Arizona’s school voucher program exceeds 100,000 students

Enrollment for Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program has surpassed 100,000 students for the first time since its inception in 2011, according to the state Department of Education.

The milestone comes as the cost of administering the ESA program reached $1 billion in a single fiscal year in late 2025.

ESAs allow children who are not enrolled in public schools to use up to 90% of the state funding that would have otherwise gone to their public school districts for private school tuition or homeschooling expenses.

The program was formerly reserved for specific groups, such as students with disabilities and students in foster care, but was expanded in 2022 to include all school-aged children in Arizona.