Financial Aid with ESA
What is ESA?
An Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) is an account administered by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and funded by state tax dollars to provide education options for qualified Arizona students.
An ESA consists of 90% of the state funding that would have otherwise been allocated to the school district or charter school for the qualified student (does not include federal or local funding). By accepting an ESA, the student’s parent or guardian is signing a contract agreeing to provide an education that includes at least the following subjects: reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science. ESA funding can be used to pay private school tuition, for curriculum, home education, tutoring and more.
How to Apply
ESA accepts applications online year-round and the scholarship amount awarded is divided into four quarterly disbursements.
DATES:
Q1: July 1 – September 30
Q2: October 1 – December 31
Q3: January 1 – March 31
Q4: April 1 – June 30
The funding received is based on the quarter that the contract is signed.
For example, if you sign a contract at any point from July 1 – September 30, you’ll receive Q1 funding. If you sign the contract from October 1 – December 31, you’ll receive Q2 funding, etc.
What’s the status of my application?
Applications can take up to 30 days to process (from the date a completed application is submitted) and the final determination is sent via email. During this process, we are unable to provide any indications if an application is going to be approved or denied. The best course of action while waiting is to regularly check your email for ESA correspondence. Be sure to check your spam/junk folder as well!
More Questions?
If you have more questions about ESA funding, guidance, or how to apply. Please visit the ESA Guidance site.