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🎓 Wyoming School Choice, ESAs & Scholarships
Which Wyoming education savings accounts, scholarships and tax credits a homeschool family can use, what they pay for, and where Wyoming stands on school choice — from our Wyoming guide.
| Overseen by | Wyoming Department of Education, under the state superintendent of public instruction (W.S. 21-2-901 to 21-2-909) |
|---|---|
| Administered by | Odyssey (applications, student accounts, the Marketplace and reimbursements) |
| Amount per student, 2026–27 | $7,000 a year, deposited in four quarterly payments (early September and November 2026, early February and May 2027). Students approved for 2025–26 who were not in public school also get a ,750 rollover for 2026–27 expenses. Unused funds stay in the account while the student remains eligible. |
| Who is eligible | Wyoming residents in kindergarten through 12th grade who are not enrolled in a public school, with no income limit. A child must be 5 by August 1 to enter kindergarten and under 21 as of August 1. Pre-K (one year, age 4 by August 1) requires household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. |
| Application window / next dates | The 2026–27 application closed August 6, 2026. 2027–28 dates have not been announced; WDE offers email sign-up for future application notices. If applications exceed the money, students are taken first-come, first-served, with preference for returning students and their siblings. |
| Legal status | The Wyoming Education Association sued in June 2025, and a district court injunction blocked the program for 2025–26. On May 14, 2026 the Wyoming Supreme Court reversed that injunction (Degenfelder v. WEA, 2026 WY 54), so the program is paying out. The constitutional challenge itself is still pending in Laramie County District Court. |
How the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship works for homeschool families
Any Wyoming K–12 student who is not enrolled in a public school can qualify, including children who are already homeschooled. A parent applies through Odyssey with proof of the child's age (such as a certified birth certificate or passport) and Wyoming residency (such as a vehicle registration, lease, mortgage or two recent utility bills). Pre-K applicants also send proof of income. For returning students, the application comes pre-filled.
If approved, the parent signs an ESA agreement with the state superintendent. A child who is still in public school has 15 days after approval to finish unenrolling before funds are released. Money arrives quarterly in the student's Odyssey account. Families spend it in the Odyssey Marketplace, where Odyssey pays the provider, or in a few cases ask for reimbursement.
The agreement comes with duties. The child must be taught reading, writing, math, civics (including the U.S. and Wyoming constitutions), history, literature and science; no instruction that conflicts with the family's religious beliefs is required. Each year the child must take the state assessment or a nationally normed achievement test, and the results or proof of completion must be uploaded to Odyssey by June 30. A student who misses it may not be able to continue the next year.
The law also changes how a participating child is classified. The signed ESA agreement satisfies Wyoming's compulsory attendance law, and the parent must give the resident school district notice of intent to take part in the ESA program every year. A child taught at home with ESA funds is not treated as a "home-based educational program" under Wyoming homeschool law while in the program. Enrolling full-time in a public school stops further deposits. (W.S. 21-2-904, 21-2-905, 21-4-102(d))
Read the full section in our Wyoming guide
What the money can pay for
The statute lists these qualifying expenses (W.S. 21-2-904(b)(i)). WDE's expense guidance and the Marketplace categories fill in the details, and some items have price caps:
- Textbooks, curriculum and other instructional materials, including supplemental materials and online instruction a curriculum or provider requires
- Tutoring by an individual or tutoring center (not by a member of the student's immediate family)
- Educational therapies: occupational, behavioral, physical, speech-language and audiology
- Tuition and fees for nongovernmental online learning programs, career or technical schools, colleges, and qualified private schools
- Classes, extracurricular activities and other services from a public school district or charter school
- Computers and other devices used mainly for the student's education, and educational software and apps
- Summer education programs and specialized after-school education programs (not after-school child care)
- Fees for nationally standardized tests, AP exams and college admission exams, plus prep courses for them
- Fee-for-service transportation to and from an education service provider
- School uniforms and other expenses approved by the state superintendent
Read the full section in our Wyoming guide
Before you buy
- Buy through the Odyssey Marketplace whenever you can. WDE considers reimbursement only for four kinds of expenses: K–12 curriculum in the core subjects (or Pre-K readiness curriculum), student admission to museums, zoos and other educational or cultural sites, fee-for-service transportation, and internet fees.
- Before buying outside the Marketplace, WDE's reimbursement steps ask you to check the Marketplace first and to ask the vendor to apply as a provider. Submit any reimbursement request within 30 days of purchase, with an itemized receipt and proof of payment. Handwritten receipts are not accepted.
- For 2026–27, purchases made before September 1, 2026 are not reimbursed.
- Check the price caps. Tablets, laptops, desktops, monitors and printers are capped at ,000, one per student per year, and 3D printers at,000, one per student every two years.
- ESA money can't be refunded or shared with a parent. Refunds go back into the student's account, and you can't add your own money to the account.
- Plan for the annual test, and upload results by June 30.
- Amounts, dates and rules can change. Confirm anything important on WDE's Education Savings Account page.
Read the full section in our Wyoming guide
Where the court case stands
On June 13, 2025, the Wyoming Education Association and a group of parents sued in Laramie County District Court, claiming the ESA program violates the Wyoming Constitution. The district court granted a preliminary injunction in July 2025, and on October 7, 2025 the Wyoming Supreme Court declined to pause it. The program was blocked for most of the 2025–26 school year.
On May 14, 2026, the Wyoming Supreme Court reversed the injunction (Degenfelder v. Wyoming Education Association, 2026 WY 54). It held that the plaintiffs had not clearly shown the possible irreparable personal harm needed for a preliminary injunction, and it sent the case back to the district court. The ruling did not decide whether the program is constitutional.
WDE says the program can proceed and make payments while the lawsuit continues, and that the remaining question is whether the state's funding mechanism is constitutional. WDE also says there is no indication families or schools would have to repay properly paid funds if the law were later struck down. As of October 9, 2026 we found no ruling on the merits. A future ruling could end or change the program, so check the official pages before you plan a year around it.
Read the full section in our Wyoming guide
Other Wyoming programs: Hathaway, activities and college courses
Hathaway Scholarship for homeschool graduates: a Wyoming homeschool graduate can earn a Hathaway merit scholarship at an eligible Wyoming college. The student must apply before turning 21, complete the Hathaway Success Curriculum courses, and earn the required ACT score. The minimums are 25 for Honors (