Empowerment Scholarship (ESA)

As of September 24, 2022, student eligibility for the Arizona’s Department of Education's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program expanded to be 'Universal' which means if you live in Arizona AND your child is in K-12, then you are eligible for ESA funds if your child attends a private school. ESA funds can be used for a wide variety of educational expenses. For example, ESA funding can pay for private school tuition, educational therapies, and more. 

A traditional Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) is an account established to provide an education for qualified students. The program’s main purpose is to provide options for parents to freely choose how and where to educate their children with financial assistance from the state.

Students who are eligible usually fall under one these categories:
1. A student who attended a public school for the first 100 days of the school year
2. Kindergarten students 5 yrs old before September 1st.
3. Students currently receiving STO scholarship under the Displaced and Disabled category
4. Active duty member of the military
5. Student is attending a D or F rated school
6. Student has a disability that is recognized by the public school system

Please see Arizona Department of Education website for eligibility requirements.

Recipients of ESA may NOT ACCEPT any School Tuition Organization (STO) scholarships or any tax credit scholarships while enrolled in ESA. HOWEVER, you can solicit Recommended Fund Contributions to an STO while your student is on ESA for use once you cancel your ESA contract. To hold awards past the ’22-’23 school year, STO Scholarship Applications must be submitted each new school year and the student must stay continuously enrolled in a Partner School. This allows you to solicit funds for a future higher tuition fee, such as high school.