When to apply, state by state
Most programs take applications once a year, and several filled up or ran out of money in 2026. Here is every window in one place, read from each program's own site.
Coming up
- October 1, 2026 to October 20, 2026: Wisconsin WI Choice. Milwaukee Parental Choice Program: application period. Official source.
- October 14, 2026: Ohio EdChoice. Last day to apply for a full 2026-27 EdChoice award (later applications are prorated). Official source.
- November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027: Indiana Choice Scholarship. Half-year application period (spring semester); the school files for you. Official source.
- November 1, 2026 to November 30, 2026: Georgia Promise Scholarship. Last 2026-27 application window (400% of poverty or less; funds spring 2027). Official source.
- November 1, 2026 to November 20, 2026: Wisconsin WI Choice. Milwaukee Parental Choice Program: application period. Official source.
- November 15, 2026: Florida FES / FTC. Last day for new 2026-27 Private School and Unique Abilities Scholarship applications. Official source.
- December 1, 2026 to January 5, 2027: Wisconsin WI Choice. Milwaukee Parental Choice Program: application period. Official source.
- January 15, 2027 to March 15, 2027: Idaho PCTC. Application window for 2026 expenses. Official source.
- February 28, 2027: West Virginia Hope. Last day for late 2026-27 applications (reduced amount). Official source.
- March 15, 2027 to June 15, 2027: Oklahoma PCTC. 2027-28 application window (first 60 days get priority review). Official source.
Add these dates to your calendar The calendar file updates when we confirm new dates, so subscribe to it rather than downloading it once (in Google Calendar: Other calendars, From URL, then paste https://choicefunded.com/programs/deadlines.ics).
| State and program | When to apply | Award | How full |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama CHOOSE Act | The 2026-27 window closed March 31, 2026. Applications for 2027-28 open in January 2027. | $7,000 per student at a participating school | Almost 49,000 students applied for 2026-27 and more than 34,000 were approved, the Governor’s office said. |
| Arizona ESA | Applications are accepted year-round and funding is paid quarterly. | About $7,000 to $8,000 for most students (2025-26 figures) | More than 100,000 students: the Department of Education counted 102,891 on March 31, 2026, and reports about 107,000 enrolled for 2026-27, a figure it says moves until September. There is no cap and no waitlist, and the program costs about $1 billion a year. |
| Arkansas EFA | The 2026-27 application and renewal period ran March 9 to June 1, 2026, through the state’s FACTS application portal. Applications filed after June 29, 2026 may be reviewed later only if funding allows. Dates for 2027-28 are not posted yet. | $7,208 per student for 2026-27 | About 55,800 applications had been filed for 2026-27 by mid-September 2026, and about 50,000 students are expected to take part: just over 28,000 in private school and about 21,000 homeschooled. |
| District of Columbia OSP | Applications for 2027-28 are open now. The cycle runs from September to April or May. You must also apply to and be accepted by the school. | Up to $10,000 for grades K to 8 and $15,000 for grades 9 to 12 (2026-27) | 1,409 students used a scholarship in 2024-25 (1,220 returning and 189 new, from 3,212 applications), according to Serving Our Children. Congress appropriates about $17.5 million a year. |
| Florida FES / FTC | New families can still apply for 2026-27: the Private School Scholarship (FTC and FES-EO) and the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) take new applications until November 15, 2026. Renewals closed April 30. 2027-28 dates are not announced yet; this year applications opened February 1. | About $8,000 on average, set by county and grade | More than 525,000 students were funded across Florida’s scholarship programs in 2025-26, and 2026-27 applications passed 500,000 by the end of March 2026. |
| Georgia Promise Scholarship | The last 2026-27 window is November 1 to 30, 2026. It is open only to families at or below 400% of the poverty level, and awards from it pay for spring 2027 only. The 2027 calendar is due by December 15, 2026. | Up to $6,500 per student | About 13,500 students started 2026-27 with a Promise Scholarship, up from about 8,700 in 2025-26, according to The Current (September 30, 2026). The state has not published its own count. |
| Idaho PCTC | The next window is January 15 to March 15, 2027. | Up to $5,000 per student | Capped at $50 million. The 2026 cycle drew more than 7,000 applications covering about 12,500 students. |
| Indiana Choice Scholarship | The school files the application for you. The main period runs March 1 to September 1, and a half-year period runs November 1 to January 15. | About $6,000 to $8,300, set by your home school district | About 80,500 students used the program in 2025-26. There is no cap. |
| Iowa Students First ESA | One window a year. For 2026-27 it ran April 16 to June 30, 2026. Miss it and there is no ESA that year. | $8,148 per student for 2026-27 | 41,044 students used an ESA in 2025-26, up from 27,866 the year before. There is no cap. |
| Kansas TCLISS | Parents submit an application that goes to a scholarship organization and to the Kansas State Department of Education, which confirms eligibility. | Up to $8,000 per student per year | EdChoice counted 2,360 students in 2023-24. The state reports 130 participating schools in 2023-24 and 15 certified scholarship organizations in its May 2026 directory. Donor credits are capped at $10 million a year. |
| Louisiana LA GATOR | The 2026-27 window was short: March 1 to 16, 2026. | $5,243 to $7,626 per student in 2025-26, by household income | Nearly 17,000 eligible applications for 2026-27, against about 5,700 students funded the year before. Being eligible is not the same as being funded. |
| Maine Town tuitioning | There is no state application. Families in a tuitioning town choose an approved school, and the school administrative unit pays the tuition. | Tuition paid by your school district, up to a state formula | 1,827 students in 2024-25, according to EdChoice. |
| Maryland BOOST | The 2026-27 application ran March 9 to May 8, 2026 and is closed. The state keeps making offers as others decline until December 11, 2026. Expect a similar spring window for 2027-28. | $1,200 to $4,750 in 2025-26, plus $3,000 for high school students | In 2025-26 the state received 6,381 applications, found 4,249 income eligible, and 2,796 students received awards. About two out of three eligible applicants got one. |
| Mississippi ESA | Applications are accepted year-round. The state suggests December through May so the award arrives before school starts. | Up to $8,421 for 2026-27 | 454 students in 2025-26, according to EdChoice. Funded by a $5 million yearly appropriation. Eligible applicants are awarded first come, first served, then placed on a waitlist. |
| Missouri MOScholars | You apply through one of the state-approved Educational Assistance Organizations, not to the state directly. | Up to $7,145 per student for 2026-27, more for some students | 6,410 students received scholarships in 2025-26. The Treasurer’s June 2026 report projected about 12,000 participants for 2026-27 from applications filed by April 30, 2026; actual awards may be lower. |
| Montana SSO tax credit | Apply to an approved Student Scholarship Organization. The Department of Revenue lists them on its Education Donations portal. | Set by each scholarship organization | EdChoice counted 1,050 students in 2022-23. Donor credits are capped at $7.2 million for 2026. |
| Nevada Opportunity Scholarship | There is no state application and no single deadline. You apply directly to one of the five registered scholarship organizations, and each sets its own dates. Apply to more than one, and early. | Up to $10,367 per student for 2026-27 | Five scholarship organizations are registered for 2026-27. In 2024 they paid 1,556 scholarships worth about $6.1 million, and 1,330 students were reported for the 2024-25 school year. |
| New Hampshire EFA | Applications stay open through the program administrator, but new applicants without priority go to the waitlist. | About $4,800 on average | The 12,500-student cap is full for 2026-27. 13,443 students were found eligible, and about 1,070 were on the waitlist in late August 2026. |
| North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship | The 2026-27 priority window ran February 2 to March 2, 2026. Expect early February again. | $3,574 to $7,942 per student, by household income | 104,599 students were enrolled in 2025-26. |
| Ohio EdChoice | The 2026-27 EdChoice application period runs February 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Applications submitted after October 14, 2026 get a prorated award, so apply by October 14 for the full amount. The school submits the application. | $6,166 for grades K-8, $8,408 for grades 9-12 | About 143,500 students: 42,607 on traditional EdChoice and 100,941 on Expansion. |
| Oklahoma PCTC | The 2027-28 application opens Monday, March 15, 2027 at 9 a.m. and closes Tuesday, June 15, 2027 at 11:59 p.m., with no late submissions. Applications in the first 60 days get priority review. File with the Oklahoma Tax Commission through OkTAP. | A maximum of $5,000 to $7,500 per student, set by household income | The Tax Commission’s September 3, 2026 report shows 41,466 students approved for 2026-27, plus 546 in the financially disadvantaged or homeless group. Credits for the year are capped at $277.3 million, and about $268.9 million had been approved. |
| Pennsylvania EITC / OSTC | You apply to a scholarship organization, not to the state, and each one sets its own dates. Many schools work with one or more organizations, so ask the school first. | Set by each scholarship organization. Opportunity Scholarships go up to $8,500, or $15,000 for a student with a disability | Business credits are capped each year at $590 million for EITC (at least $375 million of it for scholarship organizations and up to $30.5 million for pre-K) and $90 million for OSTC. The state publishes no participation count. EdChoice counted 66,838 EITC and 18,773 OSTC students in 2022-23. |
| Rhode Island RI scholarship tax credit | Apply to a qualified scholarship organization. The Division of Taxation lists them. | About $3,245 on average (2024) | 428 students in 2024, according to EdChoice. State law caps credits at $1.6 million a year, and only $298,750 was left for the July 2026 round, which went to a drawing. |
| South Carolina ESTF | Closed for 2026-27. For 2027-28, renewals and siblings of current students apply first (that window opens November 1), new priority applicants follow from January 15, and other eligible students after that. Join the waitlist to hear the exact dates. | $7,634 per student for 2026-27 | The 15,000-student cap for 2026-27 has been reached. Only the waitlist is open. |
| South Dakota Partners in Education | The 2026-27 application opened January 26, 2026 with a May 31 deadline. Expect a similar window for 2027-28. | About $2,457 on average (2025-26) | 1,783 students at 48 schools in 2025-26. Insurance company donations earn credits capped at $5 million a year. |
| Tennessee EFS | For 2026-27, renewals opened December 9, 2025, new applications opened January 13, 2026, and the window closed February 6, 2026 at 4 p.m. Central. Dates for 2027-28 are not posted yet. | $7,530 per student for 2026-27 | 35,000 scholarships for 2026-27 after a 15,000-seat expansion in May 2026. More than 56,000 students applied. There is a waitlist. |
| Texas TEFA | The 2026-27 application window ran February 4 to March 31, 2026. No 2027-28 dates are posted yet; the state offers an interest list for updates. | $10,474 per private school student for 2026-27 | More than 274,000 students applied for 2026-27. As of August 28, 2026, more than 118,000 students held active awards. |
| Utah UFA | Renewals open March 1, new applications April 1, and the window closes May 1. | Up to $8,000 for private school students | More than 18,700 students were awarded in the June 2026 round and more than 8,800 were waitlisted; a later round awarded about 2,900 more from leftover funds. The program is funded at $120 million. |
| Vermont Town tuitioning | There is no state application, but there are deadlines for the next school year: notice for an independent elementary school must reach the school board before April 15, and a request for a high school other than a designated one is due on or before April 15. Your district pays tuition to the eligible school. | Tuition paid by your district | 3,541 students in 2022-23, according to EdChoice, the newest count we found. |
| Virginia EISTC | There is no state application and no state deadline. Start with a participating private school; approved scholarship foundations award the scholarships. | Up to the state share of per-pupil public school funding where you live | 35 scholarship foundations were approved in fiscal 2025, and they reported 5,336 scholarships. Donor credits are capped at $25 million a year. |
| West Virginia Hope | Opened March 2, 2026. June 15 is the deadline for the full amount, and late applications run to February 28, 2027 at reduced amounts. | $5,435.62 expected for 2026-27 | Nearly 29,000 applications were started for 2026-27, and more than 25,000 accounts were funded in the first quarter, the Treasurer reported in August 2026. There is no cap. |
| Wisconsin WI Choice | You apply online to the school during its open months. For 2026-27 the periods ran February 2 to 20, then the 1st to the 20th of March, April, May, July and August, June 1 to 22, and September 1 to 14. Each school chooses which months it opens, so check with the school early in the year. Milwaukee schools can also take second semester applications from October to early January. | $11,305 a year for grades K to 8 and $13,799 for grades 9 to 12 in 2026-27 | In 2025-26 about 61,000 students used the four programs: 29,949 in Milwaukee, 4,170 in Racine, 23,417 statewide and 3,436 on the Special Needs Scholarship. Counts for 2026-27 are not published yet. For 2026-27, 140 schools signed up in Milwaukee, 40 in Racine, 374 statewide and 233 for the Special Needs Scholarship. |
| Wyoming Steamboat Legacy ESA | The 2026-27 application ran July 6 to August 6, 2026 and is closed. Dates for 2027-28 are not posted yet. | $7,000 per student per year | The state reported 3,359 approved applications for 2026-27 in early September 2026, with several hundred more pending, against funding for about 4,200 students. Those counts come from news reports of department figures. |
Each row comes from the program's own pages; follow the link for sources and the date we read them (newest 2026-10-02). Dates move when legislatures and budgets change, so confirm on the official site before you rely on one.
How to be ready before your window opens
- Gather proof of address, your child's birth certificate and, for income-based programs, last year's federal tax return.
- Shortlist schools that are on your state's official list. Each state's list page on this site shows them by town.
- Ask each school for tuition and required fees, then subtract the award to see what you would pay.
- Apply on the first day if the program is capped or first come, first served.
Get one email when applications open
Most programs open once a year, and several ran out of money or seats in 2026. Pick your state and we will email you the day the next window opens, with the official link. That is the only email you get.
One email per application window. No calls, no sharing your details.