The number of school choice policies across the United States has increased exponentially over the past five years, yet there has been no significant expansion on the federal level—until now. In 2027, a new groundbreaking policy called the “Educational Choice for Children Act” is set to launch, bringing major expansion of school vouchers across the country. But what does this new program mean for homeschoolers?
The short answer? It is yet to be determined, but there might be some potential for homeschoolers to access these funds. In this article, we will break down what the federal tax-credit scholarship program is, how it works, and what it may mean for homeschool families.
What is the Educational Choice for Children Act?
The Educational Choice for Children Act is a first-of-its-kind tax credit scholarship program which supports private school choice at the federal level; it will fund private school tuition, tutoring, and other educational expenses.
Support for school vouchers is at the heart of the program. The act does not do this in a traditional manner, like directly providing school vouchers. Instead, it is a tax credit, using the tax-code as its funding mechanism. Here’s how that works:
Starting on January 1st, 2027, individuals will be able to receive a tax credit of up to $1700 for donations that go to nonprofit organizations that distribute various types of scholarships to students attending various schools—these organizations are called “scholarship-granting organizations” (SGOs). When you think of a traditional school voucher program you would usually think of the government providing a parent with funds. That parent would then use voucher funds to enroll their children in an alternative school of their choice. In the Educational Choice for Children Act, individuals make donations, which are then distributed to students through scholarship-granting nonprofits. The end result is the same: the government has a decrease in money (less tax revenue) and more students are enrolled in schools of their choice.
How Does the Federal Educational Choice for Children Act Impact Homeschoolers?
For homeschooling families looking for additional funds for at-home expenses, this program will likely be inaccessible, however, there are other funding sources to explore ( you can check out our series on funding your homeschooling journey here ).
If you are a homeschooler who is a part of a microschool, you’ll want to pay attention to how this legislation unfolds in 2027.
Some microschools are already receiving funding through education saving account state voucher programs. But this isn’t the case in every state and microschools are categorized very differently across states; some states categorize microschools as private schools, and some leave them in a gray zone.
The key thing here is that scholarships, or vouchers, that come from the Federal Educational Choice for Children Act will be meant for schools. So, if a state defines microschools as a school, they would most likely be able to receive funding, and that would mean homeschoolers could access voucher funds. This is also complicated by the fact that SGOs would be administering the grants, and would need direction from the state to recognize microschools as a fundable school option.
There are many questions remaining on how the Educational Choice for Children Act will operate, largely because each state will have the authority to opt into the program and direct how it will be implemented. As of February 2026, the federal government is writing regulations for this program, so in time we will see more clarification on the federal level. It will be important to check your individual state policies as we get closer to 2027 to see if, and how, they are implementing the Educational Choice for Children Act. Because this is such a rapidly evolving topic, monitor updates on your state’s participation here.