Where student funding goes when an Arizona student leaves a public school to attend a private school using an Empowerment Scholarship Account, also known as a school voucher.

Infographic by Morgan Willis/AZEdNews
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When a student attends a public school, 100% of state and local funding for that student goes to the public school.

When a student uses and Empowerment Scholarship Account, (ESA), or voucher, to attend a private school then 0% of state and local funding goes to the public school they left.

Ninety-percent of school voucher money goes to parents through the Empowerment Scholarship Account or ESA, while 5% remains in the state’s general fund, 4% goes to the Arizona Department of Education for ESA administration, and 1% goes to the Arizona State Treasurer for ESA administration.

Public schools retain NO funding when a student uses a voucher or ESA to attend a private school.

Arizona public schools receive $6,653 per student in equalization formula funding, according to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee’s K-12 funding.

The average ESA amount is about $11,000 per student, because 58% of the 6,500 students who used ESAs in 2019 are special education students, according to Arizona Department of Education data.

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Academic accountability: How do ESAs measure up?
What are Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts?
Empowerment Scholarship Accounts: Who qualifies, how money is spent