Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act

Wyoming’s ESA program is open to all kindergarten through 12th grade students. It is also open to pre-kindergarten students whose families have a total household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines. A student cannot participate if they have graduated high school or received an equivalency certificate. _(Last updated May 8, 2025)_

ESA funds for qualifying expenses include tuition and fees at a qualified school; tutoring services provided by an individual or a tutoring facility, but cannot be provided by an ESA student’s immediate family; services contracted for and provided by a public school district, to include individual classes and extracurricular activities and programs; textbooks, curriculum, and other instructional or supplemental materials required for instruction required by a curriculum or education service provider; computer hardware or other technological devices that are primarily used to help meet an ESA student’s educational needs; educational software and applications; school uniforms; fees for nationally standardized assessments, advanced placement exams, and exams for college or university admission and tuition and fees for preparatory courses for the exams; tuition and fees for summer education programs and specialized after school education programs, but not including after school childcare programs; tuition, fees, instructional materials and examination fees at a career or technical school; educational services and therapies including, but not limited to, occupational, behavioral, physical, speech-language and audiology therapies; tuition and fees at an institution of higher education; fees for transportation paid to a fee-for-service transportation provider for the student to travel to and from an education service provider; tuition and fees for nongovernmental online learning programs; and, any other educational expense approved by the state superintendent. _(Last updated May 8, 2025)_

ESA students will receive an annual maximum of $7,000, disbursed quarterly, for eligible educational expenses. There is an appropriation of $30 million for the program, and it is the legislature’s intent that the appropriation be included in the state department of education biennial budget. The state superintendent may withhold up to 5% of this amount to cover the program’s administrative costs. If 5% of the appropriation is withheld, then 4,071 students will be able to participate, or about 4% of Wyoming’s pre-K–12 student population. There is a provision in the law that allows the superintendent to direct gifts and grants received for this program to cover its administrative costs. _(Last updated May 8, 2025)_

On June 13, 2025, the Wyoming Education Association filed a lawsuit challenge the constitutionality of the Wyoming ESA Program, captioned _Wyoming Education Association, et al. v. Megan Degenfelder, et al._ (Civil Action No.: 2025-CV-0203366). The Partnership for Educational Freedom, which includes EdChoice and Institute for Justice, has filed a motion to intervene in the case on behalf of two Wyoming families participating in the program. EdChoice Legal Advocates serves as lead counsel in the case. _(Last updated June 23, 2025)_