Last week, after the Department of Education released its latest enrollment data, several news reports and online commenters portrayed EFA families as wealthy or undeserving. The reality is far different – and far more inspiring.
These are families who continue supporting their public schools through full local property tax payments while also taking on additional out-of-pocket costs so their children can learn in environments where they genuinely flourish. They do all of this while generating millions in taxpayer savings. That is not selfishness. It is an act of remarkable generosity, and these families deserve acknowledgment for the commitment they show to both their communities and their kids.
Recent coverage has highlighted how urgently this recognition is needed. The idea that EFA families are “wealthy” has become a convenient shorthand in some reporting, but it flattens a complex reality into an inaccurate and unhelpful narrative. When we look more closely, we see something quite different: parents doing everything in their power to create opportunity for their children while continuing to support the schools they forgo.
EFA families continue supporting their public schools even after their children leave, contributing the same local property taxes as every other household. What sets them apart is that they take on a second financial commitment – paying for the schooling that finally meets their children’s needs. Whether it is tuition, specialized curriculum, tutoring, or homeschooling resources, these parents willingly carry an additional burden so their children have a chance to thrive.
Consider Natalie Kitching-Rajak, a single mother of three, including an adult son with autism. For years, she watched her younger children struggle in classrooms too large and too crowded to meet their needs. Private school felt entirely out of reach.
EFAs changed that. Today, her children, Khloe and Koleton, thrive at Laconia Christian Academy, where small class sizes foster genuine relationships with teachers and where outdoor learning programs like TimberNook – in which students build campfires, explore ecosystems, and learn through hands-on discovery – have fundamentally reshaped their excitement about learning. “Now, I can choose who educates my children,” Natalie says. “That’s not something I ever imagined being able to say as a single parent.”
Yanira Peña, whose daughter Elianny attended Holy Family Academy, shares a similar reflection: “This program made something good accessible. I hope people take that into account.”
These parents embody values New Hampshire has always honored: responsibility, frugality, devotion to their children’s futures, and a willingness to give even when it requires personal sacrifice. They enrich their communities in ways that deserve encouragement rather than persecution.
Much criticism focuses on the “switcher statistic” – the percentage of EFA students who left public schools the prior year. Some suggest that families who were already in private school prove EFAs merely subsidize the wealthy. But that interpretation reduces complex family stories into a single, misleading snapshot and obscures the real needs that drive families to seek different learning environments.
The experience of Abbey Clegg’s family demonstrates what the raw data cannot. Her daughter Emilia Jo attended private school when a learning evaluation revealed significant academic challenges. The district recommended intensive special education services, yet Emilia lived in constant “fight mode,” overwhelmed by anxiety. That anxiety was rooted in grief: in 2021, the family lost one of their children, an unspeakable tragedy that reverberated through every sibling.
“We believed she could do better at home, where she felt safe,” Abbey says. “The EFA gave us the ability to make that choice.”
The Clegg family
Within a year of learning in a home setting supported by tutors and a specialized curriculum, Emilia reached grade level. More importantly, the anxiety that had defined her days melted away. “She went from being angry and anxious to calm and curious,” Abbey says. “She’s proud now. And she should be.”
For her daughter Corabelle, the EFA made it possible to attend a small private school that provided not only academic support but also the emotional stability she needed during the family’s darkest chapter. “They needed to be seen and understood,” Abbey explains. “That environment allowed them to thrive academically and emotionally.”
Rachel LaMontagne’s son experienced a similar transformation. Diagnosed with school-related anxiety – a condition she had not known existed – he struggled daily to focus. “Once we built a flexible program with EFA support,” she says, “everything changed.”
These stories illuminate a truth often missed in debates over the switcher statistic: some families left public schools to escape environments that were not working for their children, while others who had managed to enter private school were already stretching themselves to pay tuition they could barely afford.
EFAs provide continuity, stability, and hope. Asking whether such children “deserve” support misses the point entirely; the program exists to ensure no child is denied the opportunity to use their own state adequacy grant to remain in a private school or learn in a home setting where they are thriving.
Critics often argue that EFAs drain resources from public schools, but this reflects a misunderstanding of how New Hampshire funds education. The state appropriates a baseline state adequacy grant for every child. That allocation exists in the Education Trust Fund, whether a student remains in the district or participates in an EFA, meaning the program does not create new spending – it simply allows families to direct an already-budgeted amount to a different setting. In addition, the EFA families continue supporting their public schools through full local property tax payments even as they seek a different environment for their child.
The statewide fiscal picture underscores this point. Educating the current 10,510 EFA students in district schools would have required approximately $263 million in public funding. By contrast, serving these students through EFAs costs $51.6 million. The difference – more than $200 million – reflects both families gaining access to the learning environments they need while taxpayers see meaningful savings. When a student leaves for an EFA, the district keeps all of its local funding while having one fewer student to educate, which means the resources are now divided among a smaller number of students, possibly increasing the amount effectively available per pupil.
The strength of New Hampshire’s EFA program is rooted in its transparency and disciplined oversight. Every student grant dollar is accounted for and reconciled to the penny; each EFA transaction is tracked, documented, and verified through a secure payment platform. The strength of that process is evident in the program’s annual audit. This year’s independent risk-based program audit by Grant Thornton LLP confirmed that all program and financial information is correct.
Administrative efficiency deserves equal celebration. The program’s administrative rate of 7.83 percent directs the vast majority of EFA funds straight to children for educational expenses. This rate sits well below the 10 percent or higher overhead typical among nonprofit organizations, demonstrating management discipline focused squarely on children.
The program’s performance has also earned national recognition. EdChoice has named New Hampshire’s EFA program the best-implemented program of its kind for two consecutive years, citing its safeguards, responsiveness, and operational excellence. Children’s Scholarship Fund continues to hold a 4-Star Charity Navigator rating, meaning it excels in financial health, accountability, and transparency, efficiently executing its mission and often outperforming similar organizations – an achievement reached by only a small share of nonprofits nationwide.
Transparency matters because trust matters. Families need certainty that their children’s funds are secure, taxpayers deserve assurance that dollars are used responsibly, and policymakers require reliable data to make sound decisions. New Hampshire’s EFA program fulfills all three.
EFA families strengthen New Hampshire’s education system in deep and measurable ways: through their uninterrupted property tax contributions, through their willingness to shoulder additional expenses, and through their determination to find environments where their children can learn, heal, and thrive – all while generating millions in taxpayer savings each year.
Constructive debate requires acknowledging these realities. Switcher percentages cannot capture the moment a parent realizes their child cannot endure one more year without appropriate support. Income tables cannot convey the strain of supporting the public system while simultaneously paying for a different educational path. Social media commentary cannot reflect the resolve of parents who explore every option to secure their children’s chance at a better future.
EFAs are not a loophole for the wealthy. They are a lifeline for families who refuse to give up on their children and a quiet stabilizing force for the communities they continue to invest in.
Moving forward begins with seeing these families clearly: not as abstract data points, but as neighbors making real sacrifices guided by hope and conviction. Behind every statistic is a child whose world has opened and a family that chose perseverance over resignation.
Caitlin de Beer, an EFA recipient now in college, captures this truth: “Behind every dollar, there is a future. These programs don’t just fund education. They shape people.”
That is the story of New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Accounts – and it is one worth telling with honesty, gratitude, and pride.
