Utah Fits All & Carson Smith Scholarship Guide 2026-27

Utah Fits All is a broad education scholarship open to any Utah K-12 resident. For 2026-27 it pays up to $8,000 for a private-school student, or $4,000 / $6,000 for home-based students depending on age. Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship (CSOS) is for students with a qualifying IDEA disability and, for 2026-27, pays $12,175 for private K-12 or $8,000 for homeschool K-12. You can only use one state scholarship at a time.

No. The Utah State Board of Education states that scholarship recipients can only be enrolled in one of Carson Smith (legacy), Carson Smith Opportunity, or Utah Fits All at a time. Children First Education Fund and Utah Education Fits All say the same. If a student is enrolled in more than one, they may lose eligibility.

A scholarship student is eligible for no more than $8,000 as a private school student, $4,000 as a home-based student ages 5-11 as of September 1 of the scholarship year, or $6,000 as a home-based student ages 12-18 as of that date. The program appropriation for 2026-27 is $120 million. Confirm live figures with Odyssey, the program manager.

Per Children First Education Fund's published 2026-27 table: private school grades K-12 is $12,175; homeschool grades K-12 is $8,000; private PreK full-time is $4,800; private PreK part-time is $2,600. Awards depend on fund availability and may be prorated by approval date. Confirm the figure in your CFEF portal before you budget tuition.

The student and parent or guardian must be Utah residents. The student must have a qualifying disability under IDEA, verified within the prior 36 months by an IEP, ATMR, or MDT form whose triennial or signed date is current as of July 1 of the program year. K-12 students may use private school or homeschool. Preschoolers may use an approved private preschool only; preschool homeschool is not eligible. The student must not be enrolled in a public or charter school when the scholarship is awarded.

Any K-12 student who is a Utah resident may apply, including students in public school, private school, or homeschool, and students eligible to enter kindergarten in the upcoming school year. Awards are by lottery with preference for renewals, then siblings of renewals, then families at or below 300% of poverty, then remaining applicants.

No. Third District Judge Laura Scott ruled the program unconstitutional on April 21, 2025 (appeal captioned Brown v. Labresh). The parties agreed there would be no injunction, so the program continues while the Utah Supreme Court reviews the case. Briefs were filed in early 2026; as of August 2026 no oral argument date had been announced. Utah Education Fits All publishes a lawsuit chronology on its Be Informed page. Treat award status as live but watch official updates.

The Utah State Auditor released a limited audit of the program's first year (2024-25) on July 7, 2026. Auditors described some reimbursed purchases as wasteful and said ACE Scholarships' transaction records were hard to categorize. Most of that year's spending was still described as legitimate educational use. Odyssey later became program manager, and the Legislature has since banned reimbursement for items such as furniture, musical instruments, ski passes, playground equipment, and clothing. Read the auditor's report and confirm current expense rules with Odyssey before you buy.

By the published annual schedule: March 1 for renewals and siblings, April 1 for new students, and May 1 for the portal close. Decisions come within 30 days of the deadline, and acceptance is due before July 1. The 2026-27 new-applicant window closed May 1, 2026. Families reading this after that date should plan for the next March-May cycle and confirm dates on the Odyssey / Utah Education Fits All timeline pages.

CFEF reviews applications on a rolling approval calendar. Approvals by June 15, 2026 target funding the week of July 1; by August 15 target the week of September 1; by October 15 target the week of November 2; by December 15 target the week of January 4, 2027. Funding can close when money runs out, and late approvals may be prorated. After approval you must sign acceptance in the portal.

Utah Fits All expressly allows educational services for students with disabilities from a licensed or accredited practitioner, including occupational, behavioral, physical, audiology, or speech-language therapies (Utah Code 53F-6-401, summarized on the UEFA FAQ). CSOS lists educational therapies or treatments among approved uses; confirm the exact list and pre-approval rules in the CFEF Parent Handbook before you book a provider.

CFEF states that accepting Carson Smith Opportunity means opting out of IDEA services offered through public and charter schools, and that students must withdraw from public or charter school before accepting. Utah Fits All likewise requires unenrollment from public school before acceptance and bars dual enrollment in a non-provider LEA. If your child later returns to public school, IDEA protections apply again through that enrollment. Ask Utah Parent Center for free help before you sign away services.

USBE still administers the legacy Carson Smith Scholarship for continuing students. New disability applicants should use Carson Smith Opportunity through Children First Education Fund. Accepting a CSOS award withdraws the student from legacy Carson Smith, and CFEF warns you cannot return to the legacy program after that switch.

No. CFEF's 2026-27 application guidance states the legislature removed the sibling scholarship for siblings without a disability. Siblings without a qualifying disability are directed to Utah Fits All instead. Siblings who each have a qualifying disability may each apply for CSOS separately.

Only if that LEA is an approved Utah Fits All provider and you are buying specific classes or services through the marketplace. You cannot dual-enroll in a public school that is not a provider. Doing so can get the student expelled from the scholarship. Accepting the scholarship means opting out of public enrollment for funding purposes.

If your child has a documented IDEA disability and you need private K-12 tuition support, CSOS's 2026-27 private award ($12,175) is higher than Fits All's private cap ($8,000). If your child does not have a qualifying disability document, Fits All is the open path. If Fits All's 2026-27 window is already closed and CSOS funds remain, disability families should check CFEF first. You still cannot hold both.