How to Use Program-Funded Credits to Pay for Outschool Classes

Education Spending Accounts (ESAs), Microgrants, and state scholarships enable eligible families to utilize state-provided funds for educational opportunities, including therapies, tutoring, and more. Eligible families in select states can now purchase credit bundles on their state program’s marketplace to be used for program-approved Outschool classes. This article addresses frequently asked questions and provides answers for prospective and existing Outschool families with public funding.

Click here to view information about your state program.

No, program-funded credit bundles purchased through state programs are tied to the learner who is the recipient of the program funds. These credits can only be used to sign up for classes for that one learner.

If you would like to enroll in classes for a learner who does not have state funds, you are welcome to purchase enrollments with your credit card or choose an Outschool membership.

Families who have program-funded credits will be placed in a filtered shopping experience that only shows classes that are approved by your program. Please note that some states only allow enrollment in classes that are specific subjects or taught by an educator with specific credentials. More information on approved expenses can be found in your program’s parent handbook.

If you would like to enroll in a class that is not approved by your program, you can remove the filter and then sign up for the class with your credit card or Outschool membership.

If you are new to Outschool, you’ll be asked to enter your credit card information for the limited purpose of providing identity verification. In other words, your use of a credit card serves as proof that you are the learner’s parent or guardian.

If a class has a recurring payment cadence, you will be prompted to add your credit card as an optional backup in case you run out of credits. This will ensure that there is no interruption to your learners’ enrollments.

When you receive a refund from Outschool for a class enrolled in with your program-funded credits, you’ll receive a confirmation email immediately, and the credits will be returned to your Outschool balance.

You can view your balance at any time from your Outschool account or your account transactions page.

When you click the subscribe button for a recurring weekly class, select weekly payments for fixed-length classes, or enroll in tutoring, the weekly payment will be automatically deducted from your Outschool credit balance.

If there are not enough funds in your Outschool balance to cover the weekly payment, funds will be drawn from your Outschool balance first, and then the remainder will be charged to the credit card on file.

If a family has a Membership AND Program-funded Credits, we will debit for enrollments in the following order:

Unused program-funded credits don’t expire. As long as your learner is still enrolled in the state program and the program is still active, you will have access to your credits.

If the state program ends or your learner is no longer eligible for the program, unused program-funded credits may be removed from your account and funds returned to the state program.

In state-funded programs, credits are tied to a specific learner’s eligibility. If program-funded credits are accidentally purchased under the wrong learner, please contact Outschool Support as soon as possible.

You can view your current balance, transaction history, and credit usage by visiting your Outschool Transactions Page.

Program-funded credit bundles are non-refundable and cannot be converted to cash or transferred to another learner. If your learner is no longer enrolled in the program or if the program ends, unused credits may expire or be returned to your state, based on state policy.

If Outschool or an educator cancels a class that was paid for with program-funded credits, your credits will be automatically returned to your Outschool account. They will remain tied to the original learner and can be reused for another approved class.

Yes, you can! If a class costs more than your available program-funded credits, Outschool will automatically apply the credits first, and then charge the remaining balance to your credit card on file.

Once you’re logged in and using program-funded credits, Outschool will automatically filter the class catalog to show only those that are eligible under your state program. If you're unsure whether a class meets your state's guidelines, check your program’s parent handbook or contact Outschool Support for assistance.

First, confirm that your order was successfully placed in your state marketplace and that the associated Outschool account email matches. If program-funded credits still haven’t appeared, please reach out to Outschool Support with your order confirmation and the email address used to purchase.

Yes! You can purchase separate program-funded credit bundles for each learner who is eligible. However, be sure to purchase the correct bundle under the right learner’s name and ID, as credits are not interchangeable between siblings.

An Outschool Membership is a monthly subscription offering access to classes and benefits, paid personally via credit card. Program-funded credit bundles are limited to approved classes and are not interchangeable with membership credits. Each has its own use case and benefit.

Once program-funded credits have been added to your Outschool account, they are not redeemable for cash, and may not be returned for cash or other refunds. Click here to learn more.

To add additional funds to your Outschool account, create a new order through your program’s marketplace.

The email address on your Oustchool account must be the same as the address on your order. If the address is different, you can add a secondary email to your Outschool account.

If you accidentally created two Outschool parent accounts, you can merge these accounts so that all of your enrollments are on the same account.