Public district schools are funded by local, state and federal funds, and free to any every student. They offer education from Pre-K through 12th grade, and provide general education (Reading, Math, Science etc) and extra-curricular activities like sports. The United States has a large public school system that collectively educates the vast majority of students.

In Arizona, the Public School system is open-enrollment, which means that any child can attend any public school, regardless of where they live and where the school is located, as long the school has room them (cf. A.R.S. § 15-816.01). Part of Arizona’s expansive school choice laws allow parents to pick and find the school that works best for them.

Public schools are funded by local, state, and federal taxes. The vast majority of funding in Arizona come from state budget and local property taxes. About 12% comes from the Federal government.

Most states have compulsory attendance laws, meaning that students of certain ages must attend “school” during the day. In Arizona children 6-16 must be attending a school, whether its public, charter, private, or homeschool. (cf. A.R.S. § 15-803).

Yes. Public schools require all teachers to be certified by the state. They achieve certification by attending and completing traditional college Educational program, or an alternative educator program while they are teaching full-time. In addition to completing these programs they may also need to pass a grade specific and subject knowledge test. All teachers are also required to take and pass the United States and Arizona Constitutions Exam. All teachers, administrators and staff must have fingerprint clearance cards.

Arizona Public district schools are graded based on the qualifications of their staff as well their students achieve on certain standardized tests. AZ School Report Cards provides an excellent snapshot to understand how a school is performing compared to others.

Yes, as long as you live within Arizona and can verify students identity and age. “While a district may restrict attendance to district residents based on available classroom space, inquiring into students’ citizenship or immigration status, or that of their parents or guardians, is not relevant to establishing residency within the district. A school district or charter school may not bar a student from enrolling because he or she lacks a birth certificate or has records indicating a foreign place of birth, such as a foreign birth certificate.”

Parents and their child’s needs determine what their home education will cost. Some families pay very little for homeschooling relying on available books and programs from Libraries and free online resources. Other families pay for books, curriculum, education and extra-curricular opportunities.

Charter schools are public, state-funded schools that serve as alternatives to traditional public schools that were started in Arizona in 1994 to provide a learning environment that will improve pupil achievement and to provide additional academic choices for parents and students. (c.f. https://asbcs.az.gov/about-charter-schools)

Each charter school has its own mission and approaches to teaching (for example, Dual Language, College or Career readiness, etc), and are not under a particular public school district. Charter schools are open to all students and never charge a tuition. They maintain their own policies for things like curriculum, teacher requirements etc. and are approved and monitored by the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools.

​ Yes and no. Charter schools can adopt policies for teachers that are different than Public District Schools, including not requiring teachers to be certified. However, many Charters typically follow the same requirements as Public District schools, and or modify them to include people with other professional experience or degrees outside of education. Some charters for example may employ professionals in engineering to teach robotics, or a retired laboratory scientist to teach science, who don’t have an educational degree. All teachers, administrators and full-time staff must have fingerprint clearance cards.

45 States have Charter School systems educating over 3.7 million students. There are over 700 charter schools in Arizona serving more than 230,000 students.

Arizona Public Charter schools are graded based on the qualifications of their staff as well their students achieve on certain standardized tests. AZ School Report Cards provides an excellent snapshot to understand how a school is performing compared to others. Note that Charter Schools are approved and monitored by the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools.

Yes, as long as you live within Arizona and can verify student’s identity and age. “While a district may restrict attendance to district residents based on available classroom space,2 inquiring into students’ citizenship or immigration status, or that of their parents or guardians, is not relevant to establishing residency within the district. A school district or charter school may not bar a student from enrolling because he or she lacks a birth certificate or has records indicating a foreign place of birth, such as a foreign birth certificate.”

Private schools are independent and charge a tuition to attend. Half of private schools are faith-based, meaning that religion is integrated into the classroom (For example Catholic school students often attend Mass each day, in addition to daily prayer and religion classes). Parents can use Empowerment Scholarships or STO’s to pay for tuition and fees.

Private schools each have their own admissions policy which determines who is eligible to attend. While they cannot discriminate on grounds of race, religion, immigration status, etc. they can require students to test in order to be admitted. They can also require parents and students to follow specific policies regarding behavior, uniform, etc.

Yes and No. Private schools have their own policies for who is eligible to teach at their school. However, many if not most private schools require their teachers to be certified or have a degree or equivalent professional certification on the area they teach. Most private schools require teachers, administrators and staff to have fingerprint clearance cards.

Private schools educate over 4.7 million students annually throughout the United States. In Arizona there are over 470 Private schools educating over 70,000 students.

Typically, Private schools out-perform their public and charter school peers in standardized testing, high school graduation and college acceptance. Part of this is due to a more demanding selection process, however many public schools enroll a diverse range of learners and still achieve at higher levels.

Private schools are not required by law to accept students with disabilities; however, many private schools do make accommodations and work with families to ensure specific accommodations are made for students. This is highly dependent on the school, and some private schools specialize in addressing exceptional learners.

Private school can range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars depending on the school. Parents can use Empowerment Scholarships or STO’s to pay for tuition and fees.

Yes. Empowerment Scholarship Accounts can be used for eligible educational expenses including private school tuition and fees.

A homeschool is a nonpublic school conducted primarily by the parent, guardian or other person who has custody of the child provided within the child’s home.

In Arizona, there are no teacher qualifications to homeschool. Parents or guardians can elect to homeschool by meeting Arizona’s homeschool requirements.

- The compulsory attendance ages are 6-16 years old. Parents or guardians are required to notify the County School Superintendent within 30 days of starting to homeschool with a notarized Affidavit of Intent along with proof of birth. Parents who home educate their children agree to provide instruction in at least the subjects of reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science. They also agree to not enroll them public or private school, though students are still eligible for services related to special needs (for example speech therapy) and athletic programs through their local public school. (c.f ARS 15-802A ) - Families participating in an Empowerment Scholarship Account do not need to submit an Affidavit of Intent & will remove one if there is one already filed at the county school superintendent's office. - A signed ESA contract constitutes school attendance required by ARS 15-802.

In Arizona there are many homeschool support groups, play groups, and educational co-ops, and extra-curricular activities. Joining on of these groups is a great way to find out what is available to homeschoolers in your area. Statewide organizations like Arizona Families for Home Education provide an annual conference.

Parents should determine their child’s grade level, learning style and which goals they want their child to achieve. Parents should evaluate what teaching style works best for their household, more modeled after a traditional classroom, video instructions, or student led. Your household budget is also an important consideration, curriculums range from free to very expensive. Families can use Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to pay for eligible educational expenses including curriculum.

Arizona does not require homeschoolers to take standardize tests. Some homeschool parents find standardized tests useful tools and there are multiple options for homeschoolers to choose from. These qualify as educational expenses and can be paid for through the Empowerment Scholarship accounts.

​Arizona has numerous opportunities for socialization through homeschool support groups, libraries, and even allowing homeschoolers to participate in programs at their local public school. Sports, Arts, Co-ops, and playgroups are a great way to socialize.

In order to graduate in Arizona parents set the graduation requirements and maintain records to create a transcript and diploma for their child. A good guideline is available from the Arizona State Board of Education. If using a packaged curriculum for high school, the provider sets the graduation requirements. If your child is college bound they must meet the entrance requirements for the college they plan to attend. For example, here are ASU’s requirements.

Yes. Empowerment Scholarship Accounts can be used for eligible education expenses for homeschooling.

- Parents can customize their child’s education to their needs, learning is encouraged throughout the day, and families have more time together. - Homeschoolers continue on to college, military service or the workforce at a similar rate to other education options and often excel in areas that they were able to focus on while homeschooling.

While micro schools vary, and are not legally defined in Arizona, they are typically small schools of 10-100 students lead by local education leaders to serve a specific need in the community. Classes are usually smaller than most schools and are a mixed-age/grade range. Typically, they meet 4 days a week in a home, church, or community center.

Micro schools are small and often exist within a specific community or neighborhood. Most people find out about micro schools through word of mouth. Prenda is one of the largest operators of micro schools and help parents and educational leaders develop their schools. You can learn more about Prenda here.

Micro schools are independent schools and are not evaluated by the state. Some participate in national models or voluntarily test students. Most micro schools are accountable to the parents, and the smaller size allows for increased transparency and parent involvement.

Micro schools range in cost from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Many micro schools in Arizona model themselves on other private schools but on a smaller scale and have similar costs as their private school peers.

Nationally micro schools are growing in nearly every state. The desire for smaller more accountable educational opportunities and the freedom for students to focus on the education and values that matter most to their families and community are some of the many benefits. Internationally, micro schools are much more common, and in the United States they are serving as an alternative to public education.

Yes. Empowerment Scholarship Accounts can be used for eligible educational expenses including micro school tuition and fees.