Today, the South Carolina General Assembly approved Senate Bill 62 for final passage, a landmark step toward expanding educational opportunities and empowering families across the state.
Why it matters:
- S.62 expands South Carolina’s ESA program to families statewide. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, South Carolina students in a household earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level and up to 500% in subsequent years will receive scholarships of $7,500 to cover a broad range of qualified educational expenses.
- In School Year 2025-2026, the program is limited to 10,000 scholarship students; in School Year 2026-2027, and for all subsequent school years, the program will be available to at least 15,000 scholarship students.
- Alongside the transformative ESA changes, S.62 introduces an open enrollment policy that allows parents to apply for their children to attend public schools outside of their school district.
What we’re saying:
“South Carolina has taken a bold step today, putting students and families first,” said Marcus D. San Marino, Vice President, Government Affairs at yes. every kid. “We applaud Rep. Shannon Erickson, Rep. Murrell Smith, and Rep. Christopher Wooten for their unwavering commitment to education freedom and the students of South Carolina.”
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