Education funding in Pennsylvania
2 programs in Pennsylvania. Each links to the program’s official sources.
Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) scholarships
Not open to homeschoolers From official sources October 7, 2026
No. These are scholarships for tuition at private (nonpublic) schools, or at a public school outside the home district under OSTC. The Department of Education states a scholarship shall not be awarded for enrollment in a home education program; a previously homeschooled child may apply only to attend a participating school.
Dates and status: Families apply through scholarship organizations. The household income limit is $122,322 plus $21,531 per dependent. For the 2025-26 school year DCED listed OSTC maximum awards of $8,500, or $15,000 for special education students. The Department of Education has posted the 2026-27 low-achieving school list.
Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (state opt-in)
Program doesn’t say whether homeschoolers qualify From official sources October 7, 2026
Because the state is not on the IRS participating list, families cannot get these scholarships through organizations in this state for 2027. Federal law ties eligible expenses to a 'public, private, or religious school' as determined under state law, and IRS pages do not address homeschool expenses.
Dates and status: Pennsylvania is not on the IRS list of states that made an advance election to participate for 2027 (IRS page last updated September 16, 2026), so these scholarships are not available through Pennsylvania organizations. No official opt-in or opt-out decision has been published; House members asked the Governor to opt in on January 13, 2026.