Big Milestone: More than 50,000 Students Now Accessing Empowerment Scholarship Account Funding for Private School Education in Arizona
March 30 2023 - 12:00PM
Business Wire
Many of Those Students Pursuing Online
Education as Virtual Offerings Expand Nationwide
More than 50,000 students are now using Arizona’s Empowerment
Scholarship Account funding to pay for private school
education.
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According to the Arizona Department of Education, 50,718
students are using ESA funding to attend private school as of late
March. The program provides about $7,000 per student — or more for
special-needs students — that can be applied to tuition or other
private school expenses.
And, many of those students are choosing online education
options as their private school curriculum. According to data
provided by the publication The 74, in an average across 10 states,
virtual school enrollment rose to 170 percent of its pre-pandemic
level in 2020-21 — but then nudged up further to 176 percent in
2021-22.
Arizona was ranked 7th in the country in 2021, the last year for
which data is available, in the total number of students enrolled
in full-time online education, according to the Digital Learning
Collaborative.
And according to National School Choice Week, In the U.S.,
approximately 375,000 K-12 students attended a statewide online
school full-time in 2019-2020, a number that jumped to 656,000 for
the 2020-2021 school year, with further growth since. In fact,
according to the same study:
- “In 36 states, online public schools have been established by
state authorities, by school districts, or charter schools, meaning
students can attend these schools full-time, tuition-free for all
grades K-12.”
- “In addition, at least 35 states offer part-time online public
schooling through course access, which allows students to use
online coursework to supplement their education with specific
classes. In many states, this is accessible, and sometimes even
free, for private school or homeschooled students.”
“Online learning is not only here to stay, it is the preferred
method of learning for hundreds of thousands of students and
families nationwide,” said Janice Gruneberg, Senior Vice President
& Superintendent of Schools for Grand Canyon Private Academy, a
private online school serving Arizona residents. “The milestone of
having 50,000 students using ESA funding for private school is
significant, and we know first-hand that online learning is one of
the big reasons behind the growth.”
Arizona families have unique options for an online, private
education curriculum suited to their child’s specific needs
provided by K12, one of the nation’s leading online learning
providers. And because these programs are virtual, students located
anywhere in Arizona with an internet connection can access all of
the educational options available — and take advantages of the
safety and support provided by an online learning curriculum. These
schools are tuition-free with use of the ESA program to all
students who reside in Arizona, and are staffed by state-licensed
teachers:
- Grand Canyon Private Academy (GCPA), launched this past fall, a
new online private school serving grades K–11 for the 2023-24
school year. The school’s curriculum features a dual enrollment
program that enables students to graduate with an associate degree,
seminar-based instruction with a collaborative and
discussion-focused approach and an Early World Language Program
that gives students the opportunity to graduate trilingual.
- FaithPrep Arizona, providing Arizona families with access to a
private online Christian school and homeschool program for students
in grades K-12.
Overall, the online learning industry is projected to grow by
almost 10 percent annually over the next five years, according to a
Mordor Intelligence study of digital education trends. This growth
is being fueled by increasing need for job opportunities in
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields,
which have boosted the demand for STEM education.
“We are seeing a tremendous demand for quality private, online
education opportunities that can be specifically geared for each
individual student,” Gruneberg said. “The goal is always to create
a brighter future and a pathway to success for each student and
family.”
Both K12 schools are now accepting enrollments for the 2023-2024
school year. Families are encouraged to attend online information
sessions hosted by the schools. For more information, visit the
websites for Grand Canyon Private Academy and FaithPrep
Arizona.
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Tom Evans 602.448.5483 | tevans@onadvertising.com
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