Did Arizona’s school voucher program account for just 2% of state education spending during Fiscal Year 2023?
By Carmela Guaglianone
View this fact brief on Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
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NO
Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program—which allows families to pay for private school, homeschooling supplies and other expenses—accounted for more than 2% of the state’s education budget in Fiscal Year 2023.
The state appropriated $475 million for ESAs in FY2023, after policymakers expanded eligibility to all K-12 students in the state. That price tag represented about 5.5% of the Arizona Department of Education’s total operating budget at the time, which includes state and federal dollars.
Since then, the voucher program’s price tag has continued to increase alongside enrollment, with the average ESA award topping $7,000. State education officials expect the program to cost $864 million in Fiscal 2025.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee, Department of Education FY 2024 Appropriations Report
State of Arizona Research Library Arizona Department of Education (ADE)
Learning Policy Institute Understanding the Cost of Universal School Vouchers: An Analysis of Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account Program
Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee, Department of Education K-12 and ESA Formula Funding Overview
Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee, Department of Education Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Funding Report Background
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