Paying Tuition with California Charter Funds

The Well-Trained Mind Academy is an approved online education vendor with multiple California charter schools.

Getting Started

    Before You Enroll Your Student

    • Vendor Approval: Make sure WTMA is an approved vendor with your charter school. If not, ask your school to email us at [email protected] to start the process.
    • Course Approval: Check with your charter school to confirm WTMA courses meet their content and structure requirements.
    • Funding Limits: Check with your school about reimbursement limits before registering as amounts vary by charter school.
    • Need A-G Courses? Parents can ask their charter school to certify that WTMA courses meet UC A-G requirements.

    How to Register for Classes

    1) Create Your WTMA Parent Profile

    Set up a profile for yourself and your student(s). This information is private, so don’t share your account or let anyone else register for you.

    2) Choose Your Courses

    Browse the Course Catalog and select classes. You can register even if your funds aren’t available yet—paying the Registration Fee now will hold your child’s spot.

    3) Select Charter School at Checkout

    In the “Charter School & Third-Party Funds” section:

    1. Set “Paying Tuition with Charter or Third-Party Funds?” to Yes
    2. Select your charter school under “Party Responsible for Tuition Payment”
    3. If your school isn’t listed, choose “Other – Contact WTMA Support”

    Charter School and Third-Party Funds dropdown

    4) Complete Checkout

    Click Register and pay the Non-Refundable Registration Fee to finish.

    How to Submit Purchase Orders

    Parent/Guardian Responsibilities
    • Confirm Tuition Amount: Log into your Parent Dashboard and select “Charter School Ledger” from the left-hand menu. Use the drop-down arrows to view what’s due for each class by term prior to requesting a purchase order.
    • Request a Purchase Order: Contact your charter school to request a PO by the semester deadline listed below.
    • Verify Purchase Order Submission: Before the deadline, log back into the Charter School Ledger, click the + sign next to the term, and check that the PO column is filled in for each class. This confirms WTMA has received the purchase order.
    • Purchase Order Rejection: If a PO is rejected, an email will be sent to both you and your charter school explaining the reason it could not be processed. It is your responsibility to ensure a corrected PO is submitted before the deadline.
    Charter School Responsibilities
    • Charter schools should submit no more than one PO per semester per class. Monthly purchase orders will not be accepted.
    • The purchase order due date must be listed as the last day of the semester.

    Purchase Order & Withdrawal Deadlines

    Fall Semester Deadlines
    • September 5: Withdrawal deadline for fall semester and full-year courses.
    • September 30: POs due for fall semester and 1st half of full-year tuition.
    • October 1: Enrollments without a PO attached will be moved to a monthly payment plan.
    • October 5: All past-due tuition will be charged on this date. Please note that refunds will not be issued for payments processed after the PO deadline, even if a late purchase order is received. WTMA is happy to invoice your charter school for any remaining balance.
      Spring Semester Deadlines
      • January 31: POs due for spring semester and 2nd half of full-year tuition.
      • February 1: Enrollments without a PO will be moved to a monthly payment plan.
      • February 5:
        • Withdrawal deadline for spring semester courses.
        • All past-due tuition will be charged on this date. Please note that refunds will not be issued for payments processed after the PO deadline, even if a late purchase order is received. WTMA is happy to invoice your charter school for any remaining balance.

      Payment & Withdrawal Reminders

      Payment Status
      • POs may show us “Unpaid” up to 30 days after the term ends.
      • You are no longer responsible for course tuition once a PO is attached to your child’s enrollment as long as the purchase order is not canceled.
        Dropped Courses
        • If a course is dropped before the withdrawal deadline, the PO will be canceled and any funds received from the charter school will be returned to the charter school.
        • If a course is dropped after the withdrawal deadline:
          • Parents are responsible for the remaining tuition balance.
          • The full remaining tuition will be charged at the time of withdrawal unless your student is enrolled in other classes, in which case you may request the balance be converted to a monthly payment plan.