What is School Choice?
Any policy that allows families to take their children’s education dollars to the approved education provider of their choosing – be it traditional public schools, public charter schools, private school, virtual learning, or home schooling.
Parents should have a wide range of high quality schools or educational options to choose from – be it traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, virtual learning, or home schooling.
“Education funding is meant for educating children – not for protecting a particular institution. We should fund students, not systems.” – Corey DeAngelis
Private school choice, through scholarship tax credit programs, vouchers, educational savings accounts and individual tuition tax credits, gives students, including those from low-income families or those with special needs, the opportunity to receive tuition to attend a private school that meets their needs immediately. Public school choice, like charters or magnets, allow families to choose educational settings within the public system.
Read more at: https://www.schoolchoicefacts.org/
ARIZONA SCHOOL CHOICE OPTIONS
Charter School: Charter schools are tuition-free, public schools. Nearly 20% of Arizona students attend an Arizona charter school! Since 1995, the number of charter schools in Arizona has grown to over 500 and charter school student enrollment has grown well over 150,000 students!
Locate a charter school near you, visit: https://educationevaluator.org/about-the-map/.
Home School: Homeschooling in Arizona is defined as the parent-led and privately funded education of a child at home. Parents who choose to educate their children at home are required to file an affidavit of their intent to homeschool with the state.
Families are able to use an Empowerment Scholarship Account and purchase home school curriculum, books, therapies, tutoring, testing fees, uniforms and more!
Already have an ESA or not eligible for an ESA scholarship and want to find curriculum resources?
Visit the following Home School Communities:
Arizona for Homeschool Education https://www.afhe.org/
The Home School Mom https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/homeschooling-in-arizona/
Parent Alliance for Students with Exceptional Needs: https://pasen.org/
Homeschool Legal Defense Action https://hslda.org/post/contests
My Homeschool Hub https://myhomeschoolhub.com/homeschool-help-in-the-state-of-arizona/
Micro-schools (Prenda), pods, pandemic pods, and learning pods all refer to the same concept: students gathering together in a small group – with adult supervision – to learn, explore, and socialize. Pods themselves can take a variety of legal forms, but in general they can be separated into two categories: self-directed pod (homeschool, homeschool collaborative, or micro-school) and learning support pod. It’s important to understand what kind of pod you are signing up for and the requirements that go along with it. Learn more about learning pods.
Self-Directed Pods
If your learning pod or micro-school is choosing its own curriculum and each family is directing their own children’s schooling, it likely qualifies as a homeschool in Arizona. Read more about the requirements for homeschooling and get tips from HSLDA here. Note that homeschooled students in Arizona may still be eligible to participate in sports, activities, or classes at local public schools.
If your learning pod contains more than two families and will have teachers leading unique classes just for your school, it may qualify as a private school. You can read more about what Arizona classifies as a private school, how they’re regulated, and how to start one.
Learning Support Pods
If your child is going to be enrolled in remote learning through your local public school and supervised by an adult in your learning pod, you do not need to register as a homeschool or private school. Keep in mind that you have multiple online learning options, including two permanent, full-time online schools that are available to K-12 students statewide.
You can also choose Magnet Schools. These free public schools allow kids to narrow in on a specific learning track, such as health sciences or the performing arts. At a magnet school, all subjects are taught through the lenses of that specific track. These might be a good option if your kid learns best by focusing in on a subject he or she is passionate about!
There are many magnet school options in Arizona. For instance, the Tucson Unified School District in Arizona currently lists fourteen magnet schools. These include schools that focus on communication arts, dual language, STEM, Montessori, and gifted study.
Private School: If you would like to send your child to a private school (including religious schools), scholarship assistance may be available to you through one of the many School Tuition Organizations (STOs) and Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) in Arizona.
Online Private School: If you would like to send your child to an online private school, scholarship assistance may be available to you through one of the many school tuition organizations (STOs) and Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) in Arizona.
Find a private school near you by visiting any of the following links:
a. Schola: http://bit.ly/Find-School
b. Private School Review: https://www.privateschoolreview.com/arizona
c. Niche: https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-k12-schools/s/arizona/
d. Great Schools: https://www.greatschools.org/
Public Schools: are tuition-free learning institutions that are funded by local, state and/or federal governments. They offer general education opportunities to children in kindergarten through grade 12, and extracurricular activities are also part of many public school programs.
Did you know that all Arizona public and charter schools receive a letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F) from the Arizona Department of Education. What grade did your child’s school receive?
Federal and state law require it. The federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to measure school performance. State law mandates the A-F letter grade system, which is based on a range of quantitative measures including the AzMERIT test.
Why does Arizona have an A-F System of grading schools?
It gives parents a yardstick to compare schools. It gives school leaders a snapshot of where they are doing well and where they need to improve. It creates an incentive for the constant improvement that parents, taxpayers and state leaders expect from our public schools. To learn more visit: https://azsbe.az.gov/sites/default/files/media/FAQ%20Final_0.pdf
- Review a public school letter grade by the Arizona Department of Education: https://azsbe.az.gov/f-school-letter-grades OR visit: https://azreportcards.azed.gov/.
- Find out if your child’s school has been rated underperforming or graded D or F (latest report card is from 2019): https://az4children.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/FY-19-Combined-D-F-Rate-Schools.pdf
- Public School District Website List: https://www.azed.gov/districtwebsites/
Find a public school near you by visiting any of the following links:
Schola:
http://bit.ly/Find-School
Niche:
https://www.niche.com/
Great Schools:
https://www.greatschools.org
Virtual or Online School
Whether your child wants to accelerate learning or needs a quieter environment, you may be interested in trying virtual school. Arizona students can attend Arizona Virtual Academy, Arizona Connections Academy, Primavera Online School, Sequoia Choice Arizona Distance Learning, or ASU Prep Digital full-time at no cost. Students in grades 7-12 can also consider Insight Academy of Arizona or Hope High School Online, both of which specialize in helping struggling students succeed. Students in grades K-8 can also consider Leman Virtual Academy.
In order for funding to transfer to one of these schools, families switching to an online school may need to initiate withdrawal from their previous school. You can learn more about the online school community in your state at AZ Parents for Education.
There are also many districts in Arizona currently offering full-time online learning. The State Board of Education makes a list of district online programs and the grades they serve available to families.