NH Education Freedom Accounts

Everything You Need to Know about Education Freedom Accounts

Education Freedom Accounts (EFA) are grants from the State of New Hampshire, administered by CSF, made available to families to spend on their children’s education, including tuition at the school of their choice, tutoring, classes, online learning programs, educational supplies, technology, and other educational expenses.

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Who is eligible

To be eligible for a New Hampshire EFA

  1. You and your student must be New Hampshire residents and you must be the parent or legal guardian of the student.
  2. Your child must be at least 5 years old and no older than 20 years old and entering Kindergarten – 12th grade.
  3. If your family’s income is at or below 350% of the federal poverty level guidelines, then you are prioritized, along with current EFA recipients, siblings of EFA recipients, and students with special needs.
  4. You must complete the application process and sign the EFA agreement, which includes agreeing to share academic accountability documents.
  5. Students who will attend their local district public or a charter school full-time in school year 2025-26 will not be eligible to receive an EFA.

Who is not eligible

  1. Students who will be attending their local district public school full-time during the academic year for which they are applying are NOT eligible to receive an EFA. This means that if you receive an EFA award, your student cannot be enrolled in the EFA program and attend your local public school full-time. The student would be ineligible and you would be required to exit the student. If you fail to notify the scholarship organization that your student has become ineligible, you are liable for any State funds that you spend which your student was not entitled to under the law.
  2. Students who will be attending a public charter school full-time during the academic year for which they are applying are NOT eligible to receive an EFA. This means that if you receive an EFA award, your student cannot be enrolled in the EFA program and attend a public charter school full-time. The student would be ineligible and you would be required to exit the student. If you fail to notify the scholarship organization that your student has become ineligible, you are liable for any State funds that you spend which your student was not entitled to under the law.

Who is prioritized to receive an EFA

  1. Current EFA recipients.
  2. Siblings of current EFA recipients.
  3. Students with special needs.
  4. Students from families with an income at or below 350% of the federal poverty level guidelines (see chart below).

How to apply

Applications for Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) for the 2025-26 school year are now OPEN for both new and returning families.

New families
Returning EFA families

If your family has never applied to Children’s Scholarship Fund before, please click the New Families button. If your family currently uses an EFA, or if your family has ever applied to Children’s Scholarship Fund in the past, please click the Returning EFA Families button.

Please submit only one (1) application per family. Submitting multiple applications may delay processing times.

Important reminders when you’re applying

EFA application deadline: Applications are rolling. However, to receive a 100% EFA grant for the 2025-2026 school year, your completed application and supporting materials must be verified by Tuesday, July 15, 2025. 

  • Residency: You will need to prove you are a resident of New Hampshire by sharing your NH State ID or driver’s license. If you have neither, there are other ways to prove residency listed on the EFA application.
  • Guardianship: You will need to prove you are the legal guardian of the students for whom you are applying. Acceptable documentation for guardianship is listed on the EFA application.
  • Priority Groups and additional funding:
    • Financials: If your family has an income at or below 350% of the federal poverty level guidelines, you have the option of submitting financial information to be prioritized for an EFA and potentially receive additional funding.
    • Special Needs: If your student has a qualified disability, you have the option of submitting the most current individualized education plan (IEP) or complete the Medical Certification of Disability form for your student to be prioritized for an EFA and potentially receive additional funding.
  • You will only be eligible for an EFA grant award when the online application and all of your supporting documents have been submitted and verified by CSFNH.
  • The EFA grant has strict funding guidelines. EFA grants are awarded and prorated based on the EFA application’s completed and verified status. Please refer to the EFA parent handbook for more details. 
  • Supporting documents must be submitted in a PDF format. Please do not upload your supporting documents as pictures or videos.
  • Returning EFA families will need to submit a Record of Educational Attainment for the current school year to qualify for the upcoming school year.
  • If you’re not in a priority group (see Who is prioritized to receive an EFA above) and space is full, you may be placed on a waiting list.

CSF maintains the confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in accordance with state and federal law and requires that third-party vendors maintain the confidentiality of PII in accordance with state and federal law.

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