School Choice Arizona awards four different scholarships, which are funded through tax credit donations from Individuals and Corporations. Arizona’s two Individual Tax Credits fund School Choice Arizona’s Original and Overflow Scholarships.

Original Scholarships are funded through the Original Individual Tax Credit Law, enacted in 1997 as A.R.S. 43-1089. Any student enrolled in a private school in grades K-12 (or a preschooler with disabilities) qualifies for this scholarship.

Overflow Scholarships are funded through the Switcher Individual Tax Credit Law which took effect in August 2012 as A.R.S. 43-1089.03. To be eligible, students must meet one of the requirements below.

1. The student attended an Arizona district or charter school for at least 90 days (or one full semester) in the prior school year, then transferred to a private school.

2. The student is a preschooler with disabilities and is receiving services from a private school based on an IEP or MET they received from an Arizona public or charter school.

3. The student is currently enrolled in Kindergarten at a private school.

4. The student is a dependent of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces who is stationed in Arizona under military orders.

5. The student was homeschooled immediately prior to enrolling in a private school.

6. The student moved to Arizona from out of state immediately prior to enrolling in a private school.

7. The student participated in the ESA program and did not renew or accept the scholarship in order to accept STO scholarships.

8. The student previously received an Overflow or Corporate Scholarship in a prior year, and has attended private school continuously since.

Low-Income Scholarships are funded through the Low-Income Tax Credit Law, enacted in 2006 as A.R.S. 43-1183. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in a private school in grades K-12 (or a preschooler with disabilities). The student’s family income cannot exceed 185% of the income required to qualify a child for reduced price lunches. You can find the income requirements here. Students whose family income is below the limit to qualify for Low-Income Scholarships must also meet one of the eligibility requirements below:

1. The student attended an Arizona district or charter school for at least 90 days (or one full semester) in the prior school year, then transferred to a private school.

2. The student is a preschooler with disabilities and is receiving services from a private school based on an IEP or MET they received from an Arizona public or charter school.

3. The student is currently enrolled in Kindergarten at a private school.

4. The student is a dependent of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces who is stationed in Arizona under military orders.

5. The student was homeschooled immediately prior to enrolling in a private school.

6. The student moved to Arizona from out of state immediately prior to enrolling in a private school.

7. The student participated in the ESA program and did not renew or accept the scholarship in order to accept STO scholarships.

8. The student previously received an Original, Overflow or Low-Income Corporate Scholarship in a prior year, and has attended private school continuously since.

Disabled/Displaced Scholarships are funded through the Disabled/Displaced Corporate Tax Credit Law which took effect in 2009 as A.R.S. 43-1184. For a student to qualify, they must be enrolled in a private school in grades K-12 (or a preschooler with disabilities). Students must also meet one of the following requirements:

1. K–12 students must have an MET, IEP, or 504 plan. Preschoolers with disabilities must have an MET or IEP and be attending a private school offering services that address the student’s identified disabilities. All documentation must be from an Arizona public school.

2. K-12 students currently or previously placed in the Arizona foster care system.

Arizona law allows C Corporations and S Corporations to donate up to their state income tax liability for the given tax year. Insurance companies can donate as well from their premium tax liability.

If you know of a corporation interested in helping families have an Educational Choice that best fits their child’s individual needs, have them call us at 480.722.7502!

Corporations may identify one or more schools with their tax credit donation, however, they may not recommend specific students per the tax credit law.

First, create a Parent Portal account and apply for scholarships for each of your students. You may also print an application and submit the completed application to us by mail, fax, or email it to info@schoolchoicearizona.org.

The same application is used for both Individual and Corporate Scholarships. Only one application is required per school year. Application Deadlines can be found here. Applications expire at the end of the school year, regardless of when they are received.

Once an application is submitted, your student will be considered for scholarships in each of the Award Cycles they are eligible for during the school year as long as your student is enrolled at the school named on the application.

Next, learn how the Private School Tax Credit Program works to make Private Education affordable for families. Take advantage of our great Parent Resources.

Every student who has a current application on file, is enrolled, and meets the qualifications of each type of scholarship is considered.

Our Selection Committees consider three factors when making award decisions:

1. Family Financial Information provided on the application
(This is a required factor by state law. It is held in strictest confidence.)

2. Student Narrative provided on the application

3. Donor Recommendations received for the student

By law, individual donor recommendations are not guaranteed. However, they do help in the award decision process.

Regardless of our desire to award every student during each Award Cycle, we do not always have the funds available to meet this goal since we are a donation-based organization.

As long as the new school is a Private School in Arizona that partners with School Choice Arizona, the unused portion will follow the student. Otherwise, any remaining scholarship amount would be awarded among other students at that school. For a list of our Partner Schools, click here.

Yes, we encourage you to apply for any opportunities available. Our number one goal is for you to afford a Private Education for your child.

Tax credit scholarships and ESA funds cannot be used at the same time to pay a student’s tuition. Students receiving ESA funds may still be considered for and awarded individual tax credit scholarships, but awards will be held in the student’s name as Multi-Year Scholarships to be used in a future school year after the ESA is terminated. School Choice Arizona can continue to hold Multi-Year Scholarships as long as a Scholarship Application is submitted for the student each school year and the student remains enrolled in a Partner School.

Due to the Corporate limits on both Low-Income and Disabled/Displaced Scholarships, School Choice Arizona cannot hold returned Corporate funds for future school years. Returned Corporate funds will not change any “promised” Corporate awards your student may have for a future school year.

Per the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR), scholarship awards are only given to individual students. There are no family accounts.