South Carolina allows homeschoolers to participate in school choice program  

After months of uncertainty, South Carolina homeschoolers can finally rest easy knowing they can participate in the state’s school choice program.

The budget recently approved by the South Carolina Legislature left out a proposed proviso that would have excluded homeschoolers from the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF). 

The difficulty began earlier this year when some state legislators disagreed with Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver’s interpretation of the new school choice law. 

In South Carolina, homeschool families must enroll in one of three oversight bodies: their local school district, the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools or an independent association with at least 50 members. 

The new school choice law prohibited families homeschooling under one of these three options from receiving ESTF funding. 

However, Weaver argued the law implicitly created a fourth option where homeschool families were directly accountable to the Department of Education.

In a letter to the state Legislature, Weaver referred to this fourth option as “unbundling” because it gave families maximum freedom to design an individualized education program. 

“Several categories of allowable educational expenses in the ESTF law would likely only be used by families using the ‘unbundling’ option,” she wrote. “These include the purchase of ‘textbook and curriculum,’ ‘fees for examinations,’ ‘individual courses,’ and ‘any other educational expense approved by the department to enable personalized learning consistent with the intent of this act.’”

However, not all lawmakers wanted school choice grants to be available to homeschoolers.

State Sen. Greg Hembree, R-Horry, proposed a bill – and later the budget proviso – to exclude homeschoolers.

The proviso, which would have only been in effect for one year, would have allowed homeschool families who participated last year to be grandfathered in but would have prevented additional homeschoolers from joining the ESTF program.

“I think we need to tap the brakes on this whole thing,” Hembree said in April. 

During its first year, ESTF funded 10,000 scholarships, including 1,200 for homeschool students. An additional 1,700 homeschoolers have been approved for first-time scholarships this fall.

Since the state budget passed without the proviso, homeschoolers are cleared to receive their scholarships. 

“Every South Carolina student deserves the educational opportunities that best meets their unique needs, and this clarity helps families make those choices with confidence,” said a spokesperson for the state Department of Education. 

Advocates for education freedom also celebrated the inclusion of homeschoolers.

“Too many people rely on this funding to access better educational opportunities for their children, and school choice is too impactful to be subject to the whims of the legislature,” said Ryan Dellinger, director of education policy at the Palmetto Promise Institute, which supports school choice.

“School choice is here to stay, and we are all better for it.”