Grand Canyon Times

Empowerment scholarships for 29,652 Arizona students could be on the chopping block if Arizona's Governor Katie Hobbs' efforts to repeal the program are successful.

Hobbs' executive budget from early January 2023 proposed reversing the state's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, an expansion which allowed any K-12 Arizona student to receive a scholarship worth up to $7,000 enabling them to attend a school outside the public school system.

There are 29,652 Arizona students benefiting from the ESA program as of the first quarter of 2023, according to a Grand Canyon Times analysis of Arizona Department of Education data.

If the ESA program is rolled back, scholarships would only be available to students who met certain requirements, such as identifying as having a disability, attending a low-performing school, or residing on an American Indian reservation.

Steve Smith, Arizona state director of the American Federation for Children, told the Grand Canyon Times that rolling back ESAs could affect school choice and aid extended to low-income students.

"If the ESA program were to be eliminated, nearly 50,000 families would have their education of choice ripped away from them, including special needs and disadvantaged families," Smith said in February 2023, before the program exceeded 50,000 students.

Gov. Hobbs claimed in a PBS interview that the school scholarship system will "bankrupt the state."

"This scholarship system we are under now doesn't provide real choice in educational opportunity for most families. It diverts resources from schools," said Hobbs.

Data from the Common Sense Institute, however, indicated a scholarship costs Arizona taxpayers $7,000 compared to the $12,000 per student cost in the public school system.

District/Charter	Enrollment
Mesa Unified District	1,694
Deer Valley Unified District	1,673
Tucson Unified District	1,641
Scottsdale Unified District	1,548
Chandler Unified District #80	1,421
Paradise Valley Unified District	1,303
Gilbert Unified District	1,198
Peoria Unified School District	1,163
Dysart Unified District	866
Higley Unified School District	771
Yuma Elementary District	676
Litchfield Elementary District	628
Kyrene Elementary District	603
Marana Unified District	573
Queen Creek Unified District	570
Amphitheater Unified District	559
Washington Elementary School District	532
Florence Unified School District	493
Cave Creek Unified District	441
Roosevelt Elementary District	393
Phoenix Union High School District	392
Flagstaff Unified District	370
Sierra Vista Unified District	369
Vail Unified District	354
Edkey, Inc. - Sequoia Choice Schools	334
Madison Elementary District	320
Prescott Unified District	296
Maricopa Unified School District	273
Casa Grande Elementary District	249
Humboldt Unified District	246
Tempe Union High School District	240
Tempe School District	239
Sunnyside Unified District	238
Sahuarita Unified District	231
J O Combs Unified School District	217
Avondale Elementary District	186
Creighton Elementary District	186
Portable Practical Educational Preparation, Inc. (PPEP, Inc.)	177
Agua Fria Union High School District	174
Liberty Elementary District	171
Glendale Elementary District	168
Glendale Union High School District	168
Yuma Union High School District	164
Apache Junction Unified District	163
Buckeye Elementary District	159
San Carlos Unified District	158
Catalina Foothills Unified District	155
Coolidge Unified District	155
Laveen Elementary District	155
Window Rock Unified District	154
Crane Elementary District	147
Pendergast Elementary District	132
Arizona Connections Academy Charter School, Inc.	123
Littleton Elementary District	118
Colorado City Unified District	114
Whiteriver Unified District	113
Kingman Unified School District	109
Snowflake Unified District	105
Show Low Unified District	101
Saddle Mountain Unified School District	99
Chino Valley Unified District	93
Tolleson Union High School District	90
Phoenix Elementary District	85
Cartwright Elementary District	81
Fountain Hills Unified District	81
Tanque Verde Unified District	78
Osborn Elementary District	70
Nadaburg Unified School District	69
Wickenburg Unified District	69
Flowing Wells Unified District	67
Alhambra Elementary District	66
Camp Verde Unified District	65
Palominas Elementary School District 49	65
Blue Ridge Unified School District No. 32	64
Eduprize Schools, LLC	64
Fort Thomas Unified District	64
Cottonwood-Oak Creek Elementary District	61
Buckeye Union High School District	59
Payson Unified District	59
Arizona Autism Charter Schools, Inc.	57
American Leadership Academy, Inc.	55
Lake Havasu Unified District	55
Fowler Elementary District	52
Fort Huachuca Accommodation District	51
Casa Grande Union High School District	49
Continental Elementary District	46
Globe Unified District	41
Parker Unified School District	40
Page Unified School District #8	39
Balsz Elementary District	38
Sedona-Oak Creek JUSD #9	38
Safford Unified District	34
Leman Academy of Excellence, Inc.	33
Isaac Elementary District	30
Union Elementary District	30
Toltec School District	28
Winslow Unified District	28
Tolleson Elementary District	27
St Johns Unified District	26
Clarkdale-Jerome Elementary District	24
San Tan Montessori School, Inc.	24
Young Elementary District	24
Nogales Unified District	23
Oracle Elementary District	23
Tombstone Unified District	22
American Virtual Academy	21
Beaver Creek Elementary District	21
Mayer Unified School District	21
Red Rock Elementary District	21
Round Valley Unified District	20
Somerton Elementary District	20
Altar Valley Elementary District	19
Mingus Union High School District	19
Benson Unified School District	18
Ganado Unified School District	18
Bisbee Unified District	16
Douglas Unified District	16
Quartzsite Elementary District	16
The Odyssey Preparatory Academy, Inc.	16
Williams Unified District	16
Heber-Overgaard Unified District	15
Legacy Traditional School - Surprise	15
Thatcher Unified District	15
Valley of the Sun Waldorf Education Association, dba Desert Marigold School	15
LEAD Charter Schools	14
Littlefield Unified District	14
Mohawk Valley Elementary District	14
Paragon Management, Inc.	14
Pima Unified District	14
St David Unified District	14
Archway Classical Academy Arete	13
Concho Elementary District	13
Eloy Elementary District	13
Stanfield Elementary District	13
Archway Classical Academy Chandler	12
Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Queen Creek	12
Mohave Valley Elementary District	12
Wellton Elementary District	12
Willcox Unified District	12
ASU Preparatory Academy Digital	11
Candeo Schools, Inc.	11
Sanders Unified District	11
Cochise Community Development Corporation	10
Horizon Community Learning Center, Inc.	10
Mcnary Elementary District	10