Paying it directly to the school does not change the fact that you are only paying your relative's tuition and not actually making a charitable contribution. Even if your grandchild is not your dependent, you would be considered as "receiving a financial benefit" if the money your "donated" was used to pay the tuition for a family member.
From IRS Publication 526:
"If you receive or expect to receive a financial or economic benefit as a result of making a contribution to a qualified organization, you can't deduct the part of the contribution that represents the value of the benefit you receive. These contributions include the following.
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Tuition, or amounts you pay instead of tuition. You can't deduct as a charitable contribution amounts you pay as tuition even if you pay them for children to attend parochial schools or qualifying nonprofit daycare centers. You also can't deduct any fixed amount you must pay in addition to, or instead of, tuition to enroll in a private school, even if it is designated as a “donation.”
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p526#en_US_2023_publink1000229696
It does not make a difference if it is an elementary school, high school, or college.
