool in the Odyssey Wallet to get a preliminary review. It is not a final approval.

Spending before July 1 of the program year is not reimbursed, except for private school tuition and deposits.

General-purpose items that can be used for learning are not automatically eligible. Check Odyssey's Ineligible Expense Guide.

Where the court case stands

On April 18, 2025, a Salt Lake County district court ruled that Utah Fits All violates the Utah Constitution (Labresh et al. and Utah Education Association v. Cox, Third District Court case 240904193). The court did not stop the program while the State appeals.

The Utah Supreme Court agreed to hear the State's appeal, and the State filed its opening brief in January 2026. No Supreme Court decision had been issued as of September 17, 2026. Meanwhile the program continues: 2026–27 awards were issued June 16, 2026 and funds were released July 15, 2026.

A Supreme Court ruling could end or change the program. Check the official pages before you plan a year around it.

Concurrent enrollment and college aid

Opportunity Scholarship: this state scholarship goes to eligible students at Utah colleges. The Utah Board of Higher Education sets eligibility by rule, including minimum high school academic standards and completing the FAFSA (Utah Code 53H-11-402). USHE lists these requirements for the Class of 2027: a 3.3 cumulative high school GPA; three advanced courses, one AP, IB or concurrent enrollment course in each of math, science and language arts; completing the FAFSA; and graduating from a Utah high school.

USHE's page doesn't say how home-schooled graduates qualify, and we found no official statement on it. Contact USHE's scholarship office (scholarships@ushe.edu) before junior year to ask how a home school transcript and graduation are treated.

Articles for Utah families

Rollover: Why Spending Every Utah Fits All Dollar by June Is Usually a Mistake
Unspent Utah Fits All funds roll over at two-thirds of the balance, capped at ,000. That means a leftover balance is worth real money next year — and a panic buy in June is worth about thirty cents…

Renewals and the Portfolio: What to Keep All Year So May 31 Isn't a Scramble
Portfolio and assessment documentation for Utah Fits All renewal is due May 31. Families who start in May are recreating a year they already lived. Here is a keep-as-you-go system that costs ten…

Marketplace or Reimbursement? How to Spend Utah Fits All Money Without Losing It
Buy inside the Odyssey Marketplace and the program pays the vendor directly. Buy outside and you front the cash, submit an itemized receipt plus proof of payment, and live with the 10% comparison…

The Calendar That Decides Your Year: Utah Fits All Deadlines You Cannot Miss
March 1, April 1, May 1, May 31. Four dates in Utah statute decide whether your family gets a Utah Fits All award, keeps one, or waits a year. Awards for 2026-27 went out June 16 and funds released…

What Utah Fits All Money Can and Can't Buy: The Caps That Trip Families Up
Extracurriculars and PE are each capped at 20% of your award. Devices max out at

,500 each. Transportation stops at $750 a year. And you cannot pay yourself to teach your own child. Here is the cap…

Utah Fits All in Plain English: What It Pays, Who Qualifies, How It Works
Utah Fits All pays $4,000, $6,000 or $8,000 depending on your child's age and school setting for 2026-27. Here is who qualifies, how the money actually reaches a vendor, and the rules that decide…