Data Snapshot: Arizona

With the release of the Alliance for School Choice's School Choice Yearbook 2011-12 (available for download here), we'll spend the next few days on School Choice Now! highlighting some of the new data and research it contains.

Thanks to the hard work of Arizona’s elected officials and tireless advocates, Arizona is now one to two states that can boast FOUR school choice programs.  And it’s home to the nation’s first and only Education Savings Account Program!

2011 Results

• Number of School Choice Programs: 4
• Total Number of Students: 30,178
• Total Number of Participating Schools: 2,600
• Total Expenditures: $58,362,748

Individual School Tuition Organization Tax Credit

An individual scholarship tax credit created in 1997.

    2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 25,343
• Schools Participating: 911
• STOs Operating: 49
• 2011 Expenditures: $47,105,564

    Growth in Student Participation

    

Corporate School Tuition Organization Tax Credit

Enacted in 2006, this scholarship tax credit program provides tax credits to businesses that donate money for scholarships.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 4,578
• Schools Participating: 342
• STOs Operating: 17
• 2011 Expenditures: $9,189,905

    Growth in Student Participation

Lexie’s Law

A corporate scholarship tax credit program for students with disabilities and foster care children.  This program was originally a voucher program and transitioned into a scholarship tax credit program in 2009.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 115
• Schools Participating: 47
• STOs Operating: 5
• 2011 Expenditures: $561,029

    Growth in Student Participation

    

Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program

A NEW type of school choice program created in 2011, this program allows parents of children with special needs to receive an account where parents can spend their child’s education dollars on a variety of options including tuition, books, tutoring, and educational therapies.  In January, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge upheld the program, letting hundreds of families remain in the program.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 142
• 2011 Expenditures: $1,506,250

    Growth in Student Participation

    

2012 Outlook

Arizona is looking to strengthen and expand its existing scholarship tax credit programs and to continue to protect the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program as special interests continue to attempt to disband the program.

- American Federation for Children | Alliance for School Choice, MSG