{"title":"ESA award amounts for 2026-27: what is known as of October 2026","slug":"esa-amounts-2026-27","type":"post","excerpt":"ADE has not published a 2026-27 ESA funding chart. The 2025-26 chart still applies, with grade 1-12 awards of $7,105 to $10,540, and the state budget suggests roughly 2 percent more this year.","content":"As of 11 October 2026, the Arizona Department of Education has not published an ESA funding chart for 2026-27. The 2025-26 chart, uploaded in April 2026, is still the chart ADE links from its support page, and it is the best guide to what a family can expect this year. The state budget for the year suggests awards about 2 percent higher, but that is my inference, not an ADE number.\n\n## The current chart (2025-26)\n\nAn Empowerment Scholarship Account pays 90 percent of the base support level plus additional assistance the student would generate at a charter school (A.R.S. 15-2402), so the amount depends on grade and on any disability category. ADE's \"Approximate Annual ESA Funding\" chart for 2025-26 lists:\n\n| Category | Approximate annual award, 2025-26 |\n|---|---|\n| Grades 1-12, no disability | $7,105 to $10,540 |\n| Kindergarten, no disability | $4,718 to $6,205 |\n| K-3 add-on | $150 to $200 |\n| English language learner add-on | $100 to $150 |\n| Student with a 504 plan | $7,105 to $9,916 |\n| Disability categories | $7,247 to $47,725 (for example, SLD, SLI or OHI $8,423 to $12,001; autism, MD or SID $34,121 to $47,725) |\n\nPreschool and kindergarten students with a disability other than preschool severe delay receive half the listed amount. ADE calculates the exact figure when it processes the application.\n\n## What ADE's distribution report shows\n\nADE's FY2026 fourth-quarter report (31 August 2026) describes what families actually received: \"Three-quarters of ESA scholarships are between $7,000 and $9,000.\" The most common award was $7,247, the lowest $4,718, and annualized awards for Q4 enrollees totalled $1,090,228,062 across 99,709 students (70,613 K-12 universal, 19,577 K-12 with a disability). ADE's home page showed 107,859 students enrolled for 2026-27 as of 5 October 2026.\n\n## What 2026-27 will probably look like\n\nThe FY2027 state budget, as summarized by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, funds a 2.0 percent inflation increase to the base level that school funding and ESA awards are built on, and assumes 113,602 ESA students and $1,215,678,900 in awards. Because an ESA is a percentage of that base level, 2026-27 awards should run roughly 2 percent above the 2025-26 chart. I am stating that as an inference from the budget; ADE has not published 2026-27 figures, and the exact amount for your child is only known when ADE processes the application. Check the [ESA support page](https://www.azed.gov/esa/esa-support) for the chart; I will update this post and the [ESA guide](/esa) when it appears.\n\n## What changed in 2026, and what did not\n\n**Did not change.** The ESA statutes (A.R.S. 15-2401 through 15-2403) were not amended in the 2025 or 2026 sessions. The 2026 session ended on 13 June 2026 without an ESA reform bill, and the governor declined to call a special session. No ESA measure is on the 3 November 2026 ballot: Proposition 212, an income cap, was kept off the ballot on 18 August 2026, and a competing legislative referral was struck in July. Universal eligibility, the no-public-school rule, quarterly funding through ClassWallet and the 2025-26 Parent Handbook all stand.\n\n**Did change, administratively.** ADE announced on 3 November 2025 that new applicants give the last four digits of a Social Security or taxpayer number (existing holders entered theirs at their 2026-27 renewal), and residency is re-verified each year. A May 2026 Auditor General report criticized ADE's auto-approval of purchases under $2,000; ADE disagreed with most of the findings in its written response and said it runs risk-based audits of auto-processed orders; no change to the practice had been announced as of 12 October 2026. A July 2026 settlement replaces curriculum-document submission for supplementary materials with a parent attestation by the second quarter of FY2027.\n\nFor how the program works, the application steps and the rule that an ESA student cannot also be enrolled in a public school, see the [ESA guide](/esa) and [paying for school](/paying-for-school).\n\n## Sources and where to verify\n\n- [ADE: approximate annual ESA funding chart, 2025-26 (PDF)](https://www.azed.gov/sites/default/files/2026/04/ESA%20Funding%20Chart%20%202025.2026.pdf)\n- [ADE: ESA support page (where the current chart is linked)](https://www.azed.gov/esa/esa-support)\n- [ADE: ESA FY2026 Q4 executive and legislative report (PDF)](https://www.azed.gov/sites/default/files/2026-09/ESA%20FY26%20Q4%20Executive%20_%20%20Legislative%20Report.pdf)\n- [JLBC: FY2027 appropriations report, Department of Education (PDF)](https://www.azjlbc.gov/27AR/ade.pdf)\n- [A.R.S. § 15-2402: ESA award formula and parent agreements](https://www.azleg.gov/ars/15/02402.htm)\n- [ADE: Arizona resident verification program, November 2025 (PDF)](https://www.azed.gov/sites/default/files/2025/11/New%20Arizona%20Resident%20Verification%20Program.pdf)\n- [Axios Phoenix: legislature adjourns without ESA reforms (June 15, 2026)](https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/06/15/arizona-legislature-adjourns-sine-die-esa-reforms-ballot-measures)\n- [KOLD: ESA audit and ADE's response (May 14, 2026)](https://www.kold.com/2026/05/14/arizona-esa-voucher-program-audit-reveals-oversight-concerns/)\n- [KTAR: Prop 212 will not make the ballot (August 2026)](https://ktar.com/arizona-education/esa-reform-prop-212-wont-make-arizona-voters-ballot)\n\n## Frequently asked questions\n\n### How much is an Arizona ESA for 2026-27?\n\nADE has not published a 2026-27 chart. The 2025-26 chart lists $7,105 to $10,540 for grades 1-12 without a disability and $4,718 to $6,205 for kindergarten; the state budget's 2 percent base-level increase suggests 2026-27 awards about 2 percent higher.\n\n### What does a typical family actually receive?\n\nADE's Q4 FY2026 report says three-quarters of awards were between $7,000 and $9,000, with $7,247 the most common amount.\n\n### Did the legislature change the ESA program in 2026?\n\nNo. The 2026 session ended June 13 without amending the ESA statutes, and no ESA measure is on the November 2026 ballot.\n\n### Why is kindergarten funded at a lower amount?\n\nBecause the state funds kindergarten at a half-day rate, and an ESA is a percentage of what the student would generate at a public school.\n\n### Where will the 2026-27 chart appear?\n\nOn ADE's ESA support page, which links the current chart. I will update this post when it is published.\n\n## Related guides\n\n- [What is an Arizona ESA, how much is it, and how do I apply?](/esa)\n- [Paying for private school in Arizona](/paying-for-school)\n- [Your school options in Arizona](/school-options)\n- [My child has an IEP or 504 plan](/iep-and-504)\n\n*Last reviewed October 12, 2026. Figures change; the sources above are where to check.*\n","publishedAt":"2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-13T05:23:57.619Z","author":{"name":"Michael Janzen"},"categories":[{"name":"Updates","slug":"updates"}],"tags":[],"featuredImageUrl":null,"aeo":{"summary":"As of 11 October 2026 the Arizona Department of Education has not published a 2026-27 ESA funding chart; the 2025-26 chart, uploaded April 2026, remains current. It lists $7,105 to $10,540 for grades 1-12 without a disability, $4,718 to $6,205 for kindergarten, and disability categories from $7,247 to $47,725. The FY2027 budget funds a 2.0 percent base-level inflation increase, so 2026-27 awards should run about 2 percent higher, an inference rather than an ADE figure. The 2026 legislative session ended June 13, 2026 without changes to the ESA statutes.","questions":[{"q":"How much is an Arizona ESA for 2026-27?","a":"ADE has not published a 2026-27 chart. The 2025-26 chart lists $7,105 to $10,540 for grades 1-12 without a disability and $4,718 to $6,205 for kindergarten; the state budget's 2 percent base-level increase suggests 2026-27 awards about 2 percent higher."},{"q":"What does a typical family actually receive?","a":"ADE's Q4 FY2026 report says three-quarters of awards were between $7,000 and $9,000, with $7,247 the most common amount."},{"q":"Did the legislature change the ESA program in 2026?","a":"No. The 2026 session ended June 13 without amending the ESA statutes, and no ESA measure is on the November 2026 ballot."},{"q":"Why is kindergarten funded at a lower amount?","a":"Because the state funds kindergarten at a half-day rate, and an ESA is a percentage of what the student would generate at a public school."},{"q":"Where will the 2026-27 chart appear?","a":"On ADE's ESA support page, which links the current chart. I will update this post when it is published."}],"entities":[{"type":"Program","name":"Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account program","sameAs":"https://www.azed.gov/esa"},{"type":"GovernmentOrganization","name":"Arizona Department of Education","sameAs":"https://www.azed.gov"},{"type":"GovernmentOrganization","name":"Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee","sameAs":"https://www.azjlbc.gov"},{"type":"Legislation","name":"A.R.S. § 15-2402","sameAs":"https://www.azleg.gov/ars/15/02402.htm"}],"keywords":["arizona esa amount 2026-27","esa funding chart arizona","how much is an arizona esa","empowerment scholarship account amount 2026","esa changes 2026 arizona"],"hideQaFromReaders":true},"site":{"name":"AZ School Enrollment","url":"https://azschoolenrollment.com"},"_links":{"canonical":"https://azschoolenrollment.com/post/esa-amounts-2026-27","markdown":"https://azschoolenrollment.com/post/esa-amounts-2026-27/llm.txt","json":"https://azschoolenrollment.com/post/esa-amounts-2026-27/data.json"}}