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Whether you have applied for the Wyoming Education Savings Account (ESA) program already or are seriously considering it, step one to getting started with an ESA for your kiddo is understanding how you can use those funds. After all, you want to make the most of this opportunity, support your child’s education in the best way possible, and make sure your expenses line up with what the program allows.
Luckily, Wyoming’s ESA program gives families lots of meaningful educational options, including private school, online learning, and approved educational services. But it’s important to know what counts and what doesn’t.
This guide walks through the categories of approved ESA expenses in Wyoming, what typically qualifies within each one, and where it’s helpful to double-check eligibility. After reading, you’ll feel confident about using ESA funds in a way that supports your child’s education and goals.
Wyoming’s ESA was created under the Wyoming Education Savings Account Act. It’s administered by the Wyoming Department of Education in partnership with Odyssey.
Right now, the program is paused due to ongoing litigation. That can feel frustrating, especially if you’re trying to plan ahead. But at this time, only families who were already funded for the 2025–26 school year may continue using approved ESA funds. If you’re unsure where your family stands, it’s worth confirming your status before making any enrollment or spending decisions.
However, when the program is active, eligible families can receive up to $7,000 per student, per school year. You can use those funds to support approved educational options, including private school tuition, online private schools, curriculum, tutoring, and other qualifying educational services.
When the program’s live, you apply during the state’s official application window and submit documentation such as proof of Wyoming residency, your child’s age, and, for preschool applicants, income verification. Students generally cannot be enrolled in public school during the funded year.
It’s also helpful to know how the system handles payments. ESA funds don’t go directly to you. Instead, they’re placed into a secure ESA account in the Odyssey portal. Approved schools and service providers submit invoices through that system, and payments are made directly from the student’s ESA account. In most cases, there’s no debit card and no cash reimbursement at the point of purchase.
Wyoming groups approved ESA expenses into a few clear categories. Each one supports learning in a different way, but all share the same goal. They aim to help you direct funds toward educational services that fit your child’s needs.
ESA funds can cover tuition and required fees at approved private schools, eligible online schools, and with approved educational service providers like bina. This gives your family the flexibility to choose a learning environment that fits your child, while making sure funds support actual teaching and coursework.
Most education providers must meet accreditation or approval requirements through the Odyssey system. In addition to tuition, related expenses can include:
Tutoring can give your kids targeted support in the areas where they need it most. Wyoming allows ESA funds to cover qualified tutoring and instructional support when the provider meets program requirements and is not an immediate family member.
Tutoring funds are often used for:
Instructional materials form the backbone of day-to-day learning. This is why ESA funds cover curriculum and learning materials that students use as part of their educational program, including homeschool and private school coursework.
Approved materials usually include:
Some courses and educational programs rely on technology. Luckily, ESA funds can cover tools that directly support learning within an approved program.
Examples of eligible technology include:
Certain subjects need hands-on materials. If the course requires them, ESA funds generally cover them.
That can include items such as:
Some students need extra support to access learning. When a child has documented learning needs, ESA funds can be used for approved therapeutic or developmental services. But these services must come from licensed professionals.
You can use ESA funds for extra support, such as:
A few education expenses fall outside the main categories. But if they support learning and receive approval, ESA funds will cover them.
This can include costs like:
If you’re unsure about whether ESA funds cover the cost you’re thinking about, it’s best to check eligibility before spending can save stress later. You can do that by confirming the provider’s approval status in the Odyssey portal or reaching out to the school or educational service provider directly for guidance.
This is the part parents usually want to double-check. After all, nobody wants to plan learning around something that later turns out not to qualify.
Here’s what you need to know: Wyoming ESA funds must focus on education. Anything that looks personal, recreational, or unrelated to instruction generally falls outside the program rules.
With that in mind, ESA funds typically don’t cover:
If something sits in a grey area, check before you spend. You can confirm eligibility in the Odyssey portal or look through Wyoming’s list of approved and non-approved expenses from the Department of Education before moving forward.
You should be able to pay for most things through the ESA marketplace, and that should always be your first stop. Items there already have approval and documentation built in, so there’s very little for you to manage.
If something isn’t available in the marketplace, reimbursement does exist — but only if you get approval before you spend. If you don’t get approval first, the state may deny the reimbursement, even if the expense seems educational.
With that in mind, here’s what to do if you’re paying for something with ESA funds.
Following these steps in order helps avoid delays or denied reimbursements later.
The simplest option is always the Wyoming ESA marketplace inside the Odyssey portal. Items and services listed there already have approval, so the system handles the paperwork for you. You don’t need to upload receipts or worry about reimbursement later.
Sometimes a service or item isn’t available in the marketplace. When that happens, reimbursement becomes a backup option — but only with pre-approval.
Before you spend anything, you need written approval from the Wyoming Department of Education’s ESA Finance Manager. To get that approval, contact the Wyoming Department of Education and explain the expense you want to make. Wait for written confirmation before purchasing, because reimbursement isn’t a guarantee without it.
Currently, pre-approval requests go to:
Kimberly Wyman, ESA Program Manager
Email: wde-esa@wyo.gov
Once you receive pre-approval, you can go ahead and make the purchase. Keep all records of your purchases as you’ll need them in the approval stage.
Within 30 days of your purchase, log in to the Odyssey portal and submit the reimbursement request. Upload an itemized receipt, proof of payment, and the pre-approval form. The system does not accept handwritten receipts.
The state usually reviews requests within about 14 days. If they deny a request, you can ask for a review, but that review decision is final.
Keeping clear records protects you if questions come up later, and it helps you avoid denied expenses or account issues.
If you’re looking at alternative schooling options like bina, the main question is usually a practical one: Can your Wyoming ESA actually be used, and how does that work?
bina is an accredited educational service provider that works with ESA programs in several states, including Wyoming. When Wyoming’s ESA program is active, and a student is approved, ESA funds can be applied toward learning services.
Families often choose bina for its live, small-group classes, caring teachers, structured curriculum, and personalized-approach to learning. Lots of students find it offers a better fit than traditional public schools.
If you have questions about funding or enrollment, bina’s admissions team will walk you through them. We can help confirm whether you can use your ESA funds and explain how bina fits within Wyoming’s program.
No. ESA funds are state education funds, not personal income. When you use them for approved educational expenses, the state doesn’t treat them as taxable income. Plus, the money never goes through your bank account. It stays in your child’s ESA account and is paid directly to approved schools or providers.
If you use those funds for something that isn’t approved, you may need to repay that amount, but that’s separate from tax treatment.
When the program is active, unused funds stay in the student’s ESA account and can roll over from year to year. Those funds can be used for approved K–12 expenses until age 21, as long as the student hasn’t graduated. You can’t withdraw funds in cash.
If your child leaves the program or becomes ineligible, remaining funds return to the state program.
Sometimes. To gain approval, activities must be part of an approved educational program, provided by an approved vendor, and clearly tied to learning. Stand-alone recreational activities usually don’t qualify, so it’s best to check approval in Odyssey before enrolling.
