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.

Families who have program-funded credits will be placed in a filtered shopping experience that only shows classes that are approved by your program.

Important: 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 for program-funded credits, you can remove the filter and then sign up for the class with your credit card or Outschool membership.

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 program funds, you are welcome to purchase enrollments with your credit card or choose an Outschool membership.

Yes! You can purchase separate bundles of program-funded credits for each eligible learner in the state program. Just be sure to buy the correct bundle under the specific learner’s name and ID, as credits cannot be shared between siblings.

If only one of your children qualifies for program funds, you can use those funds to purchase credits for that learner. For the child who is not eligible, you can pay for classes using your credit card.

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

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

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.

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.

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 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. This ensures your learner’s enrollment continues without interruption, even after your program-funded credits run out.

You can also choose to pay for future classes directly using your credit card or an active Outschool Membership.

If a family has Outschool membership credits and program-funded credits, we will debit for enrollments in the following order:

Families who use alternative or state-funded programs may also purchase or receive Outschool gift cards for personal use. When a gift card is redeemed, the amount is added to your Outschool account as a stored balance, the same way it works for all accounts. Stored balance from gift cards can be used for personal purchases on Outschool, including Outschool memberships or class enrollments, depending on how your learner is enrolled.

Yes! Once you’ve used all your available program-funded credits, you can continue to sign up for classes by paying out of pocket. Simply add a credit card to your account to pay directly, or choose an Outschool Membership to access ongoing learning at a discounted rate. If your state program provides additional funds later, those credits will automatically apply to future eligible enrollments.

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.

You can view your current program-funded credit balance, transaction history, and credit usage by visiting your Outschool Transactions Page. From your Parent Dashboard, go to the Transactions tab to see your balance and history. To purchase additional program-funded credits, select Add Credits.

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

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.

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.

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 program-funded credit balance on Outschool.

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

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.

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.