Families with resources can use ESA as a discount at top schools. Families without that flexibility are left with mid-tier schools, homeschooling or the public system.
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The Issue:
Arizona’s universal ESA program is growing rapidly with awards rivaling public per-pupil funding — but many families still face steep tuition gaps, raising questions about both fiscal sustainability and true access to a quality education.
The Stats:
More than 87,000 students are enrolled, with annualized awards peaking at $901 million in fiscal year 2025 before being adjusted to about $882 million during the fourth quarter. About 65% of general-education students receive $7,000–$8,000 annually, yet private high school tuition averages $15,563 and elite schools can be as high as $35,000.
The Solution:
Greater accountability and transparent funding comparisons would help balance choice with equity and long-term fiscal health. Policymakers must weigh whether to cap costs, refine eligibility or build accountability measures so ESA growth doesn’t destabilize Arizona’s more widely used K-12 system.
Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program has become one of the largest school choice initiatives in the nation. But debates over the program continue to divide Arizona’s education landscape.
Advocates argue school choice expands opportunities for families, especially those seeking alternatives to their local public schools and gives parents greater control over their children’s education.
“Republicans are interested in protecting the set up we have today as it relates to school choice broadly. What they want to do is protect that mechanism. Democrats are not on board. They’re opposed to it in general, but Republicans feel it’s part of a comprehensive system," said Arizona state Rep. J.D. Mesnard.
Critics counter the program siphons money from public classrooms, lacks sufficient accountability and widens inequities between families who can afford private tuition and those who cannot.
"Despite claims from the privatizers who pushed the program, Arizona's universal voucher program was never designed to benefit students from low-income families," said Tyler Kowch, communications manager for Save Our Schools Arizona. "Reporting from ABC15 found that less than 5% of vouchers went to families making less than $50,000 a year, and less than a quarter in total to families making less than Arizona's median income. Continued reporting from ProPublica and the Brookings Institution has come to the same conclusion."
State reports show during the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, the program served 87,602 students with annualized awards totaling about $901 million. By the fourth quarter, enrollment declined slightly to 85,195 students with awards of about $882 million. In both quarters, approximately 65% of participating students received awards between $7,000 and $8,000, according to the Arizona Department of Education.
The result is an ongoing tug-of-war between public and private school supporters over how best to fund and deliver education in the state.
Private school case studies: tuition vs. ESA coverage
Tuition costs can vary widely based on factors such as the school’s location, grade level, type and reputation of institution and class size. For example:
Phoenix Country Day School (Paradise Valley): 2025–26 tuition is about $34,700 for upper grades, leaving ESA families with an out-of-pocket gap of roughly $26,000. The school reports that about 20% of families receive aid averaging around $22,500, but even with scholarships the gap remains significant.
Xavier College Preparatory (Phoenix, all-girls Catholic): $24,642 for non-Catholic students and $17,100 for Catholic parish-participating families.
Brophy College Preparatory (Phoenix, Jesuit all-boys): Tuition is about $17,500 for 2025–26.
Mid-tier schools: Many set tuition near $7,400, almost identical to the average ESA award. At these schools, families can fully cover tuition with ESA funds, making them far more accessible.
Statewide averages range around $11,459 for elementary and $15,563 for high school — above the ESA baseline but below the elite schools.
Equity questions
Critics note while district funding includes accountability rules, open-enrollment requirements and audits, private schools receiving ESA dollars do not operate under the same standards. Families with higher incomes can use ESA as a discount for elite schools, while others are left with mid-tier schools or educating their children at home through ESA funding.
"Vouchers are predominantly used by wealthier families because they have the means to cover the full cost of tuition, to 'shop' for private schools, and to drive their students to and from private schools," Kowch said. "Private schools are also typically located in wealthier neighborhoods, while families with lower incomes rely on neighborhood public schools for wraparound services, like transportation, food pantries, health services, and so much more."
“The Empowerment Scholarship Program, as it currently stands, is failing Arizona’s students and wasting taxpayer dollars," said Rich Nickel, president & CEO of Education Forward Arizona "Instead of expanding opportunity, it’s become a taxpayer-funded black hole, channeling public dollars into unregulated spending and private gain, with none of the accountability required of most educational institutions.”
Without additional support, universal eligibility risks reinforcing divides rather than erasing them. Supporters counter that parental choice is its own accountability, but the sustainability of drawing from the state general fund remains an open question.
While Arizona spends roughly the same per-pupil on ESA students as in the public system, the system has raised serious questions about fiscal sustainability as participation grows.
The equity gap
The equity concern centers on who can make up the tuition gap. Families with resources can use ESA as a discount at top schools. Families without that flexibility are left with mid-tier schools, homeschooling or the public system.
"Universal vouchers were always meant to be a coupon for wealthy families that could already afford private school, which explains why roughly ~70% of universal recipients did not attend public school before receiving their voucher," said Kowch.
Arizona’s ESA program has shifted the national conversation on school choice. But if choice is to mean access, not just opportunity, policymakers and schools will need to refine the system. Tuition alignment, scholarship coordination, sports accommodations and flexible schooling models are realistic ways to ensure ESA works for more than just the wealthy.
By linking tuition more closely to awards, coordinating scholarships and supporting lower-cost schooling models, Arizona can ensure ESA is not just a promise on paper but a pathway to opportunity for every student.
Editor’s Note (updated 10/08/2025):
A previous version of this article referred to students using Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program as “homeschoolers.” Under Arizona law, ESA participants who receive public funds for education are classified as ESA contract students, not homeschoolers under A.R.S. § 15-802. The article has been updated to clarify that distinction.
Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
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