About Arizona School Choice

Arizona has a long history of promoting diverse K-12 opportunities for students.

Home schooling and private tutors were the preferred means of education for much of Arizona’s early history until 1912 when the state Constitution provided for a public education system.  Even prior to this the first schools of choice in Arizona were Roman Catholic institutions that reach back to the turn of the 20th century. In addition to the growth of private religious schools, over time specialized schools focusing on advanced academics or special needs began to spread across the state.

Over time, Arizona’s public district schools became the de facto means of education for the vast majority of the K-12 population with students being assigned to schools by their residential ZIP code. However, by the 1990s this system of assigned enrollment revealed a growing disparity between schools’ racial and socio-economic demographics. This combined with rapid enrollment growth and poor academic performance, led to the passage of new educations laws in 1994 to relieve the pressure on

Arizona’s new laws provided open enrollment to all public schools and the creation of Arizona’s first public charter schools. This meant that school choice was no longer limited to families with the money to afford private schools or relocate to a better school district, but now parents could choose what public school they would send their child. Since the passage of Arizona’s open enrollment law and the creation of charter schools, around 50% of Arizona families now exercise choice by sending their student to a school not assigned by their home address.

In 1998, Arizona established the first tax credit program for private education in the country. This program was expanded to include corporate tax credits in 2009. Individuals, couples, and now corporations can now donate an annual tax credit to a Student Tuition Organization (STO) that awards scholarships to qualifying students for private educational options.

Arizona remains at the forefront of educational freedom for students with the passage of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts in 2017. These scholarships allow students with special needs to receive funding support for specialized, tuition-based programs.

Looking ahead to 2020, parents face new challenges from opponents that seek to limit education choice. From new regulations on alternative programs to funding reductions for Arizona’s charter schools, policymaker need to be reminded that a standardized system of education does not work for all students. As parents we need to protect the choices we have made for our children.