Student First Technologies expands support for state education choice programs

Student First Technologies is deepening its role in state education choice programs with a more flexible platform and service model as more states modernize funding systems. The company is also preparing for a 2027 federal scholarship tax credit rollout while highlighting growth, new testing investments and its work in West Virginia.

Why it matters: - State education choice programs vary widely in law, administration and compliance. - Student First Technologies is positioning itself to support those differences with configurable technology and operational help. - The approach matters as states expand education savings accounts, scholarships and other publicly funded education programs. - The company is also preparing for the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program expected in 2027.

What happened: - Student First Technologies said it is offering states two ways to deploy its Theodore platform. - States can license Theodore and run program operations internally. - States can also use an implementation partnership that includes platform configuration, onboarding, staff training, program operations and customer support. - The company said the U.S.-based team supports the partnership model. - The announcement highlights the company's work supporting state-administered education choice programs and other public education funding initiatives.

The details: - Student First Technologies said state programs can differ in legislative requirements, administrative structures, funding models, compliance obligations and family-service expectations. - Forrest Fowler, CEO of Student First Technologies, said the company does not force every program into the same technology or operating model. - Fowler said the company's process is to understand a program's goals, determine how the state wants to manage operations and configure the platform and services around those decisions. - The company said its lessons from several years of work on complex state-administered programs shaped its implementation approach. - Those lessons included the need for thoughtful planning, testing, staffing, training, stakeholder coordination and operational readiness. - Student First Technologies said it has continued investing in technology, organization and operations to support programs from launch through ongoing administration. - The company engaged MojoTech for further platform development and extensive user and load testing. - Student First Technologies said the testing work improved reliability, scalability, performance and user experience. - The company said Elmore Companies is backing its growth with capital and advisory services. - Student First Technologies said it has tripled its team to more than 50 people, including full-time employees and industry-expert contractors. - The expanded team supports platform development, program implementation, customer service and ongoing operations. - Student First Technologies said it continues to add staff and technical capabilities through a strong candidate pipeline. - The company said it has helped administer high-impact tutoring programs and family grants for public school students as well. - Student First Technologies said it is partnering with several public school district Scholarship Granting Organizations to prepare for the federal scholarship tax credit program in 2027. - Those SGOs will focus on public school students and eligible services such as high-impact tutoring and after-school care. - The company's website is more information.

Between the lines: - The two-track deployment model gives states more control over how much of the program they run themselves. - That flexibility may appeal to states with established administrative teams and to states that want outside operational support. - The West Virginia example shows the scale of programs Student First Technologies is targeting. - The company is using growth, testing and staffing investments to signal that it can handle larger and more complex programs.

What's next: - Student First Technologies said it will keep expanding its team and technical capabilities. - The company said it plans to remain a long-term partner to state administrators and SGOs. - The next major milestone cited in the release is preparation for the federal scholarship tax credit program in 2027. - Student First Technologies said it will continue supporting evolving education funding models across state and district programs.

The bottom line: - Student First Technologies is betting that state education choice programs will increasingly need flexible software plus hands-on operational support, not a one-size-fits-all platform.