Private School Enrollment Surges in Arkansas Voucher Program’s Second Year

More than 25 private schools have submitted applications to participate in Arkansas’ school voucher program for the first time in its second year.

Implemented under the 2023 LEARNS Act, the Educational Freedom Account program enables the use of state funds for various permissible expenses like private school tuition. The program is gradually being rolled out, with expanded eligibility criteria each year until it becomes available to all Arkansas students by the 2025-2026 academic year.

By the end of June, 27 new private schools had applied for the EFA program’s second year, as per the Arkansas Department of Education. While there is no specific deadline for school applications, most approvals are expected prior to the start of the academic year in August, according to ADE spokeswoman Kimberly Mundell. Schools approved later in the fall will receive prorated payments.

As of June’s end, 23 schools have received conditional approval pending legislative endorsement of the final rules governing the EFA program, stated Mundell. Three schools are currently under review, and one, The Lab School of Memphis, was denied participation due to its location outside Arkansas.

Madonna Learning Center in Germantown, Tennessee, remains eligible for its second year of participation due to a provision in the LEARNS Act allowing schools outside Arkansas that previously served Succeed Scholarship students to take part in the program. The defunct program, which predominantly supported students with disabilities, merged into the EFA program.

Out of the 100 schools approved for the program’s debut year, 86 have secured preliminary approval, with seven schools awaiting review, as reported by ADE. Avilla Christian Academy in Alexander and Cedar Heights Christian Academy in North Little Rock are closing down. Lighthouse Homeschool Cooperative in Jonesboro is transitioning to an education service provider instead of renewing, and Julian and Jaxon Academy in Little Rock faced rejection for the upcoming year.

“From the very beginning of the EFA program, we have emphasized that participating private schools must deliver high-quality education to students, and we will investigate any misuse of taxpayer funds by bad actors,” Mundell emphasized. “This past school year, during our ongoing review of participating schools, the department identified certain issues that led to a temporary halt in payments to the entity. We are in communication with school officials and will continue with the investigation.”

Christi Zumwalt, the administrator for Garrett Memorial Christian School in Hope, expressed initial apprehension in the school’s inaugural year within the EFA program. The school took time to understand the program’s implications for its Biblical curriculum before applying for the second year.

“Tuition for the upcoming year at Garrett Memorial Christian School, which had nearly 170 students last year, will be set at $4,150 per child with discounted fees for siblings,” highlighted Zumwalt. Additional fees amounting to $500-$550 apply for enrollment, books, athletics, and music.

In the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, EFA participants can avail themselves up to $6,856 per student for educational expenses, marking an increase from about $6,600 in the previous year.

Participation for the 2024-2025 academic year is capped at around 14,000 students. Approximately 12,000 students have applied so far, with 4,998 renewing students and 6,856 new applicants, as reported by ADE. The student application portal was temporarily closed in June to facilitate the transition to a new program management vendor and is expected to reopen later this month, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Thaden School’s head of school, Michael Maloy, indicated that the institution’s decision to join the EFA program aligns with its expansion strategy to include kindergarten and first grade students, resulting in increased eligibility.

Initially, charter schools in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama were under consideration, but the prospect of opening a private school and learning about the EFA program accelerated the plans.

“We are here to be a help to those areas because parents want an affordable option that’s alternative, and if you’re not getting it from public or charter, and [private’s] giving that affordability, you shouldn’t see it as a negative thing,” stated Baskerville.