North Carolina: Education Student Accounts (ESA+)

The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) awards certain students with special needs accounts that are loaded each semester with funds for qualified educational and therapeutic uses, including private school tuition.

• Base Award: Students attending non-public schools (private schools or homeschool) receive up to $9,000 per year for qualified educational and therapeutic expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring, speech therapy, and educational technology
• Enhanced Award for Specific Disabilities: Students with certain disabilities (e.g., autism, hearing impairment, moderate to severe intellectual developmental disability, orthopedic impairment, or visual impairment) qualify for up to $17,000 annually
• Partial Award for Part-Time Public School: Students attending public school part-time can receive partial awards up to $4,500 per year.

• Income Limit: None
• Prior Year Public School Requirement: Conditional
• Testing Mandates: Nationally-Norm Referenced Test
• Special Needs Pathway: Pathway

To qualify for North Carolina’s Education Student Accounts (ESA+), students must meet specific criteria related to special needs and residency. The key eligibility requirements are:

• Special Needs: Must have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and be identified by a local school district as a “child with disabilities” under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including:

• Autism
• Intellectual disability
• Hearing or visual impairment
• Speech or language impairment
• Serious emotional disturbance
• Orthopedic impairment
• Traumatic brain injury
• Other health impairment
• Specific learning disability

• Reassessment: Eligibility must be reassessed every three years by a local school district, a psychologist with a school psychology focus, or a psychiatrist.
• Residency and Age: Must reside in North Carolina and be at least 5 years old by August 31, or at least 4 years old by April 16 and approved for kindergarten based on giftedness and maturity per state guidelines.
• Educational Status: Must not have graduated from high school, not be enrolled full-time in a postsecondary institution, and not be placed in a nonpublic school or facility by a public agency at public expense.

1. Visit the Education Student Accounts (ESA+) “How to Apply” webpage here.

1. The following steps are also listed on the “How to Apply” page itself.

2. Create a MyPortal Account

1. MyPortal is the platform families use to apply for the ESA+

3. Apply for the ESA+

1. Apply in MyPortal from February 6 until 5pm on March 6, 2025

4. Upload Eligibility Determination

1. Upload your student’s eligibility determination in MyPortal as soon as you complete the application

5. Check MyPortal (early May)

Education Savings Accounts can be used to pay for the following:

• Tuition and fees for private school
• Certain services and products related to educating a child with disabilities
• Curricula and textbooks

• Must be related to the following academic subjects: Math, Science, English Language Arts, Social Sciences, Foreign Languages.

• Tutoring
• Educational Therapy
• Educational Technology
• Transportation
• Standardized Tests

Funds may not be used for the following:

• Consumable education supplies (e.g. paper and pens)
• Tuition and fees at higher education institutions
• Household items
• Field Trips
• Tickets to events
• Memberships to organizations
• Out-of-state in-person services
• Sports Equipment
• Furnishing
• Musical Instruments

Education Savings Account (ESA) funds in North Carolina roll over to the next year if they are unused, allowing parents to accumulate funds for future educational expenses.

Additional Program Guidelines

• Enrollment Cap: None
• Budget Cap: $49,943,166 (2024-2025) (Escalator)
• Account Cap: $9,000 ($17,000 for students with certain disabilities).

Participant and Family Guidelines

• Click Here for the Program Administrator’s Parent Handbook
• Education Requirements: Provide an education in the subjects of English language arts, mathematics, social studies and science
• Parent Supplemented Funds/Scholarships: Allowed
• Payment/Disbursement Frequency:
• Reimbursement: Allowed
• Miscellaneous:

• ESA expenses subject to preapproval process
• Release the school district from all obligations to educate the student
• Use funds only for the qualified education expenses of the eligible student

Education Provider Guidelines

• Accreditation/Approval: State, regional, or national
• Employment Standards: Background checks
• Nondiscrimination: Federal
• Calendar/Curriculum/Attendance: English and math achievement reflected in testing
• Financial: CPA financial review for providers receiving greater than $300,000 in annual ESA scholarship funds

N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 115C-590 through 600

(Last updated July 14, 2024)