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3. School of Choice: How to Use Public Funds to Pay for Online High School

Whether it works for your family comes down to two things: what your state offers and whether the school you want is able to accept the money. Below, you'll find a quick guide to the terms, how these funds work, and a state-by-state breakdown of program availability.

School-choice funding, in plain English

School-choice funding comes in a few different forms, and the names can get confusing, so here’s a quick review:

• Education savings account (ESA): The state puts education funds into an account for your family to use on approved expenses, such as tuition, curriculum, or tutoring. States give these accounts different names. Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account and New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account are both ESAs.
• Voucher: The state pays some or all of a student's tuition at a participating private school, usually within that state.
• Tax-credit scholarship: People or businesses donate to a nonprofit in exchange for a state tax credit. The nonprofit then uses those donations to award scholarships to students.
• Refundable tax credit: Families get money back for qualifying education expenses through their state tax return or, in some cases, an advance payment.

“Voucher” is often used as a catchall, but it isn't technically the same thing as an ESA. New Hampshire's program administrator makes that distinction directly in its fact sheet: “EFAs are not vouchers.”

Can these funds pay for an online high school?

Sometimes. Whether you can use them for online high school comes down to two questions:

1. Does your state's program allow online schools? Some do. Arizona's ESA rules, for example, cover tuition, fees, and required textbooks for nonpublic online schools. Others limit funding to schools within the state. Missouri's MOScholars allows private virtual schools located in Missouri, while Georgia's Promise Scholarship requires participating schools to be located in Georgia.
2. Can the school actually accept the funds? Some states require schools or education providers to register or receive approval before families can use their funding there. Texas, for example, allows online and out-of-state providers only if the provider applies and is accepted.

Using Arizona and New Hampshire school-choice funds at U.S. Career Institute

U.S. Career Institute participates in Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account and New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account. Because each state handles funding differently, here's what families should know about each one:

Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account

The Arizona Department of Education runs the ESA, and any Arizona resident eligible for kindergarten through 12th grade may apply. ESA funds can pay for a nonpublic online learning program — the category an online high school such as U.S. Career Institute falls under.

There are just a few rules families should know first:

• Your student can't be enrolled in a public district, charter, or public online school while on an ESA, and you can't accept a School Tuition Organization scholarship the same year.
• A portion of the ESA funds must be used for reading, grammar, math, social studies, and science.
• ESA students aren't considered homeschoolers under Arizona law, so you don't file a homeschool affidavit.
• Funds arrive in a ClassWallet account four times a year. To pay a school, you upload its invoice through ClassWallet's Pay Vendor option, and payment goes out after ESA staff approve it.

Start by applying through the Arizona Department of Education. After your contract is signed and your ClassWallet account is ready, U.S. Career Institute's admissions team can provide the official tuition invoice you'll submit for payment.

New Hampshire Education Freedom Account

Children's Scholarship Fund New Hampshire (CSF NH) runs the state's EFA. Students may apply if they live in New Hampshire, are eligible for public school in grades K-12, and are at least 5 years old by September 30. EFA funds can pay tuition and fees for nonpublic online learning programs, which the program handbook says may be “a holistic comprehensive online school program.”

New Hampshire also has several eligibility and timing requirements to keep in mind:

• Your student can't attend your district public school or a public charter school full time — meaning more than half of instructional time.
• Enrollment is capped at 12,500 students for 2026-27. Current EFA students, their siblings, students with disabilities and families at or below 350% of the federal poverty level aren't subject to the cap.
• Applications are rolling. Those completed and verified by July 15 receive the full grant; later applications are prorated.
• Each year, you submit a record of your student's progress by July 15: a standardized test, the state assessment, or a teacher's portfolio review.
• EFA students are not classified as home education students under New Hampshire law.
• Unused funds roll over from year to year, but EFA money can't pay for courses taken after high school graduation.

If you qualify, apply through CSF NH first. Once your EFA account is active, U.S. Career Institute can provide the tuition invoice you'll submit through ClassWallet.

What your student would enroll in

U.S. Career Institute's online high school is a 24-credit diploma with core classes in English, math, science and social studies, plus electives. Students work 100% online, one course at a time, at their own pace, and can transfer in up to 18 credits from a previous high school. U.S. Career Institute has open enrollment, so students can start when they're ready!

Every student also completes a four-credit track: a career pathway in healthcare, business, veterinary, fitness or paralegal, or a general education track. These pathway courses are introductory high school electives that count toward the 24 credits, not separate certificate programs.

We are accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). DEAC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency. U.S. Career Institute High School is also accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS).

School-choice funding by state

Here's each state's main private-school funding option and whether it could cover a private online high school as of this writing. (The ratings describe the state's rules, not whether U.S. Career Institute or another school accepts the funding.)

• Possibly: Online programs may qualify, but the school still needs to meet the state's requirements.
• Unclear: The state's rules don't clearly address online programs.
• No program found: We couldn't identify a statewide program that pays private school costs.

Because eligibility and provider approval vary, confirm with the state and the school before you enroll.

Before you apply

These few details are easy to miss:

1. Check age limits. In Arizona and New Hampshire, for example, students must be eligible for public school in grades K-12. If you're an adult finishing your diploma, ask about age rules before you apply.
2. Leaving public school is often part of the deal. In Arizona, your student can't be enrolled in a district or charter school while using the funds. In New Hampshire, your student can't attend one full time.
3. Homeschool rules may be different. Arizona and New Hampshire both classify program participants separately from homeschoolers under state law.
4. Deadlines and caps matter. Some programs have short application windows, enrollment caps, or funding that depends on each year's state budget.
5. Ask the school before you enroll. Confirm it's set up with your state's program and ask how payment works.
6. Keep your paperwork. Arizona and New Hampshire review purchases, and money spent outside the rules may have to be paid back.

A federal scholarship tax credit starts in 2027

Beginning January 1, 2027, donors can claim a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations in states that opt in. However, those scholarships aren't available yet. Whether families will be able to use them for online high school will depend on the state and the scholarship organization.

Make school-choice funding work for your student

If you live in Arizona or New Hampshire, talk with U.S. Career Institute's admissions team about how school-choice funding may apply to your student's online high school diploma. If you live somewhere else, request info to find out whether funding is available in your state!