California — Charter School Homeschool / Independent Study Funds

How it works

This is not an ESA either. California families have three routes — file a Private School Affidavit, enrol in an independent study charter school, or use a blended-learning school. The charter route is the one that comes with money: the charter holds an instructional-funds budget for each student, and you order curriculum and materials through their portal rather than being paid in cash.

Programme: Charter School Homeschool / Independent Study Funds
Administered by: Individual independent-study charter schools
Instructional funds: Set by each charter, not by the state, and usually higher for older grades. Ask the charter for its 2026-27 per-student figure before you enrol.
For homeschoolers: Homeschoolers can use it

Who qualifies

All K-12 students in California, regardless of income or academic record — including students with disabilities, foster and homeless students, and children of active-duty military.

Stipend amounts differ between charters and by grade — ask your charter what their per-student budget actually is before you enrol, because it varies more than families expect. AB 84, a 2025 bill that would have changed how nonclassroom-based charters are funded, was moved to the Senate inactive file on 12 September 2025 and was not passed.

How to enrol

Find an independent study charter that serves your county. They are separate schools with separate budgets, and their per-student instructional funds differ.
Ask what the instructional-funds budget actually is for your child's grade, before you enrol. This varies more between charters than most families expect.
Complete the charter's enrolment application — usually your child's information, academic records and proof of California residency.
Check this year's window. Enrolment follows each charter’s own calendar. Ask about the cut-off date for a full year’s instructional funds. Dates move every year, so confirm on the official page before you plan around them.
Order through the charter's vendor portal. Funds sit in an online account; you request materials and the charter purchases them. Funds must go to secular, standards-aligned instructional materials. Historical Conquest is a secular history curriculum and is bought through the charter’s vendor system.

Official California enrolment information → Ask us a question

Official programme page: cde.ca.gov/sp/ch. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility are set by the state and change every year — always confirm there before you plan around them.

Sources

Checked 18 September 2026 against these sources:

Historical Conquest in California

Using it with Historical Conquest

The card game, the Monthly Adventure Boxes, the textbooks and the digital game are history curriculum and instructional materials — the kind of purchase this programme lists as an allowed expense. Whether a particular item is approved is the programme’s decision, so check its expense list before you order.

Not sure whether something qualifies, or need an itemised receipt or product details for a review? Ask us.

ESA Overview

What these programmes are, who they are for, and every state we cover.

Start here

Homeschool funding by state

Which states’ programmes a homeschooling family can use, and which they cannot.

See the list

Shop Everything

Decks, expansion packs, play mats, textbooks and more — 174 products.

Browse the shop