Who Qualifies for Wyoming's Steamboat Legacy Scholarship in 2026-27: Age, Residency and Income Rules

4,200 for each additional person beyond eight. Income is based on adjusted gross income and household size from the previous year's tax return. Proof of public assistance at or below that level, such as SNAP or TANF, also works. The department's ESA page still shows an older figure of about $80,375 for a family of four, from the 2025 guidelines, so go by the current handbook.

Did 2026 change any of this?

No, as far as we can find. We checked the 2026 budget session. House Bill 123, a bill to rewrite the ESA law, failed introduction in the House on February 10, 2026. We did not find a 2026 law that changed who qualifies. The eligibility rules still come from the 2024 law as amended by the 2025 Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act.

What "not in public school" really means

This is the rule that matters most. Once you are approved, you must formally withdraw your child from any public school and tell the district, in writing, that the child is in the ESA program. The handbook gives you 15 days after your parent contract takes effect. The acceptance email from the program can serve as the notice. After that, you file a notice of participation with your district each year.

The handbook also covers part-time classes. A district or charter school can sell an individual class or activity to an ESA student under a separate contract. But the student is not enrolled, the district does not count the child for funding, and the handbook says the student may not receive credit for those classes or have them on a transcript.

Children with disabilities

Taking an ESA is a parental placement under the federal special education law. The handbook says your district no longer owes your child a free appropriate public education, though some services under Part B may still be available. If your child has an IEP, talk to your district's special education office before you accept.

A family checking the boxes

The Ortegas in Gillette have a high school sophomore, a fourth grader and a four-year-old. The two older kids qualify without any income question; they are residents, have not graduated and are not enrolled in public school. The four-year-old turned 4 in June, before the August 1 cutoff, so she meets the pre-K age rule. Whether she qualifies depends on income. Their household of five reported adjusted gross income under the $96,700 line in the 2026-27 table, so they uploaded last year's tax return with the application and included all three children on one household application.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Documents to gather

• Age: a certified birth certificate, passport or other state-approved proof.
• Residency: one of the following, matching the name and physical address on your application: Wyoming vehicle registration, proof of home ownership, two Wyoming utility bills from two companies no more than 90 days old, a current lease, last year's tax records with a Wyoming address, proof of Wyoming public assistance, or proof of military assignment in Wyoming. Post office boxes are not accepted.
• Social Security numbers for the parent and student.
• Guardianship papers if the applying adult is not a parent on the birth certificate.
• Income proof for pre-K only.

Qualifying is not the same as being funded

The law makes awards subject to available money. If applications exceed it, students are funded first-come, first-served from the time they are verified eligible, with priority for returning students and siblings of current or prior recipients. Being eligible early in a window helps.

Bottom line

If your school-age child lives in Wyoming and is not in public school, they very likely qualify. Pre-K families need to check income. Confirm against the 2026-27 Family Handbook and the department's family FAQ, and keep our Steamboat Legacy Scholarship guide handy. Families comparing notes in our community groups are a good second opinion, not a substitute for the department.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the Wyoming Department of Education, Odyssey or the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship program. Eligibility rules and income limits are set by the state and can change — confirm details with the Wyoming Department of Education before you apply or withdraw a child from school. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.