Frequently Asked Questions

Important Update

ESTF funds may no longer be spent on tuition for non-public schools effective Wednesday, September 11th, 2024.

This follows a South Carolina Supreme Court ruling that sections of the ESTF program are unconstitutional.

How this impacts you and your student:

This depends on how you’ve used the program so far.

  1. If you’ve already spent on a non-public school,

    sit tight—do not withdraw your child. You will not be expected to repay any funds spent before September 11th, and the SCDE is exploring options for the least disruptive path forward for your student. Do talk to your school principal immediately to see if there is a way to get discounted, or delayed tuition.

  2. If you’ve transferred your student to another public school district, approved charter school, online school (non-private), or chosen to educate at home,

    this ruling does not impact you or your student.

  3. If you have not transferred your student out of their resident district,

    you no longer have the option to transfer your student to a non-public school. You may still spend your funds on a transfer to a charter school, a new public school district, a publicly funded online school, or to educate at home.

    [Updated 9/13/24]

🔎 Get answers to common questions.

  • No. An ESTF participant cannot be enrolled in their resident school district as a full-time student. To receive the scholarship, your student must enroll in a non-resident public school district, an independent school, or a participating charter school. 

    Check this list of participating private, public, and charter schools.

  • Reach out to the school and let them know you would like to apply. Every school has a different enrollment process. Once you are accepted and enrolled, make sure to complete withdrawal paperwork from your residency school.

  • If you are still enrolled in your neighborhood school as you are exploring options, DO NOT click the affidavit in ClassWallet where you agree to withdraw from your residency school, and definitely DO NOT spend any scholarship funds while you are still enrolled in your residency school. If you mistakenly agreed to the affidavit already, email help@classwallet.com to let them know to reset your affidavit, and only agree to it once you have withdrawn from your residency school district.

  • Schools can apply to be approved vendors by filling out this application. We suggest contacting your desired school ASAP and asking them to complete the linked form.

  • Yes, some approved schools operate online. Check out this list and make sure to filter for online options. 

  • If you are participating in Options 1-3, you are not able to use the scholarship. This means you cannot homeschool through a public district or with one of the associations on these lists. However, if you choose to educate at home another way, then you are eligible to use the scholarship.

  • Please email help@classwallet.com to let them know you will not be participating in the program this year.

Enrollment and School Selection

Using ClassWallet

  • Go to app.classwallet.com. If it's your first time logging in, click the "First Time Login" button. You must accept the Affidavit to access the funds. 

    NOTE: read the affidavit closely. By signing the affidavit, you are agreeing to program policies, including that you have withdrawn from your residency school.

    ❓Click here for a Guide (PDF) with visuals.

  • Funds were loaded in late July 2024, with quarterly disbursements of $1,500 each in July, October, January, and April. You will receive a notification once they are available.

  • There is a separate sub-account for each child. If you click on your child's name in the corner, you will be able to select another child. You must agree to the affidavit for each child to receive the funds.

  • First, make sure you have a tuition bill/screenshot saved. Then, check out this video for a step-by-step walkthrough of making a payment.

    Note: your tuition bill must have all of these things listed:

    • Provider or school name and address

    • Student name

    • Parent name

    • Date of invoice

    • Date of service

    • Type of service (tuition, tutoring, etc.)

    • Total amount due

  • Login to ClassWallet and click “Start shopping” under “Shop in the marketplace”. Once there, you will see online stores where you can shop. Build a cart, and when you go to checkout, you will return to ClassWallet to finalize your payments.

Allowable Expenses

  • Funds can be used for:

    • Tuition and fees at independent schools

    • Textbooks, curriculum, and educational materials

    • Tutoring (Math, English/Grammar/Reading, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language)

    • Educational therapies (ABA Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Vision Therapy, Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Therapies)

    • Online classes and courses

    • Contracted services from a public school district (individual classes, after-school tutoring, extracurricular activity fees or costs, out-of-district fees)

    • Transportation services provided by a school (not gas mileage provided by a parent or guardian)

    • Uniforms purchased through the school only

    • Breakfast and lunch fees

    • Childcare fees

    • Before and after school care fees

    • Field trip fees

    • Food, fundraising, graduation, and childcare fees

  • No, you cannot be reimbursed. There is no mechanism for ClassWallet to “pay you back” for money you spent before you received your first allotment of ESTF money or if you did not use ESTF money for the purchase. You may be able to return your purchase and re-buy the item with ESTF money.

  • Yes, funds can be used for computer hardware (laptops, desktops, monitors, tablets) and technological devices (printers, headphones, keyboards, etc.), but they are limited to one of each item every two years. Gaming computers and 3D printers are not approved.

  • Yes, school supplies must be for individual student use and include items like binders, calculators, colored pencils, crayons, dictionaries, erasers, folders, glue, index cards, markers, notebooks, paper, pencils, pens, rulers, scissors, thesaurus, and USB cards. No bulk purchases are allowed.

Support and Assistance

  • That’s what Outbridge is here for! Tell us what you need help with and someone will reach out to you with support!

  • Feel free to reach out to help@classwallet.com or call (877) 313-1299. They are available Monday through Friday 8am-8pm EST and Saturday 10am-4pm EST.

General Questions

  • Outbridge is a service provided by the team at Outschool.org to help families navigate education scholarship programs.

  • The ESTF is a program administered by the South Carolina Department of Education. It allows qualifying South Carolina families with a student in K-12th grades to apply for a scholarship of $6,000 per student, per year. Your funds will be held in your digital wallet by ClassWallet.

  • The ESTF student application for this school is closed. The 2025-2026 application will open on January 15, 2025. Click here if you want to be reminded of the new application deadline!