Become a CFEF Partner School

Private schools desiring to become a qualifying school to receive scholarship students and the associated funding through the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship must meet the qualifications established in the Utah Code §53E-7-4, and the Utah State Board of Education Administrative Rule R277-626.

These documents identify the following requirements for private schools to become approved partners:

• Have a physical location in Utah where scholarship students attend classes and have direct contact with the school’s teachers
• Contract with an independent licensed CPA to conduct an audit to verify the school’s financial stability
• Comply with anti-discrimination laws
• Meet state and local health and safety laws and codes
• Provide a written disclosure to parents of prospective students before enrollment outlining the special education support provided by the school and any additional fees associated with that support
• Administer annual assessments of each scholarship student’s academic progress
• Employ or contract with qualified teachers
• Schools that meet these requirements must submit an application to the Utah State Board of Education.
• Children First will be notified of all schools that have been approved by USBE.

Once Approved, qualifying schools will then complete the CFEF onboarding process to begin receiving scholarship funds for qualified students.