Last Upated: January 19, 2023
If you live in Arizona, you have access to more K-12 education options than you might realize. Navigating these options can help you find a school where your child thrives, but it can also feel overwhelming. This guide will breakdown the six types of schools available in Arizona, as well as provide additional education resources.
Arizona families can choose from traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online academies, homeschooling, and learning pods.
Looking for special education options? You can learn what special education services are available in Arizona at the Ultimate Guide to Special Education.
Most children in Arizona (and in America) attend traditional public schools. Traditional public schools are free to attend, open to all students, operated by school districts, and funded by taxpayers like you. Arizona spends an average of $8,785 per public school pupil each year. You can search your school’s spending and that of nearby schools at Project Nickel.
Arizona has unrestricted open enrollment for public school. What this means is that you can send your child to any public school in Arizona, regardless of where you live or where the school is located. Each district’s open enrollment policies must be available in English and Spanish, and must include transportation provisions. These include transportation up to 20 miles each way for students with a disability or IEP, and can include other students, too. For example, you can read about the open enrollment process in the Scottsdale Unified School District.
You can take advantage of open enrollment by visiting multiple public schools near you and discovering which is the best fit for your family. Traditional public schools may differ in learning methods and one may just “feel different” than another to you.
For example, one traditional public school in Arizona we talked to, Coyote Springs Elementary School, has a unique focus on “authenticity in learning.” Pamela Clark, the school’s instructional specialist, shared one of the school’s cool practices for the beginning of the school year. It’s called “two for ten.” She said, “We want everyone on campus to spend ten minutes with a child for a couple of weeks just getting to know them, talking about things other than school, and every person on campus participates, including teachers, custodians, the cafeteria staff.”
Find out more about public schools in your state at the Arizona Department of Education and Office of the Governor.
Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that have extra freedom to innovate with curriculum and learning methods. Arizona has more than 500 charter schools that parents can choose from. Each school has a charter which explains the school’s purpose and what specific community need it serves. That could be providing a Spanish immersion program or offering a rigorous, literacy-based curriculum. If there are more families seeking admittance to a charter school than there are seats, a lottery system is usually used to determine admittance.
For more information on charter schools in your state, check out the Arizona Charter Schools Association. Families in the metro-Phoenix area may also be interested in Raising Arizona Kids’ annual guide to all nearby charters.
We recently interviewed one of Arizona’s very first charter schools, Benjamin Franklin Charter School. When we asked the charter school’s Director of Education, Diana Dana, what makes her school unique, here’s what she shared: “Because we are not restricted by boundaries, we are able to welcome any family that is looking for something more than what their neighborhood school offers in a caring, wholesome environment. Many parents choose to be a part of something special with us because we provide an ‘A’ rated education and family-friendly amenities such as affordable before- and after- school childcare and free school supplies. We take pride in removing barriers to an excellent, tuition-free education.”
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 twelve magnet schools. These include schools that focus on communication arts, dual language, Montessori, and gifted study. Meanwhile, in Goodyear, Centerra Mirage STEM Academy is a magnet school focusing on hands-on STEM learning and enrichment.
You probably know that private schools are nonpublic schools that charge tuition. But did you know that, since 2018, the federal government has allowed parents to save for K-12 private school tuition using tax-preferred 529 savings accounts?
There are about 450 private schools across the state of Arizona. These private schools come in all shapes and forms, from religious schools to schools designed for children with special needs. Arizona’s Gateway Academy, for example, a private school located in Scottsdale, is providing an an inspiring education for students with autism spectrum disorders.
The average tuition for private schools in Arizona is $9,756 for elementary schools and $15,165 for high schools. There are currently five state-run scholarship programs, which can help families afford private school tuition. One of these is the nation’s very first tax-credit scholarship program, enacted in 1997. All K-12 students interested in choosing private school are eligible to apply for aid. Arizona launched another individual income tax-credit scholarship program in 2012. Arizona also offers a tax-credit scholarship program focusing on scholarships for low-income children. Fourth, “Lexie’s Law” provides tax-credit scholarships for students with special needs.
Finally, Arizona has an Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program that was adapted in 2022 to expand eligibility to all Arizona students. Participating families can receive scholarships of about $7,000 for qualifying educational expenses, including private school tuition, online education, tutoring, transportation, and education therapy.
Learn more at Choose A School Arizona, Love Your School, Phoenix Catholic Schools, and Private School Review: Arizona.
Whether your child wants to accelerate learning or needs a quieter environment, you may be interested in trying virtual school. Arizona students can choose from many free, full-time online charter schools, including the state’s single largest online program, Primavera Online School. Other options include Arizona Virtual Academy, Arizona Connections Academy, Astravo Online Academy, Sequoia Choice Arizona Distance Learning, and ASU Prep Digital. Starting in 2022-2023, high schoolers can also consider Khan World School, a creative partnership between ASU Prep Digital and Khan Academy. Students in high school 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 or Great Hearts Online, both of which have classical learning focuses.
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.
Besides online charter schools, there are more than 100 districts in Arizona currently offering part-time or full-time online learning! These include the Mesa Distance Learning Program, Chandler Online Academy, Scottsdale Online Learning, Deer Valley’s Aspire Online Academy, and Paradise Valley Online. The State Board of Education makes a complete list of district online programs and the grades they serve available to families.
To read more about online learning in Arizona, check out the Digital Learning Collaborative’s state profile.
Homeschooling is another school option in all 50 states. Homeschooling is the process of parents educating students at home and allows for highly customizable education. If you homeschool in Arizona, your student might still be eligible to participate in sports or classes at your local public school!
If you choose to homeschool, you are required to teach reading, grammar, math, social studies, and science, but specific standardized tests are not required. The state requires a one-time notice of your intent to homeschool within 30 days of beginning to homeschool in a county. It is also recommended that you formally withdraw from your previous school so that your student is not marked truant.
If you move to a new county during the school year, you must file a letter of termination, then submit a new notice of your intent to homeschool in the county you moved to. In the case that you want to switch back to public school, you must file a letter of termination.
Arizona has a funding assistance program called the Empowerment Scholarship Account program that can help make homeschooling more affordable for families. You can learn more about homeschooling at Arizona Families for Home Education or the Home School Legal Defense Association – Arizona.
Micro-schools, 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.
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.
If your learning pod contains more than two families and will have parents or other 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.
If your child is enrolled in an existing online school or local public, charter, or private school, and uses that school’s curriculum under the supervision of an adult in a learning pod, you do not need to register as a homeschool or private school.
For example, Prenda Microschools offers a tuition-free learning pod option for families through a partnership with accredited online schools in Arizona. Also, Great Hearts Online has piloted a microschool program where families can enroll in the classical online school but receive in-person learning support.
Additionally, KaiPod Learning offers learning pods for both homeschoolers and students enrolled in accredited virtual schools, and is expanding its locations in Arizona for the 2022-2023 school year.
For additional information about school choices in Arizona, visit these resources:
Explore School Choice. Get a free School Choice Snapshot for your state.
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