Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) have become central to Arizona’s education landscape. Originally designed to provide public funds for students with disabilities to access specialized services, the program expanded universally in 2022, allowing all Arizona families to apply. Since then, the program’s costs have ballooned from an initial estimate of $100 million over two years to over $400 million annually, sparking debate about the program’s sustainability.
What Are ESAs?
ESAs are taxpayer-funded accounts that families can use to cover various education-related expenses, including private school tuition, homeschooling materials, and extracurricular activities. According to Politico, Arizona’s universal ESA program currently serves over 50,000 students—approximately 1 in 20 school-age children in the state.
Families have used ESA funds for diverse expenses, ranging from traditional academic costs to items like ski lift passes, horse therapy, and online ballet lessons.
While proponents argue that ESAs empower parents to customize education for their children, critics highlight concerns about oversight, equity, and financial sustainability. The program’s soaring costs, now over $400 million annually, have significantly contributed to Arizona’s budget deficit for 2024 and 2025.
The National ESA Movement
Arizona’s universal voucher program has inspired other states to adopt or expand similar initiatives. Since 2022, states like Florida, Indiana, and Utah have broadened their voucher programs, with many citing Arizona’s model as a reference.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has made school vouchers a legislative priority. In the last legislative session, Abbott’s push for voucher legislation led to a standoff, with school funding effectively held hostage. Despite a record $32 billion surplus, no significant increases were made to public school funding, leaving many districts to adopt deficit budgets while grappling with rising costs and unfunded state mandates.
Abbott’s targeted campaign against rural Republicans who opposed school vouchers in the last legislative session has yielded significant results. A majority of the pro-voucher candidates he endorsed secured victories in the general election. Abbott now asserts that he has garnered enough support in the Texas House to push through a voucher program in 2025.
Critics argue such programs drain resources from public schools and fail to consistently improve academic outcomes, while proponents stress the importance of parental choice and competition.
