Two years after the first Florida school district made the groundbreaking decision to offer a la carte learning to education choice scholarship students, some Arizona school districts are following its lead.
The Apache Junction Unified School District, located in the metro area of Phoenix known as East Valley, is opening its doors this year to students using the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program.
The district is allowing parents to build a customized education for their children from preschool to high school through its new FLEX program, which the school board approved in March. Families pay for classes or activities with their scholarship funds.
“Rather than choosing between full-time enrollment or going it alone, FLEX allows students to build a learning plan that fits their goals, schedule, and learning style,” according to the district’s website.
Elementary students can attend in-person enrichment and academic classes, while junior high and high school students can enroll in individual academic courses or sports. Preschoolers can attend The Learning Center, a part-time program to support social development and school readiness.
The program offers families flexible scheduling so they can balance homeschooling, virtual classes or specialized courses with public school opportunities. Students can build classes around the school’s lunch period so they can socialize with their peers.
Semester costs range from $600 per class or sport for high schoolers to $450 per class for kindergarten through eighth- grade classes that include fine arts and STEM. Preschool pricing varies.
District Superintendent Robert Papplardo told the Arizona Republic that the program is a way to fill a niche for parents who want access to parts of the public system while remaining outside it. He also said it would enable the district to recoup some of the funding lost due to enrollment declines due to birth rates that have been falling since 2008.
According to the Republic, several other districts, including Mesa Public Schools, the state’s largest district, are offering sports and extra-curriculars to scholarship students. Mesa had 10 ESA students participate in district athletic programs last year.
But it was Florida that first began allowing school districts and charter schools the opportunity to offer services to education choice scholarship students in 2023 after the passage of House Bill 1, which created universal eligibility and converted all scholarships to education savings accounts.
Brevard County was the first countywide district to opt in by giving ESA students access to classes at its online school. Other districts and public schools soon followed, including charter school networks. Florida Virtual School, the nation’s first internet-based public high school and now its own school district, also provides courses to scholarship students statewide through its FLVS Flex program.
“Offering services or classes to ESA students has always been a path for public school districts, and it is encouraging to see some of them embrace this opportunity to provide more options for families,” said Ryan Cantrell, chief state strategy officer for the national education choice advocacy group, the American Federation for Children. “More districts should take advantage of this opportunity.”
Today, 80% of Florida’s 67 county school districts are marketing courses to scholarship students or preparing to do so.
“Arizona should be applauded for embracing à la carte learning and recognizing that public schools can be an important part of a family’s customized education,” said Keith Jacobs, vice president and head of district and charter school services for Step Up For Students, a nonprofit that helps districts start a la carte programs and also manages the majority of the state’s private education choice scholarship programs.
Jacobs said he hopes other states that have established education choice programs will see district participation as a win-win and a natural next step as the lines in public education continue to blur.
“Florida is leading the way in demonstrating how this approach can expand opportunities for families while allowing public schools to serve more students, maximize existing programs and expertise, and generate new revenue,” he said. “The next phase of public education is customization, and public schools should be at the center of it.”