How the money actually flows

Hope Scholarship is an ESA program with broad (near-universal) eligibility. Awards are ≈$5,435.62 for 2026-27 (tied to state per-pupil aid); ACH to school ~twice yearly. Payments run through TheoPay (Student First Technologies) via the Hope Scholarship portal — NOT ClassWallet. Confirm the current details on the official program site before acting.

1. Confirm how the money flows. West Virginia families use Hope Scholarship funds through TheoPay (Student First Technologies) via the Hope Scholarship portal — NOT ClassWallet to pay approved schools/providers. Your job is to be set up to receive them cleanly.

2. Get your business paperwork in order. Legal entity, tax ID (EIN), and proof you are a real operating school.

3. Meet the state requirements. WV does not license private schools conventionally; schools operate under WV Code §18-28 exemption (b) (county-board-approved) or (k) (self-electing), subject to fire/safety/sanitation/immunization rules.

4. Apply as an approved provider. An exemption (b)/(k) school becomes an 'Education Service Provider' via the Hope Scholarship Board's online New Provider Request Form; Board confirms registration with WV DOE, then the school invoices through the portal.

5. Keep clean invoicing & records. Program spending is documented and audited. Clear invoices and audit-ready records are how you get paid and stay clear.

Important for West Virginia: Portal is TheoPay, not ClassWallet (common error). Pre-2026 eligibility 'before/after' framing directional, not primary-verified.

The one step that decides whether you get funded in West Virginia

We read the West Virginia rules and wrote up exactly what gates the money, what the law says word for word, and where founders stall.

Read the West Virginia funding gate →

Want us to walk the West Virginia approval with you?

Get set up in West Virginia

West Virginia has no pre-approval step before funding, which makes it one of the lighter states to set up in. Both options are one-time. We never take a cut of your tuition.

Launch Kit · $950. Your West Virginia playbook: every step in the right order, the document each one needs, and the operator tools (roster, attendance, tuition billing, evidence vault). You do the filing.

Get the Launch Kit · $950

Concierge · $1,995. Everything in the Launch Kit, plus we do the ESA-vendor registration with you in a working session, inside West Virginia’s own platform.

Get Concierge · $1,995

Secure checkout via Stripe. We email you within one business day to confirm your state and school. Guidance, not legal advice.

Or start free: the West Virginia checklist

Free: the West Virginia microschool starter checklist

Where to begin, what your state requires, and how funding works. No fluff.

Questions founders ask

Do you take a cut of my scholarship money?

No. You pay us once, and never a per-student cut.

Do I have to use a specific curriculum?

No. MicroschoolLaunchKit is the compliance and operations layer — use whatever curriculum or model you want. We handle the paperwork around it, not the teaching.

What exactly is ESA / voucher approval?

Many states let families use public scholarship funds for private-school tuition. Getting approved as a provider/vendor is how that money reaches your school. We walk you through it, state by state.

Do you take a cut of my tuition?

Never. You pay us once. Your tuition is 100% yours — unlike franchise networks that take a fee for every student.

Is this legal advice?

No. We give plain-language guidance and sourced requirements, not legal advice. For legal-sensitive decisions we point you to an education attorney.

Official sources (verify current requirements): hopescholarshipwv.gov · hopescholarshipwv.gov · code.wvlegislature.gov

How to get funded in West Virginia