Strengthening Oversight of Education Savings Account (ESA) Funding for Private and At-Home Schooling

As of this writing, at least 11 of the 19 enacted ESA programs already extend or plan 6 of 33 to extend eligibility to homeschool students.6 In this policy brief, we discuss the evolution of these nascent ESA programs, with attention to policy characteristics that constitute a large transfer of unrestricted public subsidies for private and at-home. [...] In 2022, the Arizona legislature expanded 7 of 33 the program to universal eligibility,12 including all public and private school students; as a result, demand for the program increased from 12,127 students in 2022 (prior to expansion) to nearly 70,000 in 2023, amounting to a 574% increase in the number of students partic- ipating.13 The projected. [...] They lack uniform regulations and parallel systems of oversight and accountability compared to public schools, and they exacerbate questions of access and equity by undermining public authority and the ability of states to ensure a uniform education system that advances equity, social cohesion, and democratic citizenship.94 In addition, with multiple education models allowing families to separate. [...] Since 1990, the income threshold has increased to 300% of the federal poverty level, the guarantee that a voucher will be accepted in exchange for full tuition at a private school has been rescinded for some categories of voucher recipients, and the cap on the number of students and private schools that can participate in the voucher program has increased over time. [...] 41 If the number of applicants exceeds the allotted funding, the state will award funds, in order, to (1) students who participated in the previous school year; (2) those with a family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, (3) participants with a sibling who uses an ESA, and (4) finally to those with a family income between 200% and 555% of the federal poverty level.