More than 20 Valley schools close doors as ESA program grows

Beginning in 2025, more than 20 public schools in neighborhoods across the Valley have closed or are in the process of shutting their doors. 

A decline in the number of students enrolling into public schools is a major contributing factor as to why schools are closing their doors for good. 

Public school enrollment has fallen for several reasons including declining birth rates, lack of funding and the expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Account  (ESA) program with an annual cost of $1 billion dollars.

Parents in Arizona whose children don’t attend public school can apply for the ESA program to cover the cost of homeschool or private school regardless of their income. Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs wanted to scale back the ESA program and recommended placing income caps on who could qualify.

Republicans have continuously voted down proposals to place income guidelines around the ESA program, even as wealthy families used vouchers to cover the cost of their children’s education. 

As the ESA program has grown, public school enrollment continues to drop, leaving public schools with smaller budgets leading to school closures. 

• Cave Creek Unified School District
  • Desert Sun Academy
  • Lone Mountain Elementary School
• Gilbert Public Schools
  • Pioneer Elementary
• Isaac School District
  • Moya Elementary
  • P.T. Coe Elementary
  • Isaac Online Prep Academy
• Kyrene School District 
  • Kyrene de la Colina
  • Kyrene de la Estrella
  • Kyrene de las Manitas
  • Kyrene Traditional Academy
  • Kyrene Akimel A-al Middle School
  • Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School
• Peoria Unified School District
  • Kachina Elementary
  • Pioneer Elementary.
• Phoenix Elementary School District
  • Dunbar School
  • Heard Elementary
• Roosevelt School District
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
  • C.J. Jorgensen Academy
  • John R. Davis Elementary
  • V.H. Lassen Academy
  • Maxine O. Bush Elementary.
• Scottsdale Unified
  • Pima Elementary
  • Echo Canyon

Republican leaders, including State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, have repeatedly stated the ESA program is about families having school choice.

Democratic leaders such as Representative Nancy Gutierrez, who taught in public schools for more than 20 years, feel it’s about defunding public schools and is an attempt by Republicans to privatize the education system.

School districts across the Valley face budget cuts

Additionally, other public school districts are struggling financially and have cut down on programs and staff.

Chandler Unified School District and Phoenix Union High School District announced a total of more than 260 positions would be eliminated due to low enrollment and lack of funding. 

Mesa Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, laid off 400 employees last school year and announced plans to eliminate close to 150 positions by the end of the 2025-26 school year. 

In the meantime, Arizona ranks last in the nation for K-12 public school funding, according to a Consumer Affairs report.

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Reporting by “Arizona Horizon” Education Solutions Reporter Roxanne De La Rosa. Her role is made possible through grant funding from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund and Report for America.

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