Read this before you spend anything: South Carolina has hit its statutory student cap for 2026-27 and the parent application is closed. New schools can still prepare, but funded students are not currently available. Verify the position for 2027-28 before you spend money on setup.
The gate: ClassWallet vendor registration — but the student cap is the binding constraint
What the rules actually say
“The Application for the 2026-27 school year has now closed, as we have reached our statutory limit of 15,000 students.”
— SCDE ESTF page
The sequence, in order
1. Form a SC nonprofit corporation + EIN. To receive full-time ESTF tuition, an “eligible school” must be a nonprofit South Carolina independent school (SC Code 59-8-110(3)) — a for-profit LLC is ineligible for full-time tuition. File nonprofit articles with the SC Secretary of State, get an EIN, and pursue 501(c)(3); you’ll supply business/banking details during ESP onboarding and in ClassWallet.
2. Choose role: approved independent school vs. ESP. ESTF pays tuition at SCDE-approved independent schools and services from approved ESPs; both must be SCDE-approved.
3. Submit the SCDE Education Service Provider application (STATE GATE). SCDE reviews and issues a decision within ~10 business days. This pre-approval is required before any funds can flow.
4. Complete ClassWallet registration & link your bank. Within ~3 business days of ESP approval you get a ClassWallet email; finish registration and link a bank account to receive payments.
5. Secure a compliant facility (zoning, fire, occupancy). Confirm zoning permits a school use and pass fire/occupancy inspection — local requirements independent of ESTF.
6. Invoice families via ClassWallet. Award ~$7,500–$7,634/student. IMPORTANT: both 2025-26 and 2026-27 are FULLY SUBSCRIBED (waitlist only), and tuition-eligibility rests on a 2025 statutory fix after a 2024 court ruling — you’d be preparing for the waitlist / a future cycle. Keep itemized records for SCDE audit.
Where founders actually stall
South Carolina is capped by statute, not by your readiness. You can do everything right and still have no funded families available to you.
What we have not verified
Whether the cap rises for 2027-28 and when the next application window opens.
We would rather say this than guess. Everything above that is stated as fact carries a link to the primary source, so you can check us.
Sources
We are not selling South Carolina setup right now
Given what the warning above says, taking your money for a South Carolina setup package today would be wrong. So we are not offering it on this page.
Confirm your position with the state first. If it clears, tell us and we will pick it up from there — or leave your email below and we will let you know when South Carolina reopens.
Free: the South Carolina starter checklist
Free: the South Carolina microschool starter checklist
Where to begin, what your state requires, and how funding works. No fluff.