PHOENIX — Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account program has crossed $1 billion in total spending, according to the latest quarterly report. The program grew by $104 million — 11% — in the most recent quarter, marking the first double-digit quarterly growth in two years.
Enrollment now stands at just over 102,000 students, but at 5% growth, it's being outpaced by spending — meaning the program is costing more per student.
ESA is expanding fastest in Queen Creek, where three ZIP codes rank in the top 10 for annual student growth, along with the city of Maricopa and west Valley communities including Buckeye, Goodyear, and Surprise. Outside the Valley, a military-heavy region of Yuma stands out. In some rural ZIP codes, including Colorado City, ESA students make up more than 40% of all students. The program remains underrepresented in tribal communities.
Wealthier ZIP codes still carry a disproportionate share of students — about 24% of Arizona's children live in six-figure median income ZIP codes, but those kids make up 32% of ESA enrollment.
Of the $207 million spent last quarter, just over half went to tuition and textbooks, nearly 40% to homeschool products and services, $13 million for students with disabilities, and $9 million for computer equipment.
ABC15's Garrett Archer goes deeper inside the numbers of ESA spending in the video player above.
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