Arizona has 5 educational choice programs.
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Arizona’s “switcher” tax-credit scholarship program was enacted and launched in 2012. The law allows donors to receive tax credits for their donations to school tuition organizations, nonprofits that give scholarships to students in need. Learn more about how the program works on this page, including eligibility, funding, regulations and more.
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Arizona was the first state to enact an education savings account program, the newest school choice mechanism. The passage and launch of the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program in 2011 opened the door to new learning opportunities for students with special needs and circumstances, and the expansion in 2017 will eventually make the program open to nearly all of Arizona’s K–12 students. Learn more about how the program works on this page, including eligibility, funding, regulations and more.
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The Arizona legislature enacted “Lexie’s Law” in 2009. The program, a tax-credit scholarship for students with special needs, launched in the same year. Learn more about how the program works on this page, including eligibility, funding, regulations and more.
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Arizona’s Low-Income Corporate Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program passed in 2006, and it launched in the same year. This tax-credit scholarship program allows corporate taxpayers to receive tax credits for their donations to nonprofit organizations that provide school scholarships to K–12 students from low-income families. Learn more about the program on this page, including eligibility, funding, regulations, legal history and more.
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The Arizona legislature passed this program in 1997, and it launched in the same year. This tax-credit scholarship program allows taxpayers to receive tax credits for their donations to nonprofit organizations that provide school scholarships to K–12 students. Learn more about the program on this page, including eligibility, funding, regulations, legal history and more.
BLOG POST
Breaking Down “The Tax-Credit Scholarship Audit”
In 2014, we calculated the cumulative savings generated by America’s K–12 school voucher programs over two decades—$1.7 billion. This year, we continued that study by doing the same for seven states’ tax-credit scholarship programs, which cover 93 percent of total scholarships awarded to date. These types of school choice programs differ from school vouchers in […]
RESEARCH REPORT
The Education Debit Card II
In this follow-up study, authors examine more data from Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program, an education savings account (ESA) program. The program allows families to spend their education dollars on a variety of options, including private tutoring, learning therapies, and more. The Education Debit Card II: What Arizona Parents Purchase with Education Savings Accounts reveals ESA families’ expenditures now and how spending trends have changed since our last report.
VIDEO
How Education Savings Accounts Work
Wondering how education savings accounts (ESAs) work in Arizona? This video offers a quick and simple explanation of how ESAs work in general. Learn where ESA funding comes from, how parents use ESAs and how kids benefit from this innovative educational option.