Eligibility

• The scholarship contest is open to current high school seniors who plan to attend either a 4-year college, a 2-year community college, or a vocational school after their high school graduation.
• Applicants must be a US resident and be enrolled in an online charter school, school at home, or independent study program in the US.
• All participants must have a valid and verifiable email address.

Application Process

Interested students must complete the scholarship application by providing the following information:

1.   Full name
2.   Mailing address
3.   Phone number
4.   Email address
5.   High school name and address
6.   Intended college or vocational school
7.   Parent/guardian signature for applicants under 18-years-old

Applicants must submit either:

A 400-word written essay on the provided essay topic.

OR

A 3-minute video essay on the provided essay topic uploaded to a public platform (e.g., YouTube) with a shareable link.

Essay Topic

Applicants must address the following topic in their written essay or video essay:

"Reflect on your high school experience attending an online charter school, school at home or independent study program. Describe how it has shaped your educational journey, your ability to set and achieve goals, and the impact it has had on your personal growth and academic success. Offer advice to fellow students on how they can make the most of their personalized learning experience."

Submission Deadline

• The application and written essay or video essay must be submitted no later than February 16, 2024 at 11:59 PM PT.
• Submissions must be sent via portal linked here: https://form.jotform.com/240144918875161
• Late submissions will not be considered.

Selection Criteria

• Submissions will be judged based on creativity, originality, content quality, and adherence to the contest theme.
• A panel of judges, selected by PSO will review and evaluate all entries.
• No consideration will be given to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin.
• All selections will be based solely on the factors described above.
• No lottery system will be used to determine scholarship recipients.

Scholarship Awards

Scholarships will be individually awarded to 13 winners in the amount of:

• One $2,500 award
• Five $1,000 awards
• Seven $500 awards

Notification of Winners

• Winners will be notified by email or phone no later than March 15, 2024.
• The scholarship awards will be disbursed directly to the student.

Publicity and Privacy

• By participating in this scholarship contest, applicants grant PSO the right to use their names, likenesses, and essays for promotional and marketing purposes.
• Personal information provided by applicants will be used solely for the purpose of administering the scholarship contest and will not be shared with third parties.
• Applicants under the age of 18-years-old will require a parent/guardian signature.

Contact Information

For any questions or clarifications regarding the scholarship contest, please contact: scholarship@parentsforschooloptions.org.

Administration and Monitoring

PSO will maintain records and case histories for scholarship recipients. These records will include the following information:

• Name/address of each scholarship recipient
• Amount of scholarship distributed
• Purpose for which the scholarship was given
• Manner in which the recipient was selected

Any relationship between the recipient and:

• Officers or directors of PSO or their family members
• Substantial contributors to PSO, or their family members
• A corporation controlled by a substantial contributor

PSO will pay scholarship awards directly to the student for the purpose of offsetting qualified education expenses like tuition, fees, books, supplies, and equipment.

• Please note that costs such as room and board are not qualified education expenses and thus not tax-deductible for the student.

Disclaimer

PSO reserves the right to modify or cancel the scholarship contest at any time due to unforeseen circumstances or low participation.

PSO wishes all applicants the best of luck!