Affording home education is not as burdensome as many suppose. Thankfully more resources are available all the time and we strive to help put them within reach for our homeschool community.
GSHE published a comprehensive article about the financial considerations of home education and available resources to bring costs down. It’s a compilation of information across our website.
GSHE also created a narrated video on How to Make Homeschooling More Affordable. Not only is it jammed with all the various resources compiled across our website, it busts the myth that it takes thousands of dollars to home educate. It should be a big help to all NH families to make every dollar stretch a little farther.
Education Tax Credit Scholarship
New Hampshire’s Education Tax Credit (ETC) program was created by the legislature in 2012 and launched in January 2013. Businesses and individuals may make donations through the ETC program and receive credits against their Business Profits Tax, Business Enterprise Tax, or Interest and Dividends Tax. These donations are then given as scholarships to low-income children, those most at-risk for life-long academic challenges, for tuition at an alternative education provider or for home education purposes. NH is the only ETC program in the country that extends to homeschoolers!
Per statute, eligibility is based on the family’s annual income; it must not exceed 300% of the federal poverty limit.
For the 2023-24 school year, the scholarship distributed an average of $3,023 to students attending either an out-of-district public or private school and an average of $1,051 to home educated students. Of the 1,183 recipients, over half are eligible for free and reduced lunch programs.
There is one approved scholarship organization in New Hampshire, the Children’s Scholarship Fund NH.
Applications for the following school year typically open in January; families are urged to apply early and complete the required documents in a timely manner.
HSLDA Compassion Grants
The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) offers grants to home-educating families that are coping with financial hardship or loss. Contact them directly to determine if you are eligible and to apply.
Other Resources
There are a number of ways to find discounted and free homeschool resources, including but not limited to the following:
Local library materials, programs, and tickets
NH’s local libraries routinely have discounted tickets to area museums, learning centers, and other educational events. They also have extensive materials that can be borrowed not only from your local library, but also those around the state. Many also host learning events throughout the year that can be a wonderful addition to a home education program.
Online resources
The internet is decentralizing learning more and more every year and is an amazing source for any subject you may seek. We compiled an extensive list of free learning apps, curricula, and other resources.
Educator discounts
Homeschoolers can often tap into educator discounts! Many retailers require proof of homeschooling; your home ed acknowledgement letter is usually sufficient. We list many discount programs on our website.
Opportunities shared on our Facebook page & group
We routinely share resources and articles about discounts and free materials — check our Facebook page and group often.
Co-ops and family-led classes
Many families work together to teach their children in co-ops; we list several on our Support Groups page. Families also share opportunities for field trips, book clubs, or other occasional learning opportunities and many are published on our Facebook group — another great reason to connect!
Used curriculum sources
There are a several used curriculum sources available. Increasingly, families are hosting garage-sale or trunk-sale styled opportunities at their homes or as groups for ways to buy, sell, and trade gently used materials. These pop up usually in the spring and are shared in our Facebook group. MassHOPE, a Massachusetts-based Christian non-profit, hosts an annual sale, too.
We also have a Facebook group, GSHE Marketplace, to help bring together sellers and buyers of homeschool materials.
ThriftBooks is a well-liked online source for books, collectible books, movies, music, and more.
Dual-credit programs
New Hampshire has several programs that offer discounted dual-enrollment options for students as well as options for CLEP classes and exams. See our High School & Beyond page for details and links.