FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansas’s Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program has seen a dramatic rise in interest this school year, with more families turning to state-funded vouchers to cover private and home-schooling expenses.
The 2023-2024 annual report released on Oct. 29 is the second issued since Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and lawmakers expanded the taxpayer-funded school voucher program under Act 237 of 2023.
Increase in voucher applications
Applications for Arkansas’s taxpayer-funded EFA vouchers more than tripled from the 2023-2024 to the 2024-2025 school year, rising from 6,495 to 20,190 applications.
This increase includes 3,111 home-schooled students. The program, which is part of the 2023 LEARNS Act, provides state funding to help cover private and home-school costs, like tuition, for a limited number of students.
Program growth and waiting list
For the 2024-2025 school year, 14,297 students are using EFA vouchers, up from 5,548 in the previous year.
An additional 3,318 students are currently on the waiting list. The number of approved private schools accepting EFA funds increased from 97 to 128, with more than 400 providers eligible for the funding.
Funding and financial impact
The LEARNS Act raised the voucher amount for the 2024-2025 school year to at least $6,856 per student, up from $6,672 in 2023-2024.
Students with disabilities who were previously part of the Succeed Scholarship program now receive $7,618 in tuition assistance, up from $7,413.
In the 2023-2024 school year, the program used $34.92 million, primarily for tuition, fees and supplies.
Who’s participating?
For the 2023-2024 school year, the program had these characteristics:
- 18% of applicants had previously been enrolled in public schools.
- 57% of participants were students with disabilities.
- 30% were first-time kindergartners.
- 7% were foster care students, and 1% attended F-graded public schools.
Voucher students represented an average of 39% of enrollment in participating private schools, ranging from 8% to 100%.
Testing and performance
Private schools receiving EFA funding must test voucher students and report the results to the state.
In the 2023-2024 school year, voucher students averaged around the 50th percentile in English and math, although comparisons with public school students were not possible due to different testing methods.
Expanded eligibility
For the 2024-2025 school year, eligibility for EFA vouchers has expanded to include students from D- and F-rated public schools, children of military veterans and emergency responders and home-schooled students, who are now eligible for funding for supplies and other educational costs.
By the 2025-2026 school year, all Arkansas students will be eligible for vouchers.
Impact on public schools
Public school districts will not receive the full effect of the EFA program until the 2025-2026 school year, as state funding is determined by the previous year’s enrollment.
When fully implemented, the program’s vouchers will cover 90% of the state’s foundation aid for each public-school student, which is projected to be $7,618 for the 2024-2025 school year.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
