# Why I built a guide to every school option in Arizona **Published:** 2026-10-11 **Author:** Michael Janzen **Categories:** Updates **Tags:** arizona-schools, school-enrollment, admissions, private-school, homeschool, educational-resources, school-choice **Keywords:** az school enrollment, arizona school enrollment guide, moving to arizona schools --- azschoolenrollment.com is a personal project by Michael Janzen, an admissions director in Sedona, built outside his work because families arriving in Arizona kept asking the same enrollment questions and most honest answers pointed to district, charter, online or other private schools. The site covers how to enroll, every school type, how to pay for private school, grade-by-grade rules, regions, special situations and how to evaluate a school, with primary sources and review dates on every page. --- > I run enrollment at a small school in Sedona. Most weeks a family calls with a child who needs a school and questions that have nothing to do with us. So I wrote the answers down, for every option. --- I run 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 without a birth certificate in hand? Is a charter school really free? What does an ESA pay for? Which vaccines does Arizona want, and what if the records are still in another state? I 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, on my own time, I built it. Where I work, and how I keep the site fair, is on the [about page](/about); how every page is sourced is in the [editorial policy](/editorial-policy). ## What is here - [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. - [Your options](/school-options): district schools and open enrollment, charter schools, private schools, online schools, homeschool and microschools, and the boarding schools in the state. - [Paying for school](/paying-for-school): Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, tax-credit scholarships, and how to ask a private school for aid. - [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. - [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. - [Glossary](/glossary): the terms schools use, each linked to the law or agency behind it. ## How to use it Start with the page that matches your timeline. If school starts in days, [enroll this week](/enroll-this-week) is the short list. If you have months, [start here](/start-here) walks through the steps in order and links out as you go. Every figure carries a date and a link to its source. Claims I could not verify are cut; where an official figure is not yet published, the page says so and tells you where to check. ## If something is wrong Arizona figures change every July and the Legislature changes the law a little every session, so a page can go stale. If you find an error, [tell me](/contact) which page and which fact and where the right information is published. I fix the page, its last-reviewed date moves, and I reply to tell you what changed. Dated changes that matter to families, such as new ESA amounts or next year's start dates, appear here in Updates. ## Sources and where to verify - [Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 15](https://www.azleg.gov/arsDetail/?title=15) - [Arizona Department of Education](https://www.azed.gov) ## Frequently asked questions ### Where do I start? [Start here](/start-here) if you are enrolling soon, or [compare your options](/school-options) if you are still deciding. ### What should I do if a page is wrong or out of date? Use the [contact page](/contact), name the page and the fact, and point to where the right information is published. The page is fixed and its review date moves. ### How do I know when a page was last checked? Every page ends with a last-reviewed date. Figures that change on a schedule, such as ESA amounts and start dates, are rechecked each summer; the schedule is on the [editorial policy](/editorial-policy) page. ### What goes in the Updates section? Dated posts about things that change: district start dates, ESA award amounts, scholarship limits and law changes, each linked to its source. Evergreen guidance stays on the guide pages. *Last reviewed October 12, 2026.* --- ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: Where do I start?** A: Start here if you are enrolling soon, or compare your options if you are still deciding. **Q: What should I do if a page is wrong or out of date?** A: Use the contact page, name the page and the fact, and point to where the right information is published. The page is fixed and its review date moves. **Q: How do I know when a page was last checked?** A: Every page ends with a last-reviewed date. Figures that change on a schedule, such as ESA amounts and start dates, are rechecked each summer; the schedule is on the editorial policy page. **Q: What goes in the Updates section?** A: Dated posts about things that change: district start dates, ESA award amounts, scholarship limits and law changes, each linked to its source. Evergreen guidance stays on the guide pages. Last reviewed October 12, 2026. --- ## Citations - [Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 15](https://www.azleg.gov/arsDetail/?title=15) - [Arizona Department of Education](https://www.azed.gov) --- ## Key Entities - **Michael Janzen** (Person)