What Arkansas EFA Money Can Buy in 2026–27, and the Ask-Before-You-Spend Rule

You've got Arkansas Education Freedom Account money. For 2026–27, that's $7,208 per student, or $8,011 for Succeed Scholarship students. So what can you actually spend it on? Let's go right to ADE's list, and then talk about the one rule that keeps you out of trouble.

The 2026–27 Eligible Expense List

For 2026–27, ADE lists these eligible expenses: tuition and fees, uniforms, testing, instructional materials, tutoring services, curricula, supplemental supplies, specific technology devices, transportation costs and fees for college courses.

For a homeschool family, that covers a lot of ground. Your math and reading curriculum. The workbooks and manipulatives that go with it. A tutor for the subject you dread teaching. The approved reading and math test your child needs. Even college course fees for an older student ready for more.

Read the Fine Print on Technology

Notice the words: specific technology devices. Not any technology. Not whatever gadget your teenager wants for Christmas. If you're thinking about a device, find out exactly which ones qualify before you swipe a card.

That's what Carla did. She's a homeschool mom in Searcy with a fifth grader and a ninth grader. Her plan for the first quarter was curriculum for both kids, plus a laptop for her ninth grader's online coursework. The curriculum was obviously on the list, so she bought it right away. The laptop she wasn't sure about. So she contacted the Office of School Choice and Parent Empowerment first and held off on buying until she had an answer in hand. She also had an idea for a hands-on field trip that wasn't on the list at all. Same move: she asked before spending a dime.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

The Ask-Before-You-Spend Rule

Here it is, the rule that saves families headaches. If an expense isn't listed, ask the Office of School Choice and Parent Empowerment before you spend.

Why does this matter so much? Because the money is public money with rules attached. If you buy something that doesn't qualify and try to get reimbursed, you're the one holding the bill. Asking takes a little time. Guessing wrong costs real dollars.

And don't take your cousin's word for it, or a comment in an online group. What someone else got approved for, in some other situation, isn't your answer. The office is.

Spend Like It's Your Own Money

Because it basically is. It's your child's education. The families who get the most out of the EFA plan the year before they shop. Core curriculum first. Testing budgeted. Tutoring for the weak spots. Then the extras.

Remember, too, that money arrives quarterly. For 2026–27, that's