Thousands of Arkansans apply to school voucher program as universal access offered for first time

Yahoo

3 days ago

The majority of private schools that participated in the inaugural year of Arkansas' voucher program have reapplied for the second year. They're joined by more than two dozen new applicants. ()
Nearly 37,000 students have been approved to participate in the state's school voucher program during the 2025-2026 academic year, the first time it's open to all Arkansans.
Created by the LEARNS Act, a 2023 law that made sweeping changes to the state's K-12 education system, the Education Freedom Account program provides state funds for allowable education expenses such as private school tuition. The program was phased in over three years with expanding eligibility.
As of Monday, the Arkansas Department of Education had received 42,624 applications — 27,752 from private school students, 14,866 from homeschool students and six incomplete applications. Applications could be considered incomplete for a variety of reasons such as someone not entering a school in the application, ADE spokesperson Kimberly Mundell said.
ADE had approved 36,855 applicants as of Monday — 25,569 private school students and 11,286 homeschool students.
In the first two years of the EFA program, participation was capped at 1.5% and 3% of the total public school enrollment, roughly 7,100 and 14,000 students, respectively. ADE is projecting approximately 40,000 participants for the 2025-2026 academic year, Mundell said.
With no cap in year three, participation will be limited by available funding, which is worrisome to Courtnei Jackson, principal and teacher at Shiloh Excel Christian School in Little Rock.
'It is a concern to know that there's a possibility of funds running out and we still don't have families that have renewed or applied yet,' she said.
Shiloh Excel had 13 students last year, the majority of whom participated in the EFA program. Jackson expects around 20 students to enroll for the 2025-2026 academic year.
EFA students are eligible to receive up to $6,994 per student next year. Students who previously qualified for the Succeed Scholarship Program, which was absorbed into the EFA program, will receive up to $7,771.
For the 2025-2026 academic year, $277 million in state funds have been approved for the EFA program, Mundell said. Asked if applications are expected to exceed available funding and if per-student funding would be reduced if that happens, Mundell said funding hasn't yet been exceeded and 'there is no plan to reduce the amount of funding per pupil at this time.'
To manage the large influx of applications, ADE is evaluating and approving applications based on funding priority categories within designated application priority windows, instead of a first-come, first-served basis, according to the education department's EFA website.
Three-week priority windows began in early March. The application portal was closed from May 26 to June 1, before reopening for the fifth application window on Monday. Once a priority window closes, all submitted applications are reviewed together, with priority given to students in higher funding categories. The students with highest priority are returning EFA participants, followed by students with specialized needs.
The program will continue processing applications in three-week windows until Jan. 31, 2026. If the number of applications exceeds available funding, applicants in the highest priority groups will be awarded first until all funds have been allocated, according to ADE's website. Any remaining eligible students will be placed on a rolling waitlist and considered for funding as openings occur.
Private schools that have participated in every year of the EFA program say they're grateful the funds have helped cover families' tuition costs and increase their enrollment. But they also say technological issues persist and worry how the program might change.
Smaller class sizes are key to providing an effective education at Shiloh Excel, but the school may soon expand from 20 students to 100 because of the EFA program, Jackson said.
'We have been [considering expanding] over the years, but we're really considering it now, especially since we have the vouchers that are available…so it's possible that we could really increase quickly, and we want to be able to accommodate that,' she said.
Joshua Academy in Van Buren opened in 2023 with 37 students. Enrollment grew to 47 by the end of the Christian school's first year and to 121 during the 2024-2025 academic year when 97 students participated in the EFA program. Enrollment is expected to be around 160 this fall and the EFA program has been 'a huge part of it,' Head of School Kara Witzke said.
Joshua Academy serves 'a fairly underserved population' in a rural county with about a quarter of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch and more than 70 ACE scholarships expected next year, Witzke said.
Founded in 2000 by a group of people that included Walmart heir John Walton, ACE Scholarships are designed for families that make up to 350% above the poverty level ($112,525 for a family of four in 2025).
'The fact that everybody's getting it, the families are so relieved, those especially that have been paying full price for our school or relying on outside scholarships to do so,' Witzke said. 'They're so relieved to have that big burden taken care of.'
Tuition will cost $9,000 for elementary school and $9,500 for middle school next year, and with the EFA program covering the majority of that, Witzke said it creates an opportunity for the outdoor-based school to launch its first annual fund.
Heads of Arkansas private schools participating in state voucher program cite aid to families
Private schools often rely on donors to pay for operational costs not covered by tuition, she said, so an annual fund would allow some families to donate part of what they would have paid in tuition and receive a tax deduction.
While tuition increases are common, Jackson said she's cautioned her school's board not to raise tuition too much because it's important for families to have EFA funds for other things like uniforms and supplies. Shiloh Excel's tuition will increase from $4,250 to $5,000 this fall.
At Clear Spring School in Eureka Springs, tuition will stay the same next year, ranging from $9,000 to $10,500 for K-12 students. Roughly 85% of the school's students receive scholarships, so the EFA program helps alleviate concerns about how much the independent school needs to raise for tuition assistance, Head of School Jessica FitzPatrick said.
Though EFA funds are available, technology can make them difficult to access. Beyond the initial application, families must submit invoices through an online portal for quarterly payments to be disbursed to schools.
Joshua Academy families often have phones but not computers, so some use the school's main office computer to access the online EFA portal, Witzke said. With a smaller enrollment of 69 students, FitzPatrick said staff can generally remind families to submit invoices or assist those who aren't 'tech savvy at all.'
'It's not hard, but if you've never done it, it's a challenge and it's usually our lower-income families that it's the biggest challenge for, which is who they're trying to help,' FitzPatrick said. 'But there's a disconnect there between the lowest income and their hurdles to technology.'
Beyond technical glitches, some private school leaders have concerns about how the EFA program could change in the future. Opponents of the program have called for private schools receiving state funding to be held to the same standards as public schools. Some lawmakers have proposed laws to require just that.
If program requirements change such that the state dictates the direction of Clear Spring, that could be a problem because it goes against its accrediting body's guidelines for independent schools to set their own mission, vision and philosophy, FitzPatrick said.
Likewise, Witzke said the EFA program seems like it's often 'under attack' and she's worried about efforts to repeal the program or attach 'strings that would make it impossible for a Christian school, for instance, to maintain their freedom and curriculum choice.'
'I hope that the spirit of the LEARNS Act is maintained and that fidelity is maintained forever, but I am concerned,' she said. 'If it were to go away and we have 200 students at our school that all of a sudden lose 80% of their funding, we would at that point have to rely on donor funding to keep the kids here, and that would be more challenging.'
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