Hi friends — Janae here. Most weeks in this newsletter are quiet. This one wasn't quite that quiet — a few states had real, dated things happen that are worth five minutes of your coffee this morning.
Texas: the TEFA waitlist is moving, but the clock is ticking
If your family applied for a Texas Education Freedom Account and got the "we'll let you know" email, listen up: the state opened a new round of waitlist awards on August 8, using leftover budget from families who ended up not needing their funds. If you're offered a spot, you have until September 15 to confirm it — miss that date and your award gets prorated instead of paid in full. Action: log into your TEFA portal today, and if you see an offer, confirm it the same day. Don't let it sit in your inbox.
North Carolina: this week's deadlines already came and went
Two North Carolina deadlines landed this week — the Opportunity Scholarship new-application window closed August 14, and ESA+ families holding an extended offer had until today, August 17, to accept or decline in MyPortal. If that's you and you haven't logged in, do it the moment you finish reading this. I've seen too many families lose a spot assuming a reminder email would come. Action: check MyPortal before you close this tab.
New Hampshire: the EFA program is full for the year
New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account program hit its enrollment cap of 12,500 students this week, and 943 eligible families are now on a waitlist. That's not a rejection — the cap is built to grow automatically as enrollment grows, and it's likely to rise again next cycle. Action: if you're on the NH waitlist, keep your documentation current so you're ready the moment a seat opens.
Quick hits
- West Virginia — Hope Scholarship's first quarterly payment for 2026-27 went out a couple days early to more than 25,000 students, including new families under the program's now-universal eligibility. Check your account if you haven't already.
- Tennessee — the first Education Freedom Scholarship payment of the year landed August 15, right on schedule.
- Arizona — two ballot measures touching the ESA program are tied up in court fights over ballot language and signature counts. Nothing changes for your account today, but I'll keep watching ahead of November.
- South Carolina — the state refreshed its approved education-service-provider list this week, worth a glance if you're shopping for a new curriculum vendor.
Keep your receipts, keep your deadlines on a calendar you actually look at, and don't wait on a reminder email that might not come. See you next week.
*Not legal advice — always confirm against your program's current official handbook.*