Listen to this guide as a 5-minute podcast episode, or read on. Hosts Marcus and Dana are AI-generated voices.
Episode transcript
Marcus: Welcome to the SLC Edu Funding podcast. I'm Marcus.
Dana: And I'm Dana. Today: what the new Utah Fits All spending report tells Salt Lake families about using their 2026-27 award.
Marcus: This is the report that came out in September, right? The one lawmakers argued about at the Capitol?
Dana: That's the one. It was the first time anyone could see how Utah Fits All money was spent across a full school year, 2025-26.
Marcus: And it got pointed comments, including from Rep. John Arthur, a Holladay Democrat and former Utah Teacher of the Year.
Dana: Right. But for a family in Sandy, West Valley or Tooele, the numbers are also a practical guide: what other families buy, where the caps bite, and how often reimbursements get pushed back.
Marcus: So how was Utah Fits All money spent in 2025-26?
Dana: Students used about $94.7 million, mostly on tuition. The report was released by Odyssey, the company that manages the program.
Marcus: Break that down for me.
Dana: Roughly $57 million went to tuition and education fees. About $27 million went to goods, like supplies, electronics, software, textbooks and curriculum.
Marcus: And the rest?
Dana: About $10.6 million went to services: therapies, tutoring, transportation, and after-school or summer programs.
Marcus: Any specific items jump out?
Dana: Laptops came to about $2.4 million, 3D printers about $1.2 million, and headphones about $468,000. Tutoring was about $2.7 million.
Marcus: How many kids are we talking about?
Dana: 14,522 students used the scholarship. 7,569 in private schools and 6,953 learning at home.
Marcus: What does the report mean for Salt Lake private school families using Utah Fits All?
Dana: Mostly that tuition eats the award. The report shows about $48.2 million spent on annual tuition alone.
Marcus: The private school award is $8,000, right?
Dana: Yes. Robyn Bagley of Utah Education Fits All told KSL that private school students usually end up spending most of the scholarship on tuition alone.
Marcus: So if my kid is at a Catholic or Christian school in the valley, there's not much left for extras.
Dana: Usually not. It's worth asking the school early what its tuition invoice will cover, before you plan other spending.
Marcus: Which spending caps matter most for home-based students in Salt Lake County?
Dana: Two rules come up again and again: the device limit, and the 20 percent caps on physical education and extracurriculars.
Marcus: What's the device limit?
Dana: According to Bagley, a student can buy only one laptop, desktop or tablet, for up to $1,500, every three years.
Marcus: And the 20 percent caps?
Dana: PE costs and extracurricular costs are each limited to 20 percent of the award. The report counted 303 students who hit the PE limit, and 866 who used 90 percent of their PE allowance.
Marcus: What about extracurriculars?
Dana: Only 16 students reached that limit.
Marcus: Here's the Wasatch Front question: can you still buy ski passes?
Dana: Not anymore. Ski passes and lift tickets used to be allowed, but Bagley said the Legislature later decided they weren't appropriate expenses.
Marcus: How often are Utah Fits All reimbursements denied for Salt Lake families?
Dana: Most claims go through, though not always on the first try. The 2025-26 report counted 3,646 reimbursement appeals, and 813 were denied.
Marcus: Is there a first-try number?
Dana: A separate Odyssey summary for legislators, with data as of December 22, 2025, showed a 71 percent approval rate on first submission, and 78 percent on appeals at that point.
Marcus: Any tip to avoid a denial?
Dana: Your receipt needs to show the product and the exact amount paid. That one detail heads off a lot of delays.
Marcus: What else should Salt Lake families keep in mind this year?
Dana: Two things. The program's constitutionality is still under review by the Utah Supreme Court, after a 2025 district court ruling. And the State Board of Education warns that any activity with a public school, in person or online, may create an enrollment conflict the family has to resolve.
Marcus: The full guide, with the spending table, is linked in the description. The funding check on the site is free.
Dana: Thanks for listening. See you next time.
In September 2026, a legislative report showed for the first time how Utah Fits All money was spent across a full school year. It drew sharp comments at the Capitol, including from Rep. John Arthur, a Holladay Democrat and former Utah Teacher of the Year. For families in Sandy, West Valley or Tooele weighing how to use their own 2026-27 award, the numbers are also a practical guide to what other families buy, where the caps bite, and how often reimbursements get pushed back.
How was Utah Fits All money spent in 2025-26, according to the report Salt Lake lawmakers reviewed?
Students used about $94.7 million, mostly on tuition. KSL's summary of the report, which the program manager Odyssey released, breaks it into three buckets: roughly $57 million for tuition and education fees, about $27 million for goods such as supplies, electronics, software, textbooks and curriculum, and about $10.6 million for services such as therapies, tutoring, transportation and after-school or summer programs.
| Category in the 2025-26 report | Approximate amount | Examples named |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition and education fees | $57 million | Annual tuition (about $48.2 million), tuition or registration fees (about $4.4 million), exam and course fees |
| Goods | $27 million | Laptops ($2.4 million), 3D printers ($1.2 million), headphones ($468,665) |
| Services | $10.6 million | Tutoring ($2.7 million), therapies, transportation, after-school programs |
A total of 14,522 students used the scholarship: 7,569 private school students and 6,953 home-based students.
What does the report mean for Salt Lake private school families using Utah Fits All?
Most of an $8,000 private school award goes to tuition. Robyn Bagley of Utah Education Fits All told KSL that private school students usually face the problem of spending most of the scholarship on tuition alone, which matches the report's tuition totals. For a family at a Catholic or Christian school in the valley, that leaves little room for extras, so it is worth asking the school early what its tuition invoice will cover.
Our guide to what Utah Fits All pays for lists the main expense categories, and the what's left after Utah Fits All page helps estimate the gap between the award and a school's sticker price.
Which Utah Fits All spending caps matter most for home-based students in Salt Lake County?
Device limits and the 20% caps on physical education and extracurriculars are the ones families run into. According to Bagley, a student can buy only one laptop, desktop or tablet for up to $1,500 every three years. PE and extracurricular costs are each limited to 20% of the award.
The report counted 303 students who hit the 20% PE limit and 866 who used 90% of their PE allowance, while only 16 reached the extracurricular limit. Ski passes and lift tickets, which matter to Wasatch Front families, used to be allowed, but Bagley said the Legislature later decided they were not appropriate expenses. Home-based students spent about $2.5 million on PE and $2.7 million on tutoring. Our microschools and homeschool page covers the home-based award amounts.
How often are Utah Fits All reimbursements denied for Salt Lake families?
Most claims go through, but not all on the first try. The 2025-26 report counted 3,646 reimbursement appeals, of which 813 were denied, KSL reported. A separate Odyssey summary given to legislators, with data as of December 22, 2025, said 117,219 reimbursements had been submitted since August 21, with a 71% approval rate on first submission and a 78% approval rate on 1,286 appeals at that point.
The same summary said 64% of funds went to tuition, 18% to reimbursements and 18% to the marketplace, and that 58% of the program's 1,535 marketplace vendors are based in Utah. Reimbursement requests need a receipt that shows the product and the exact amount paid.
What else should Salt Lake families keep in mind this year?
Two things: the legal case and enrollment conflicts. The program's constitutionality is still under review by the Utah Supreme Court after a 2025 district court ruling, KSL reported in September. Separately, the Utah State Board of Education warns that a scholarship student is responsible for resolving any conflicting enrollment, and that any activity with a public school, in person or online, may create one. Families using an online course through a private school should confirm how it is set up.
Last verified: November 2026
Common questions
How was Utah Fits All money spent in 2025-26, according to the report Salt Lake lawmakers reviewed?
Students used about $94.7 million in 2025-26. Roughly $57 million went to tuition and education fees, about $27 million to goods such as supplies, electronics and curriculum, and about $10.6 million to services such as tutoring and therapies. In all, 14,522 students used the scholarship, 7,569 in private schools and 6,953 learning at home.
What does the report mean for Salt Lake private school families using Utah Fits All?
For private school students, tuition takes most of the $8,000 award. The report shows about $48.2 million spent on annual tuition alone, and program advocates say private school families often have little left for other purchases. Families should ask their school what its tuition invoice includes before planning other spending.
Which Utah Fits All spending caps matter most for home-based students in Salt Lake County?
The device rule and the PE and extracurricular caps. Only one laptop, desktop or tablet can be bought, for up to $1,500, every three years, and PE and extracurricular spending are each capped at 20% of the award. In 2025-26, 303 students hit the PE cap. Ski passes are no longer an allowed expense.
How often are Utah Fits All reimbursements denied for Salt Lake families?
Most are approved. The 2025-26 report counted 3,646 reimbursement appeals, with 813 denied. An Odyssey summary for legislators, using data through December 22, 2025, showed a 71% approval rate on first submission. Submitting a receipt that clearly shows the item and the exact amount paid helps avoid delays.
Sources
- KSL: Utah Fits All report sparks debate over scholarship use (Sept. 2026)
- Utah Legislature interim materials: Odyssey Utah Fits All program summary (data as of Dec. 22, 2025)
- Utah State Board of Education: Utah Fits All Scholarship
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