What an ESA+ account can pay for in Charlotte
ESA+ is North Carolina's education savings account for K-12 students with a disability. Here is every 2026-27 spending category, which purchases count toward the $500 academic rule, and what is off-limits.
Last verified: October 2026
What can a Charlotte family buy with an ESA+ account?
An ESA+ account pays private school tuition and fees, educational therapy, tutoring, curriculum, educational technology, standardized tests and textbooks, and contracted transportation. For 2026-27 it also pays art and music lessons. The base award is $9,000 and the higher award is $17,000.
What is the ESA+ $500 academic spending rule?
Each ESA+ student must have at least $500 a year spent on tuition or on core-subject curriculum, tutoring, textbooks or testing to renew. Math, science, English language arts and social studies are the core subjects; foreign language is allowed but does not count.
How do ESA+ purchases work?
Most purchases go through the ClassWallet Marketplace, up to ten items per order and one expense category per order. Services are paid to SEAA-enrolled providers. ClassWallet closes for the year around the third week of June, and rejected orders can be contested through NCSEAA's reconsideration process.
Does the Opportunity Scholarship pay for any of this?
Mostly no. The Opportunity Scholarship pays only a Direct Payment School's required tuition and fees, which can include books, transportation or equipment the school requires and bills.
School costs
Learning materials
Curriculum & core textbooks
Curriculum is the backbone of a home-schooled ESA+ student's account and the easiest way to meet the $500 academic rule.
See the rule →Learning materialsStandardized tests, AP & college entrance exams
Testing fees are an allowed and counted expense, and for scholarship students in some grades the state pays the school for the test.
See the rule →Technology
Services
Educational therapy (speech, OT, ABA and more)
Therapy is where ESA+ differs most from the Opportunity Scholarship, which cannot pay for it at all.
See the rule →ServicesTutoring, art & music lessons
Live instruction from an SEAA-enrolled provider is allowed, and art and music lessons were added for 2026-27.
See the rule →ServicesTransportation to school and services
Transportation is allowed when it is a formal arrangement with an enrolled provider, not mileage or gas.
See the rule →Allowed vs not allowed, at a glance
| Allowed with ESA+ | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Ready-to-use core curriculum and required core textbooks | Paper, pens, planners, printer ink and furniture |
| One computer, tablet and whiteboard every three years | Internet service, phones, game consoles and repairs |
| SEAA-enrolled therapists and tutors | Chiropractic care; providers not enrolled with SEAA |
| Art and music lessons from enrolled providers (2026-27) | Art and music supplies, curricula and competition fees |
Want a spending plan for your child's ESA+?
An advisor maps your award to the categories that fit and the $500 academic rule.