Last updated: January 25, 2025
Application to the NC ESA+ program for 2025-2026
is open February 6-March 6, 2025!
If you’re a resident of North Carolina and you have special needs children in grades K-12, the state department of education will provide you approximately $9,000 to $17,000 per student per year to use for their education. This money is available for homeschool families.
The program is called the North Carolina Education Student Accounts (NC ESA+) and is funded with state tax dollars. Since homeschool parents in NC have been faithfully paying their taxes for many years, we see this as a way for NC families to receive some of their own tax dollars back to use in homeschooling their special needs children.
Compass Classroom is now a ClassWallet vendor with NC ESA+, which means you can use your ESA+ funds to purchase curriculum that is approved by NC ESA+.
If you have already set up the NC ESA+ for your kids, scroll down to the bottom of this article to learn exactly how to use the funds with Compass Classroom.
If, however, you aren’t sure how to access your funds, we will guide you through the process, step-by-step. The following article explains:
- What is the NC ESA+?
- How much money comes in an ESA+ account?
- What can I pay for with ESA+ funds?
- How do I sign up for an ESA+ account?
- How do I use my ESA+ with Class Wallet?
- How do I use Class Wallet to purchase Compass Classroom products?
- Links and Contact Info for North Carolina ESA+
If you’re already signed up with the NC ESA+ and know how to use it, just scroll down to the bottom section and learn how to use your ESA funds with Compass Classroom products.
We have tried to simplify and summarize the material available on the NC ESA+ site, but if you’d like to consult the actual site for additional questions, you can find that here. They also have a Welcome Packet in PDF that is worth downloading.
If you are not a resident of North Carolina but want to understand if your state offers a similar ESA program or homeschool-friendly tax benefits, please visit our State-by-State guide to ESAs and Homeschooling.
What is the NC ESA+?
North Carolina’s ESA+ program provides scholarship dollars to families with school-age special needs students to help them pursue flexible options for their children’s learning. This includes families who homeschool their children.
ESAs are accounts funded by state tax dollars. The money that would pay for that student’s education in a neighborhood school instead follows that student to whichever school the parents choose for their child, including education at home.
The state’s website explains: “North Carolina’s Education Student Accounts (ESA+) program is available to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Funds may be used to pay tuition and fees for eligible private schools, and for expenses such as speech therapy, tutoring services, and educational technology.
- $9,000 annual award; students with certain designated disabilities may be eligible to receive $17,000 a year
- Families may choose from a variety of learning environments, including private schools, home schools, or co-enrollment
- Eligibility based on documentation of a disability and other program requirements
Please note: an eligibility determination issued by a North Carolina public school is required as part of the application process.”
How much money comes in an ESA+ account?
As mentioned above, the base scholarship award for students is $9,000, however, students with specific areas of disability may receive a higher award of $17,000. These areas include:
- Autism
- Hearing Impairment
- Deaf-Blindness
- Moderate or Severe Intellectual Impairment
- Orthopedic Impairment
- Visual Impairment
Students who qualify for the $9,000 scholarship may NOT carry over funds from year to year, but students who qualify for the higher award may carry over up to $4,500 from year to year with a maximum accumulation of $30,000. This is good news for families who want to save for equipment or supplies that are more expensive.
Please note, the state pays the funds into accounts biannually, once in the fall and once in the spring. For instance, if your student qualifies for a $9,000 scholarship, you will receive $4,500 in the fall and another $4,500 in the spring.
The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) is required by law to report some of the scholarship money awarded to students via the 1099-G form. While this does not necessarily increase parents’ tax liabilities, you should consult your tax professional for advice.
It’s important to realize, however, that ESA funds are not money that a parent can directly withdraw and use to pay for education. Instead, parents must use a special online company called “ClassWallet” that acts as an intermediary to pay vendors or schools. We will explain more about that below after first talking about what you can pay for with ESA+ funds.
My students like that Dave Raymond details the ‘why’ and not just the ‘when’ of historical events. ~ Judy
What can I pay for with ESA+ funds?
There is wide latitude for using the funds placed in an ESA+. Acceptable educational expenses include:
- Curriculum (must fall into the categories of math, science, English/language arts, social sciences, or foreign language.)
- Tuition and fees
- Tutoring
- Educational Technology
- Educational Therapy
- Textbooks
- Standardized Tests
- Certain services and products associated with a child with disabilities
All products and services must be purchased through ClassWallet, the NC ESA+ vendor marketplace. Direct reimbursements to parents are not permissible. Parents should be sure to check the marketplace for qualified NC ESA+ expenses.
For specific details concerning allowable expenses, please consult this page on the NC ESA+ web page.
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How Do I Sign Up for an ESA?
While the application period for the 2024-2025 school year closed on March 1, 2024, the application for the 2025-2026 school year will be open from February 6-March 6, 2025. As early as December 2024, families can begin by creating a “MyPortal” account. MyPortal is where parents can track the progress of their application and read important updates and information relevant to their student. To create an account with My Portal, follow this link.
Parents should be prepared to submit acceptable documentation for their child’s disability. This form is called the “Documentation of Disability” form and must be uploaded within a week of submitting an application. Here is an example of the form:
Families who wish to continue to receive NC ESA+ funds in subsequent years will have to re-submit documentation of their child’s disability every three years. For example, if you submitted documentation for the 2024/2025 academic year, you will need to resubmit an updated form for the 2027/2028 academic year. Evaluations can be completed through your local school district or through a psychologist licensed to conduct this type of evaluation by the state of North Carolina.
Once you have created an account with My Portal you will begin to receive updates and reminders about the NC ESA+ program. When the application window opens (February 6-March 6, 2025) you will be able to complete the additional steps necessary to apply for NC ESA+ funding.
Once your application is complete and the application window is closed, a lottery will be conducted and families will be notified of their award status in April. Funds will be deposited into a digital account twice a year—August/September and January/February.
Families have a variety of schooling options with NC ESA+. You can choose full-time enrollment in a private school, co-enrollment in a public and private school, or homeschooling. If you choose to homeschool, your funds will be available through ClassWallet and parents may use those funds on allowable expenses. We have more information on ClassWallet and allowable expenses below. You can also watch a helpful video explaining how NC ESA+ as a homeschooling family.
How Do I Use my ESA+ Funds with ClassWallet?
As we explained above, ClassWallet is the financial management platform for the NC ESA+ program. It’s run by a independent company contracted by the state to provide oversight and accountability for ESA+ funds.
All NC ESA+ expenses must be purchased through ClassWallet’s Marketplace. The first step is to ensure that your purchase is an allowable expense. There is an extensive list of allowable and non-allowable expenses on this web page and we suggest you consult this resource before purchasing any products.
The process for purchasing products and services through ClassWallet is fairly straight-forward. Parents will sign in to their ClassWallet account, select products from pre-approved vendors and sources, submit those items for review for eligibility, and once approved money will be used from your digital account to purchase the items and ship them to you.
You can also read through some helpful tips about using ClassWallet here. Or watch this video on using your NC ESA+ funds with ClassWallet:
Using Your Funds – Jul 5, 2023 11:45 AM – (31m 1s)
How do I use ClassWallet to purchase Compass Classroom products?
We understand that Compass products may not be accessible for all students with learning challenges, however some of the ways that we serve students with learning disabilities include:
- Self-paced learning modules
- Engaging and enthusiastic teachers
- Families can learn together and create conversation and discussion around topics and concepts
- Learning paths are organized with step-by-step instructions and modules to make following the curriculum as easy as possible
- Computer-based learning to help students who struggle with executive functioning–all the materials are available in one central location
- Video-based lessons for students who need help with reading or have visual learning strengths
- Unapologetically Christian and biblical worldview, to support students’ comprehension and critical thinking skills
- Facilitated courses: especially gentle ways to introduce social opportunities and authority outside of mom and dad, while still maintaining the environment that works best for the student.
To purchase Compass Classroom products you will log in to ClassWallet and then search for Compass Classroom in the marketplace. Click on the link to our customized web page for NC ESA+ customers and you will be taken to a page that looks like this:
It’s important that NC ESA+ customers first log in to their ClassWallet accounts and follow the links through the marketplace to Compass Classroom’s web page. This will ensure that you are able to seamlessly purchase our products using your ClassWallet funds.
Once you have selected your products, there will only be one option for payment—”ClassWallet.” Complete your purchase and your request will be approved and delivered to you.
What Can I Buy from Compass Classroom?
Compass Classroom has been developing video courses and curriculum materials for homeschool families since 2010. We provide comprehensive, self-guided, flexible courses in multiple subjects. Our goal is to make homeschooling easy for parents, enjoyable to students, and effective for learning.
We specialize in self-paced, user-guided video courses with accompanying textbooks and materials, as well as online teacher guidance. We provide courses for upper elementary to high school, including the following subjects: History, Economics, Literature, Science, Latin, Vocabulary, Calculus, Philosophy, Music, Grammar, Writing.
To see everything we offer, you can click SHOP in the menu below, click the button either to see all our products, or to view our catalog. Just remember to make your actual purchases through the NC ESA+ Marketplace.
“Compass is such a great resource for solid truth and Biblical foundations that my kids will be well equipped to face any challenges that question their beliefs!”
Holly
“The ease of this program for mommas and the fun and engaging nature of it for the kids makes it a favorite in our house!”
Susan
“History comes alive in this video curriculum.”
Wendy
Links and Contact Info for the North Carolina ESA+ program:
Here are a list of useful links, email, and phone number for the NC ESA+ Program:
ESA Welcome Packet for Parents
North Carolina Student Education Assistance Authority
Recent Family Webinars for NC ESA+
NC ESA+ Contact Information:
General Inquiries
1-855-330-3955
Login Help
1-855-763-5333 (toll free)
Education Student Accounts (ESA+)
1-855-330-3955 (toll free)
Do you have questions about Compass Classroom curriculum? Please Contact Us.
