Jenny Clark, co-founder of Read The Word, said that Arizona has a strong demand for Classical Christian Schools and called for funding support to expand access. This statement was made on the social media platform X.
“Arizona is ready to launch more Classical Christian Schools. We have far more demand than seats in AZ for this type of option,” said Clark. “We need funding for buildings and startup grants. We have ESAs and tax credits already to help with tuition. Who’s in?!?”
According to the Arizona Department of Education, the state’s adoption of universal Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) in 2022 has driven growth in private education options, including classical Christian schools. These accounts provide families with direct funds for tuition and curricula. By the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, ESA participation surged with 85,195 Arizona students receiving awards, nearly three-quarters under universal eligibility. This rapid uptake has created new demand for private school seats and contributed to the expansion of faith-based and classical models.
Arizona currently hosts five private schools affiliated with the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS), serving approximately 1,080 students in the 2025–26 academic year. Private School Review reports that these schools show relatively high acceptance rates, indicating steady demand as more families utilize ESA funding to pursue faith-based classical options. While modest compared to other states, this reflects a growing foothold for classical education within Arizona’s private-school sector.
Compared with larger states like Texas and Florida, Arizona’s enrollment in classical Christian schools is smaller. In the 2025–26 academic year, Texas had 35 ACCS schools with 10,056 students and Florida had 21 schools with 5,526 students. Nationally, according to RealClearEducation and Private School Review, 264 new classical schools were added between 2019 and 2023, highlighting faster absolute growth in larger markets.
Clark is an Arizona education advocate who founded Love Your School, a nonprofit organization assisting families in navigating options such as ESAs. She began serving on the Arizona State Board of Education in 2022 and testified before Congress on school choice in 2025. Clark holds a degree in Business Economics from the University of Arizona and has become a national voice in education reform.
Read The Word is a nonprofit organization focused on mobilizing churches to address the U.S. literacy crisis by supporting reading initiatives within faith communities. The group emphasizes church-based solutions and notes that all donations are tax-deductible due to its nonprofit status. Its mission and leadership place it within broader Christian education and literacy advocacy networks.
