Election Resources

Charter schools are publicly funded schools operated independently from school districts by nonprofit or for-profit organizations, though school districts may sponsor charter schools as well. As of the 2022 school year, 230,000 students attended approximately 560 Arizona charter schools.

For more information on charter schools, visit the Arizona Charter Schools Association at azcharters.org.

The Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) program allows students to take public school classes online.

For more information on the AOI program, visit the Arizona State Board of Education and the Arizona State Board of Charter Schools.

Arizona’s School Tuition Organization program has made it possible for thousands of Arizona students to attend a private school that best meets their needs. The program allows individuals and corporations to receive tax credits for donations to STOs, which in turn STOs award as scholarships for private school tuition. For more information about STOs, visit www.acsto.org.

The ESA program allows parents to receive ninety percent of state funds allocated for their child to provide a nonpublic education to their child. The program is available to every student in Arizona without limitation. Parents who sign ESA contracts for their students may use the scholarship for a variety of educational expenses, including tuition for private school.

For more information about the ESA program, visit the Arizona Department of Education’s ESA page at http://www.azed.gov/esa/.

Arizona law defines “homeschool” as “a nonpublic school conducted primarily by the parent, guardian or other person who has custody of the child or nonpublic instruction provided in the child’s home.”