Planning a year of home-based instruction often brings curriculum decisions and budget questions together. Your family may need to replace an unsuitable math level, add structured spelling practice, purchase physical manipulatives, or choose a writing program with more guidance.
The strongest purchases begin with student readiness. Materials that match current skills allow lessons to build on secure understanding, while a poor fit can slow progress even when state funding covers the cost.
New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account program may help eligible families pay for approved curriculum, tutoring, technology, testing, and other educational expenses. Although many participating students receive instruction at home, New Hampshire law treats EFA participation separately from a home education program. Families, therefore, need to understand the program’s responsibilities, purchasing rules, and purchasing options before applying.
New to education funding programs? Begin with Demme Learning’s general guide to using state education funding for homeschooling.
How Education Freedom Accounts Work in New Hampshire
An Education Freedom Account, commonly called an EFA, is a state-funded account for approved K-12 educational expenses. Children’s Scholarship Fund New Hampshire administers the program, verifies eligibility, and reviews purchases.
Eligible students must live in New Hampshire and qualify to enroll in a public elementary or secondary school. Current program guidance does not impose a general household income limit for basic eligibility. If enrollment reaches the program cap, however, priority may be given to current EFA students, their siblings, students with qualifying disabilities, and families at or below 350 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.
Students may not attend their resident district public school for more than 50 percent of their instructional time. Families considering district, charter, or other public-school coursework should confirm the current enrollment restrictions with the program administrator.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Timing affects whether a family may receive a full or prorated award, so review the current application guidance before building a homeschool budget around EFA funds. Demme Learning’s Educational Assistance Programs resource directs families to the state program.
What New Hampshire EFA Families Should Verify
EFA participation offers families purchasing flexibility, but also entails academic and administrative responsibilities.
Parents agree to provide instruction across New Hampshire’s required core knowledge areas and submit an annual record of educational attainment. Options may include a standardized achievement test, the statewide assessment, or an eligible portfolio evaluation. A report card may qualify when a student attends an approved public school outside the resident district or a nonpublic school full-time. Part-time students cannot use the report-card option.
New Hampshire law distinguishes EFA participation from a separate home education program. A home education program ends once EFA participation begins, and the signed agreement satisfies the state’s compulsory attendance requirement.
Daily instruction may still take place at home. Families retain control over curriculum, scheduling, and instruction while meeting the program’s subject, documentation, and annual attainment requirements.
Before applying, confirm these key details:
- Eligibility and residency requirements
- Application and renewal procedures
- Educational attainment options and deadlines
- Approved educational expenses
- Public and charter school enrollment restrictions
- Purchasing and recordkeeping expectations
Purchasing Through ClassWallet
Approved families access EFA funds through ClassWallet. After an account is created, parents can view the student’s balance and submit purchases. The current EFA Parent Handbook explains three purchasing paths.
Marketplace purchases allow families to buy eligible materials from participating vendors without paying out of pocket first. Available items may include curriculum, books, computers, supplies, and manipulatives. Every order enters an approval queue. Review your cart before submitting it , as an ineligible item may require the family to remove that product and place the order again.
Direct Pay sends EFA funds to an approved education service provider or retailer. Invoices should be uploaded through ClassWallet. The invoice should identify the provider or retailer, the participating student when applicable, the product or service, the date, and the amount due. Clear descriptions help reviewers confirm that the expense meets program requirements.
Reimbursement allows families to pay for an approved expense with personal funds and request repayment. Detailed receipts and proof of payment are required, and review may take longer than a Marketplace or Direct Pay order.
Education service providers, including tutors and schools, must appear on the approved provider list for both Direct Pay and reimbursement. Confirm provider status and expense eligibility before paying out of pocket.
Start With Placement Before Purchasing
Program approval confirms that an expense fits EFA rules, but it does not confirm that a curriculum level fits the student.
A student placed too far ahead may remember procedures without understanding the concepts, while someone placed too far behind may repeat mastered material and lose momentum. Appropriate placement gives each new skill a secure foundation.
Use Demme Learning’s Placement Tools before purchasing Math-U-See, Spelling You See, Analytical Grammar, or WriteShop. The placement resource provides guidance for all four programs.
Guidance on mastery-based math placement can help identify conceptual gaps that age or grade-level assumptions may miss. Families choosing a spelling level can also review Spelling You See readiness and placement guidance, which bases placement on developmental skills rather than grade alone.
Accurate placement protects EFA funds, as well. Refunds return directly to the student’s account. Confirming the correct level before checkout can reduce delays, returns, and disruptive midyear changes.
Plan New Hampshire EFA Purchases With Purpose
Funding should support the instructional plan rather than determine it. Begin with what the student needs to understand next, then match eligible resources to those goals.
A practical purchasing plan should include these elements:
- Core subjects that need curriculum or additional support
- Placement results for each selected program
- Approved print, digital, and hands-on resources
- The correct Marketplace, Direct Pay, or reimbursement method
- Testing or portfolio evaluation needs
- A recordkeeping system for each participating student
Choose technology for a defined academic purpose and use it alongside direct instruction and physical materials. Writing resources can support history and science assignments, while math manipulatives can reinforce measurement during cooking, building, or scientific investigation.
EFA funds belong to the individual student and cannot be shared between siblings, so every purchase must be linked to the educational needs of the student whose account covers it.
Keep approval notices, attainment records, order confirmations, invoices, receipts, reimbursement submissions, and program communications in one place. Review balances regularly, and check current guidance before buying an unfamiliar product or service.
Use New Hampshire Funding to Support Strong Instruction
New Hampshire’s EFA program can make curriculum and instructional resources more accessible, but strong decisions still begin with the student.
- Confirm eligibility
- Review annual responsibilities
- Determine placement
- Choose materials that build skills in a logical sequence
- Use the purchasing method that fits the approved expense
Clear instructional goals allow families to invest in resources that encourage mastery, multisensory practice, and steady academic progress.
Ready to choose supplies that fit your student’s needs? Review the current New Hampshire EFA guidance, complete the application process if necessary, and search for Demme Learning in the ClassWallet marketplace to find approved curriculum and supplies.
Leave a Reply