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Wyoming ESA (Steamboat Legacy) for homeschool families

Education savings account · Wyoming · 2026-27 · checked Oct 12, 2026 against 7 sources · General information, not legal or financial advice.

Your Wyoming ESA (Steamboat Legacy) to-do

  1. Enroll in the program's own category
    Families can keep teaching at home, but the child takes part as an "ESA student": by law an ESA student taught in a non-school setting is not a student of a home-based educational program. The signed ESA parent agreement satisfies compulsory attendance, and the parent gives the local school district an annual notice of participation in the ESA program. The child cannot be enrolled in a public school (individual contracted classes are allowed).
  2. Apply for 2026-27
    July 6, 2026 (9 a.m.) to August 6, 2026 (11:59:59 p.m.); now closed. Status emails and funds by September 1, 2026.
  3. Finish unenrolling from public school
    Within 15 days after approval (written notice to the district no later than 15 days after the signed ESA parent contract takes effect).
  4. Submit reimbursement requests
    Within 30 days of purchase, in the Odyssey portal.
  5. Upload assessment results
    Within 14 days of receiving the results or the vendor's completion documentation.

Print the receipt checklist

What a valid Wyoming ESA (Steamboat Legacy) receipt shows, and a log to fill in.

What Wyoming ESA (Steamboat Legacy) says

Wyoming Education Savings Account (Steamboat Legacy Scholarship), run by Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), with Odyssey as vendor.

Homeschoolers
Only by enrolling in the program's own category
Families can keep teaching at home, but the child takes part as an "ESA student": by law an ESA student taught in a non-school setting is not a student of a home-based educational program. The signed ESA parent agreement satisfies compulsory attendance, and the parent gives the local school district an annual notice of participation in the ESA program. The child cannot be enrolled in a public school (individual contracted classes are allowed).
Amount
WhoGradesPer year
K-12 studentK-12$7,000
2026-27, no income limit. Deposited in four equal quarterly payments; for 2026-27 funds were available by September 1, 2026. Students approved for 2025-26 and not in public school also get the $1,750 fourth-quarter 2025-26 payment rolled over.
Pre-kindergartenPre-K (age 4 by August 1)$7,000
One year only, for kindergarten-readiness programs; household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines (about $80,375 for a family of four).
What you can spend on
  • Tuition and fees at qualified private schools, including pre-kindergarten
  • Educational therapies (speech, occupational, behavioral, audiology and other special education services)
  • Tutoring services (non-family individual tutors or tutoring centers)
  • Curriculum and educational materials (curriculum, textbooks, instructional and supplemental materials)
  • Online learning programs (nongovernmental)
  • College courses (dual enrollment)
  • Career or technical school
  • Testing and assessments (norm-referenced, AP, college entrance exams and prep courses)
  • Technology (computer hardware, devices, educational software and applications)
  • Contracted public school services (individual classes, extracurricular activities)
  • Summer educational programs
  • Specialized after-school educational programs (not childcare)
  • Transportation fees to a fee-for-service provider
  • School uniforms
What a receipt must show
  • Reimbursement requests go in the Wyoming ESA portal (Odyssey) within 30 days of purchase
  • The receipt shows the vendor, date, total charges, an itemized list and full description of products or services, and proof of payment method
  • Handwritten receipts are not accepted
  • Purchases made before September 1 (2026-27) are not reimbursed; expenses are paid after the service is given or the product ships, except tuition and fees required for enrollment or assessment
  • Keep all receipts and records: the WDE audits accounts
Where you submit
Odyssey (Wyoming ESA portal and Marketplace)
Both direct pay and reimbursement
Learning plan
Not required
Testing
Yes. Every year the student takes the state assessment (WY-TOPP, grades 3-10, at the local school) or an approved nationally norm-referenced achievement exam; the results or the vendor's proof of completion go to the WDE within 14 days of receiving them, or the student may lose eligibility.
Renewal
Yearly: the WDE announces the renewal period before each school year; sign and submit the renewal contract by the deadline. Returning students and their siblings get priority. Unused funds roll over while the student stays eligible.
Legal status (checked 2026-10-12): the WEA lawsuit (filed June 13, 2025) against the program is still pending in Laramie County District Court. A preliminary injunction blocked payments for 2025-26; the Wyoming Supreme Court unanimously lifted it on May 14, 2026, so the WDE may pay families while the case continues. The case is about whether the funding mechanism is constitutional.
Because the injunction lifting was not retroactive, 2025-26 costs were not reimbursed; only the $1,750 fourth-quarter payment rolls into 2026-27.
The program began as the 2024 income-qualified Wyoming ESA Act and became universal for K-12 under the 2025 Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act (HB 199).

Sources

General information, not legal or financial advice. Programs change their rules every year; check with Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), with Odyssey as vendor before you spend. If something looks wrong, tell us.

How Homepen helps

Homepen keeps your days, hours and records, and reminds you of the testing deadline. A receipt vault (snap a receipt, pick the child and category, mark it submitted) is coming in a later version.

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