English Learners in Arizona Schools (Parent Guide)

Arizona identifies every new student's home language at enrollment with a short survey. If a language other than English is in the answers, your child takes the state's English proficiency test, AZELLA, and a student who is not yet proficient is placed in an English learner program taught in English. The program is designed to be short, your child's right to enroll is not affected, and you have some choices along the way.

Step one: the Home Language Survey

Every Arizona public school, district or charter, includes the Home Language Survey in its enrollment packet. It has three questions, is completed once by the parent, and asks about the languages spoken at home and by the child. State law (A.R.S. 15-756) requires the school to identify each new enrollee's primary or home language. Answer accurately; the survey decides only whether your child is tested, not how they are placed.

If English is the only language in all three answers, nothing further happens. If another language appears, step two follows.

Step two: the AZELLA test

AZELLA is the Arizona English Language Learner Assessment. A student whose home language is not English takes it to measure listening, speaking, reading and writing in English. The school must give the placement test within 30 calendar days of the first day of school if your child is enrolled by then, or within two calendar weeks of enrollment if you arrive later in the year (ADE's compliance time frames for districts that take federal funds); your child attends regular classes in the meantime. ADE's 2026-27 test calendar calls the placement test the "AZELLA Placement - Dynamic Screener," so a school may use either name; if it uses another, ask whether it is the state placement test. A student who tests proficient is placed in regular classes with no English learner services. A student who does not is classified as an English learner (EL) and placed in an EL program, and the school tells you in writing. State law requires every English learner to be reassessed at least once a year (A.R.S. 15-756.05 says "at the end of each school year"); in practice ADE runs one reassessment window, February 1 to March 19 in 2027, with results in May, so a child who arrives in spring may not be reassessed until the next year's window. A student who meets the proficiency score is reclassified as English proficient and moves into mainstream classes. Ask when the next test is.

The ADE office responsible is the Office of English Language Acquisition Services (OELAS); its forms page has the survey and the parent notices in several languages.

Step three: structured English immersion

Arizona's approach is set by a voter-approved law, A.R.S. 15-752 (Proposition 203, 2000). It says children "shall be taught English by being taught in English" through sheltered (structured) English immersion during a temporary transition period "not normally intended to exceed one year." A 2019 law (A.R.S. 15-756.01) let the State Board approve several models within that framework, and districts and charters choose from them. As of October 2026 the approved models require, by statute (A.R.S. 15-756.01), 120 minutes a day of English language development in kindergarten through grade 5 and 100 minutes in grades 6-12, delivered as:

Model	How it works
Pull-Out	The student is in regular classes and pulled out for English language development time each day
Two-Hour	A block of English language development inside the school day, with content classes for the rest
Newcomer	For students new to English, typically in the first year, with more intensive language time
50-50 Dual Language Immersion	Half the day in English and half in the partner language; requires a parental waiver under A.R.S. 15-753 (see below)

Which model a school runs depends on how many English learners it has and its staffing; ask the school which model your child would be in and how the minutes fit the schedule. The dual language model was the subject of a state lawsuit that ended in January 2026 when the Arizona Supreme Court declined review, leaving the model in place. A 2026 legislative proposal to send a repeal of the immersion law to voters was introduced in February 2026 and did not advance.

Your choices

Waiver for dual language. The 50-50 model requires a parent waiver under A.R.S. 15-753, and the statute limits who can get one: a child who already tests at or above the state average in English for their grade (or the fifth-grade average, whichever is lower), a child aged ten or older whose school believes another program would serve them better, or a child with documented special physical or psychological needs after at least 30 calendar days in an English classroom that year. You must apply in person at the school, every year, and the statute says schools and districts "may refuse requests without explanation." If you want your child to keep developing the home language, ask whether any school in the district runs this model and which waiver category it uses; not all do.
Declining services. A parent may decline EL services; the school will ask you to sign a form, and the student is still reassessed on AZELLA each year. Ask what declining means at that school before deciding; for most students the program is the faster route to full participation.
Open enrollment. If a different school in the district or another district offers the model you want, you can apply through open enrollment as capacity allows.

Interpreters and translated forms

Ask for an interpreter at enrollment and at any meeting about your child, and ask whether the parent notices are available in your language; OELAS publishes the standard forms, and schools routinely arrange interpreters. You should not have to rely on your child to translate a meeting about your child.

Things that do not affect enrollment

Immigration status and Social Security numbers are not part of enrolling in an Arizona public school; the state residency guidelines and civil-rights groups both say so, and a school may not require either. Proof of residency is required, but it can be a lease, a utility bill or a notarized affidavit from the Arizona resident you are staying with; see proof of residency. Records from a school in another country are accepted for placement, and foreign immunization records are accepted if they show the month, day and year of each dose and the vaccine can be identified. One trap: oral polio (OPV) doses given on or after April 1, 2016 are not accepted in Arizona and must be repeated with the injected polio vaccine on a catch-up schedule (ADHS 2026-27 requirements).

Two things that connect to other rules

The third-grade reading requirement. A third grader who does not show sufficient reading skills on the state test may be retained, but the law lets the school promote an English learner who has had fewer than three years of English instruction. See the elementary and middle school page.
The ESA program. The 2025-26 ESA funding chart lists an English language learner add-on of $100 to $150 a year on top of the base award, as of October 2026. See the ESA page.

Sources and where to verify

Frequently asked questions

What is the Home Language Survey?

A three-question form in every Arizona enrollment packet asking about the languages spoken at home and by the child. It is completed once, and it decides only whether your child takes the AZELLA test.

What is AZELLA?

The Arizona English Language Learner Assessment, the state's English proficiency test in listening, speaking, reading and writing. A student who tests proficient goes into regular classes; one who does not is placed in an English learner program and retested until proficient. The placement test is due within 30 days of the start of school, or two weeks of a later enrollment; ADE's 2026-27 calendar calls it the AZELLA Placement - Dynamic Screener.

Will my child be taught in Spanish or another language?

Only in the 50-50 dual language model, which is offered at some schools and requires a parent waiver that A.R.S. 15-753 limits to a child who already tests at grade-average English, a child aged ten or older, or a child with documented special needs; a school may refuse. The other approved models teach in English, with a daily block of English language development.

How long will my child be in the program?

The law describes the immersion period as "not normally intended to exceed one year," but a student stays until they test proficient on AZELLA, which is given at least once a year; the 2027 reassessment window is February 1 to March 19, with results in May. Ask the school when the next test is.

Can I refuse English learner services?

Yes. A parent may decline the services by signing a form, and the student is still reassessed on AZELLA each year. Ask what declining means at your school before deciding.

No. Neither is part of enrolling in an Arizona public school. Proof of residency is required and can be a lease, a utility bill or a notarized affidavit from the resident you are staying with.

Can I get an interpreter for the enrollment meeting?

Ask for one; schools arrange interpreters for enrollment and for meetings about your child. Ask the school whether the parent notices are available in your language.

Last reviewed October 12, 2026. Figures change; the sources above are where to check.