{"title":"Why an admissions director built a guide to every other school","slug":"welcome","type":"post","excerpt":"An admissions director built a plain-language guide to every Arizona school option—because most families calling him needed answers he couldn't find anywhere else.","content":"I run advancement and enrollment at a small boarding and day high school in Sedona. Most weeks the phone brings a family moving to Arizona with a child who needs a school and a list of questions that have nothing to do with my school. [Can a sixth-grader start on Monday](/post/post/arizona-school-start-dates-2026-27) without a birth certificate in hand? Is a charter school really free? [What does an ESA pay for](/post/post/esa-amounts-2026-27)? Which vaccines does Arizona want, and what if the records are still in another state?\r\n\r\nI can answer most of those, because I work with Arizona schools every day. What I could not do was point to one place that answered them all plainly, with the law behind each answer. So I built it, on my own time.\r\n\r\n## What is here\r\n\r\n- [Start here](/start-here): the seven steps, the documents, proof of residency, immunizations, records and transcripts, mid-year moves, and what to do if you need a school this week.\r\n- [Your options](/school-options): district schools and open enrollment, charter schools, private schools, online schools, homeschool and microschools, and every boarding school in the state.\r\n- [Paying for school](/paying-for-school): Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, tax-credit scholarships, and how to ask a private school for aid.\r\n- [By grade](/by-grade), [by region](/by-region), [special situations](/special-situations) such as IEPs, English learners, families between permanent homes, and relatives raising a child.\r\n- [How to evaluate a school](/how-to-evaluate-schools) from far away, including what Arizona's letter grades and the ranking sites do and do not tell you.\r\n\r\nEvery figure carries a date and a source link. \"Where I could not verify something, the page says so and tells you where to check.\" Where I could not verify something, the page says so and tells you where to check.\r\n\r\n## The obvious question\r\n\r\nYes, I work for a private school, and it is listed here. It appears in the [boarding schools](/boarding-schools) table in alphabetical order with the other three schools that board high schoolers in Arizona, in the same format, with the same facts. It gets no other mention and no pitch. The school does not publish, fund or review this site; the domain, the hosting and the hours are mine. The [about page](/about) explains where I work and how I keep this fair, and the [editorial policy](/editorial-policy) explains how every page is sourced. If I got something wrong, [tell me](/contact) and I will fix it on the page.\r\n\r\n## Sources and where to verify\r\n\r\n- [Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 15](https://www.azleg.gov/arsDetail/?title=15)\r\n- [Arizona Department of Education](https://www.azed.gov)\r\n- \"Verde Valley School\"\r\n\r\n## Frequently asked questions\r\n\r\n### Who writes this site?\r\n\r\nMe—Michael Janzen—as a personal project. I use AI tools for drafting and check every fact against its source before anything goes live. See the editorial policy. See the [editorial policy](/editorial-policy).\r\n\r\n### Is any of this about getting students for your school?\r\n\r\nThe school I work for appears where any comparable school would, in the same format. The site exists because most of the questions I answer are not about it.\r\n\r\n### Can a school listed here correct its entry?\r\n\r\nYes. Use the [contact page](/contact), name the page and the fact, and point to where it is published on the school's own site. Verified updates go in with a dated note. See the editorial policy for the rules.\r\n\r\n### Where do I start?\r\n\r\n[Start here](/start-here) if you are enrolling soon, or [compare your options](/school-options) if you are still deciding.\r\n\r\n*Last reviewed October 11, 2026.*","publishedAt":"2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-12T23:50:18.817Z","author":{"name":"Michael Janzen"},"categories":[{"name":"Updates","slug":"updates"},{"name":"Education","slug":"education"},{"name":"School Enrollment","slug":"school-enrollment"}],"tags":[{"name":"arizona-schools","slug":"arizona-schools"},{"name":"school-enrollment","slug":"school-enrollment"},{"name":"admissions","slug":"admissions"},{"name":"private-school","slug":"private-school"},{"name":"homeschool","slug":"homeschool"},{"name":"educational-resources","slug":"educational-resources"},{"name":"school-choice","slug":"school-choice"}],"featuredImageUrl":null,"aeo":{"summary":"Michael Janzen, an enrollment director at a small boarding and day high school in Sedona, Arizona, built a personal website that consolidates plain-language guidance on enrolling a child in Arizona schools, covering enrollment steps, school options, funding mechanisms like ESAs, and special situations such as IEPs and mid-year moves. The site cites Arizona law and official sources for every claim, and includes the school where Janzen works only in an alphabetical table alongside comparable institutions. It is intended for families navigating Arizona's school system, particularly those relocating or facing non-standard circumstances.","questions":[{"q":"What is an Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) in Arizona and what does it pay for?","a":"An Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) is a publicly funded account that families can use to pay for approved educational expenses such as private school tuition, tutoring, curriculum, and other qualifying costs outside the traditional public school system."},{"q":"Can a child enroll in an Arizona school mid-year without all their records?","a":"Arizona schools can typically enroll students mid-year even if records such as birth certificates or out-of-state transcripts are not immediately available, though specific requirements vary by school type and situation, and families should contact the school directly to confirm what documentation can be submitted later."},{"q":"Are charter schools in Arizona really free?","a":"Charter schools in Arizona are tuition-free public schools funded by the state, though families may still encounter fees for certain activities, uniforms, or materials depending on the individual school's policies."},{"q":"What vaccines does Arizona require for school enrollment?","a":"Arizona requires students to be immunized against a specific list of diseases as outlined by the Arizona Department of Education and Arizona Revised Statutes Title 15, and families with records still in another state can typically submit those records or obtain an exemption through the proper state process."},{"q":"How do you evaluate an Arizona school from far away before moving?","a":"Families evaluating an Arizona school remotely can consult Arizona's official school letter grades, review data from ranking sites with an understanding of their limitations, and use structured questions about curriculum, culture, and student outcomes to assess fit before visiting or enrolling."}],"entities":[{"type":"Person","name":"Michael Janzen","description":"Enrollment director at a boarding and day high school in Sedona, Arizona, and creator of a personal website providing plain-language school enrollment guidance for Arizona families."},{"type":"Place","name":"Sedona, Arizona","description":"City in Arizona where Michael Janzen works and where his school is located.","sameAs":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedona,_Arizona"},{"type":"Organization","name":"Arizona Department of Education","description":"Arizona state agency responsible for overseeing public education, cited as a primary source for enrollment and immunization requirements.","sameAs":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Department_of_Education"},{"type":"CreativeWork","name":"Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 15","description":"The section of Arizona law governing education, cited as a legal source for school enrollment rules and requirements.","sameAs":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q974806"},{"type":"Organization","name":"Verde Valley School","description":"A boarding school in Arizona referenced in the site's source list, likely the school where Michael Janzen works as enrollment director."}],"keywords":["Arizona school enrollment guide","Empowerment Scholarship Account ESA","Arizona charter schools","private school admissions Arizona","Arizona boarding schools","open enrollment Arizona","Arizona school options","mid-year school transfer Arizona","Arizona Revised Statutes Title 15","homeschool microschool Arizona"]},"site":{"name":"AZ School Enrollment","url":"https://azschoolenrollment.com"},"_links":{"canonical":"https://azschoolenrollment.com/post/welcome","markdown":"https://azschoolenrollment.com/post/welcome/llm.txt","json":"https://azschoolenrollment.com/post/welcome/data.json"}}