By Kiera Riley | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- ESA enrollment tops 100,000, leaving gross cost to state over $1 billion
- Growth fuels debate over public schools’ funding, enrollment levels
- Analysts dispute oversight, future growth, budget impacts
Enrollment in the Empowerment Scholarship Account program has officially surpassed 100,000 students, with the milestone reigniting conversations about program costs and oversight.
Since allowing any student to enroll at the end of 2022, the program has grown from around 12,000 students to 100,474 as of Jan. 26, and has increased gross costs from $189 million to around $1 billion.
Proponents of school choice herald continued growth as a signal of the program’s success.
Matt Beienburg, director of education policy at the Goldwater Institute, said, “That’s a milestone, that’s a testament to the demand and demand for the program, the value of the program, I think that’s something that reflects the interest amongst parents and students for the opportunities the program provides.”
