Beyond Tuition: How Arizona Families Are Redefining ESA Spending
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| Title: | Beyond Tuition: How Arizona Families Are Redefining ESA Spending |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Susan Pendergrass, EdChoice |
| Source: | EdChoice. 2025. |
| Availability: | EdChoice. 111 Monument Circle Suite 2650, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Tel: 317-681-0745; e-mail: info@edchoice.org; Web site: http://www.edchoice.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | School Choice, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Vouchers, Parents, Money Management, Tuition, Scholarships, Public Schools, Private Schools, Tutoring, Electronic Learning, Educational Finance, Fees, Student Costs, Enrollment Rate, Expenditure per Student, Educational Policy, Extracurricular Activities, Student Needs |
| Geographic Terms: | Arizona |
| Abstract: | Arizona has been on the leading edge of the school choice movement. The Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program was authorized in 2011. Initially, the program allowed parents of students with disabilities to receive 90% of what the state would have spent to educate the child in the public school system. The funds could then be used for private school tuition, educational therapies, tutoring, or other approved educational expenses. Just one year after the program's inception, eligibility was expanded to active-duty military families, foster children and parents with children in public schools rated "D" or "F" by the state. In 2013, the Friedman Foundation for Education Choice (now known as EdChoice) published an early look at the Arizona ESA program. The goal was to understand how families were using their scholarship dollars. Much has changed in the last decade. In addition to the expanded eligibility in 2012, Native American students living on reservations could apply for scholarships. In 2022, the program became truly revolutionary when eligibility was extended to all K-12 students, regardless of circumstance. As the first state to do this, Arizona once again became a pioneer in shifting the institutional structure of elementary and secondary education from one of strict residential assignment to a school built, operated, and funded by the government to one that is publicly funded, but parent directed. This analysis will update the data to reflect 2013 and 2016. Of course, the program has changed significantly since its inception and comparisons between the first years of a very limited program to two years of a universal program must be carefully considered. Nonetheless, a deeper dive into how families are spending their money in the first two years of universal choice is a necessary and interesting venture, particularly as more than a dozen states have added similar programs since Arizona's became universal. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED677218 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED677218 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: ED677218 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Report PubTypeId: report PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Beyond Tuition: How Arizona Families Are Redefining ESA Spending – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Susan+Pendergrass%22">Susan Pendergrass</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22EdChoice%22">EdChoice</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22EdChoice%22"><i>EdChoice</i></searchLink>. 2025. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: EdChoice. 111 Monument Circle Suite 2650, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Tel: 317-681-0745; e-mail: info@edchoice.org; Web site: http://www.edchoice.org – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: N – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 14 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Reports - Evaluative – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Secondary+Education%22">Elementary Secondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Choice%22">School Choice</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+Secondary+Education%22">Elementary Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Vouchers%22">Educational Vouchers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parents%22">Parents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Money+Management%22">Money Management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tuition%22">Tuition</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scholarships%22">Scholarships</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Schools%22">Public Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Private+Schools%22">Private Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tutoring%22">Tutoring</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electronic+Learning%22">Electronic Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Finance%22">Educational Finance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fees%22">Fees</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Costs%22">Student Costs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Enrollment+Rate%22">Enrollment Rate</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Expenditure+per+Student%22">Expenditure per Student</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Policy%22">Educational Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Extracurricular+Activities%22">Extracurricular Activities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Needs%22">Student Needs</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Arizona%22">Arizona</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Arizona has been on the leading edge of the school choice movement. The Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program was authorized in 2011. Initially, the program allowed parents of students with disabilities to receive 90% of what the state would have spent to educate the child in the public school system. The funds could then be used for private school tuition, educational therapies, tutoring, or other approved educational expenses. Just one year after the program's inception, eligibility was expanded to active-duty military families, foster children and parents with children in public schools rated "D" or "F" by the state. In 2013, the Friedman Foundation for Education Choice (now known as EdChoice) published an early look at the Arizona ESA program. The goal was to understand how families were using their scholarship dollars. Much has changed in the last decade. In addition to the expanded eligibility in 2012, Native American students living on reservations could apply for scholarships. In 2022, the program became truly revolutionary when eligibility was extended to all K-12 students, regardless of circumstance. As the first state to do this, Arizona once again became a pioneer in shifting the institutional structure of elementary and secondary education from one of strict residential assignment to a school built, operated, and funded by the government to one that is publicly funded, but parent directed. This analysis will update the data to reflect 2013 and 2016. Of course, the program has changed significantly since its inception and comparisons between the first years of a very limited program to two years of a universal program must be carefully considered. Nonetheless, a deeper dive into how families are spending their money in the first two years of universal choice is a necessary and interesting venture, particularly as more than a dozen states have added similar programs since Arizona's became universal. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: ERIC – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: ED677218 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED677218 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 Subjects: – SubjectFull: School Choice Type: general – SubjectFull: Elementary Secondary Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Vouchers Type: general – SubjectFull: Parents Type: general – SubjectFull: Money Management Type: general – SubjectFull: Tuition Type: general – SubjectFull: Scholarships Type: general – SubjectFull: Public Schools Type: general – SubjectFull: Private Schools Type: general – SubjectFull: Tutoring Type: general – SubjectFull: Electronic Learning Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Finance Type: general – SubjectFull: Fees Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Costs Type: general – SubjectFull: Enrollment Rate Type: general – SubjectFull: Expenditure per Student Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Policy Type: general – SubjectFull: Extracurricular Activities Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Needs Type: general – SubjectFull: Arizona Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Beyond Tuition: How Arizona Families Are Redefining ESA Spending Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: EdChoice – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Susan Pendergrass IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 10 Type: published Y: 2025 Titles: – TitleFull: EdChoice Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
