Whether you use funds for homeschooling or private school tuition and other educational opportunities for your child, we are here to help you find the right resources and answer all of your questions.
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Wondering how to make the most of your EFA? Start here.
EFA Program FAQs
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A: Students in the program for the 2025-2026 school year will receive $1,716 per quarter, for a total of $6,864 for each EFA account. The disbursements will happen four times a year: by August 21, 2025, by October 28, 2025, by February 3, 2026, and by April 14, 2026.
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A: EFA funds are designed to be flexible so that families can use them to support their child’s unique educational journey.
While not an exhaustive list, most families spend their fees on: tuition and fees (for private school families, they should spend on this first), tutoring, therapy, curriculum, assessments, instructional materials, uniforms, co-curricular and extra-curriculum classes, school supplies, technology, and transportation. Browse our School and Vendor Finder to help you choose the right options for your child.
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A: You can’t spend funds on non-education items such as food, cleaning materials, or accessories. Ineligible expenses are listed here.
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A: You’re right. There are two categories with spending caps:
Extracurricular classes are defined as PE classes and classes typically found outside of classrooms (e.g. sports, ninja camp, gymnastics), and in-state field trips. These expenses are limited to 25% of your student's overall total award.
Mileage reimbursement - is limited to no more than 25% of your student’s overall award.
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Marketplace vendors can be found on ClassWallet and you can purchase their items or services directly (e.g., Office Depot, Best Buy, Lakeshore Learning). These vendors have their own websites with their own “checkout” process.
Direct Pay vendors require you to request an invoice for what you want to buy (by email, phone, or website), and then submit the invoice to ClassWallet. You will wait for ClassWallet's approval, and then ClassWallet will transfer EFA funds to the business based on the invoice.
All other vendors who offer EFA-eligible products/services are reimbursable. Users can pay for the product/service out-of-pocket and submit the receipt for reimbursement by uploading it on ClassWallet. ClassWallet and ADE will review the request, and when approved, you will receive the equivalent funds from your child’s EFA account.
You can find all Marketplace and Direct Pay vendors on our School and Vendor Finder.
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You can submit reimbursements for eligible expenses through the ClassWallet platform.
You will need to upload proof of purchase including:
Name of vendor
Payment date
Cost of the item
Total amount paid
See our full reimbursement guide here.
Before submitting a reimbursement, make sure you have sufficient funds in your student’s ClassWallet account. You don’t need to submit your reimbursements right away and can wait until your next disbursement happens.
Reimbursements can take 2-3 weeks to process.
If you want more help with reimbursement, you can look at the ClassWallet help article.
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A: Parents will need to:
Download this file
Fill out the form. Look up the mileage in a GPS app to determine mileage.
Submit a reimbursement request through ClassWallet.
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A: Unless your child qualifies for an exemption, your child will need to take a nationally norm-referenced test approved by the ADE in math and reading. If your child attends a private school, the school will administer the test and share the results with the ADE. If your child is homeschooled, you should ensure your child is assessed after March 1st of that school year and share results with the ADE.
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A: You will need to submit documentation from a qualified provider (e.g., a therapist, pediatrician, counselor, etc) that states why the child needs to be exempt; and also submit evidence of academic progress over the school year. This could be:
Educational Progress Report- Written by a parent, teacher, therapist, or other educator familiar with your child's learning. It should summarize your child's growth and progress in core subjects over the course of the school year; or
Student Portfolio - You may submit a portfolio that includes examples of work completed during the school year. This could include writing samples, math worksheets, projects, or other materials that demonstrate academic engagement and learning.
Applying for the EFA is easy and should take you less than 10 minutes. There are four application windows that run through June 1st, 2026. Applications will be accepted by priority order and by preference if applications exceed the number of available seats.
Make sure you avoid common application challenges by checking out the guidance below. You can also connect with a real person on our team who can help you within 24 hours.
Everything you need to know about applying for EFA funds (and renewing!)
What’s the EFA Application Process?
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A: If your child has not previously participated in the EFA program, you will apply via FACTS (even if you have another child in the program already). You will submit documents to prove their age and residency in the state of Arkansas.
If your child was approved for the EFA program for the 2025-26 school year, then you will renew their application by completing the Renewal Survey in your ClassWallet account. -
A: First, your application will be reviewed according to the priority processing windows. Families will receive email updates regarding their application status.
Next, your account will be activated. Families with eligible applications will receive instructions for accessing their account through the ClassWallet platform later this summer.
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A: Applications will be reviewed for funding priority within the following three-week priority windows:
Priority Window A: March 9-March 29
Priority Window B: March 30-April 19
Priority Window C: April 20-May 10
Priority Window D: May 11-June 1
Applications submitted during each window will be reviewed and approved in priority order based on program eligibility requirements.
Families should complete their application or renewal by June 1st to secure their student's place in the EFA program for the 2026-2027 school year.
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A: Applications are reviewed in priority order:
1. Returning EFA students who participated in the program during the previous school year.
2. Students with specialized needs, including students with disabilities, student experiencing homelessness, students in foster care, and Succeed Scholarship recipients.
3. Students coming from schools rated D or F under the state accountability system.
4. Students whose parent or guardian serves in the military, law enforcement, or as a first responder.
5. First-time kindergarten students.
6. All other eligible Arkansas students.
Applications are reviewed by priority category within each application window and are not processed strictly on a first-come, first-served basis.
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A: If the number of applications exceeds available state funding for the EFA program, those in the highest priority groups will be awarded first until all funds have been allocated.
What Should I Know Before I Apply?
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A: Any K-12 student who is a resident of Arkansas and who has at least one parent who is also a resident is eligible. Applications take about 10 days to review for eligibility.
PreK students who turn 5 by August 1st of that school year are eligible.
There are no income restrictions.
There are no restrictions based on prior public school enrollment.
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A: Each child you apply for an EFA spot for must be 5 by Aug 1, 2026, which means they must be born on or before August 1, 2021.
If you are applying for more than 1 child, you’ll need to verify each child’s age
Acceptable documents include:
Birth Certificate
Passport
Immunization Record (ideally from the last 3 months)
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A: The current address that is listed on your application must match whatever is on the documentation.
Documents can include:
Drivers’ license
Government-issued documents (e.g. Passport)
Utility bills - from the past 3 months
Tax statements
Rent/lease/mortgage statements - from the past 3 months
Military orders (e.g. they have a Texas drivers’ license but have been transferred to Arkansas)
Voter registration
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Check out the EFA Family Handbook
The Arkansas Education Freedom Account (EFA) Family Handbook provides a comprehensive guide to the program.
EFA Funds for Homeschooling and Private Schools
Every K–12 student in Arkansas is eligible for $7,208 per year through the Education Freedom Account (EFA) — a state-funded program designed to make education more flexible and accessible for families like yours.
Whether you’re considering private school or homeschooling, this program helps cover the cost and offers tremendous flexibility for Arkansans to meet their children’s needs and interests.
The EFA application and renewal period for the 2026-2027 school year was March 9th-June 1st. New families applied through a platform called FACTS and returning families applied by completing a survey in the ClassWallet platform.
Still have questions?
We’d love to help you
School Choice Arkansas is here to provide step-by-step guidance — from exploring ESA-eligible providers and resources or choosing a charter, private, or public school that’s the right fit for your child. We can also help you get funding and enrollment support.