Private schools in Arizona
ESA pays about $7,000 to $8,000 for most students (2025-26 figures). Any Arizona resident eligible to enroll in public school from kindergarten to 12th grade, or in a public preschool program for children with disabilities. There is no income limit. A public school student may apply, but must leave the public or charter school before the first money arrives.
Start here
- How ESA worksAward, who qualifies, how to apply
- Private schools by city22 town pages
- Private school tuition in Arizona45 verified prices
- Homeschooling in ArizonaThe law and what the state pays
Arizona private schools at a glance
- Counties with a private school
- 14 of 15
- Town pages
- 22
- Most private schools
- Phoenix (64), Tucson (48) and Mesa (19)
- Typical school
- 131 students, 10.4 per teacher
- Smallest and largest
- A+ Academy Dropout Recovery Program, 10 students; Brophy College Preparatory, 1,402 students
- Co-ed or single-sex
- 4 all-girls and 3 all-boys; the rest co-ed
- Association members
- 121, most often the Association of Christian Schools International
- To a 4-year college
- 60% of graduates at the typical high school (90 reporting)
- Programs
- 32 Montessori, 33 special education
- Public charter schools
- 549, tuition-free and not counted here
Charter schools in Arizona
- Catholic58
- Christian, not Catholic111
- Jewish10
- Islamic2
- Other faiths2
- Nonsectarian119
- Pre-K (and up)149
- Elementary (K to 5)268
- Middle (6 to 8)209
- High school (9 to 12)120
- K to 12, one school54
- Under 5055
- 50 to 14991
- 150 to 29958
- 300 to 59940
- 600 or more12
Where these facts come from
- Grades, size, affiliation, co-ed, membership, college-going: NCES Private School Universe Survey 2023-24, downloaded September 20, 2026.
- Award and rules: Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account, official page, read October 2, 2026.
- Tuition for 45 schools: each school’s own website, last read October 14, 2026.
- Public charter schools: NCES Common Core of Data, public school directory 2025-26 (preliminary), loaded October 8, 2026.
What Arizona pays
Figures read from each program’s official pages, October 2, 2026. Sources and how to apply
More than 100,000 students, at a cost past $1 billion a year, the Arizona Capitol Times reported on February 1, 2026. The Department of Education’s own counts sit on azed.gov, which blocks automated reading, so we do not quote them. There is no cap and no waitlist.
Worth knowing: A proposed ballot measure that would have added a $150,000 income cap did not qualify for the November 2026 ballot: it fell short of the required signatures after an August 18, 2026 Arizona Supreme Court ruling. The program continues unchanged.
How ESA works, start to finish
Charter schools, private schools and school choice in Arizona, next to other states
By city
Each count: schools in the town or within 6 miles (12 for small towns).
- Phoenix (70)
- Tucson (48)
- Laveen (45)
- Paradise Valley (34)
- Scottsdale (33)
- Tempe (28)
- Glendale (27)
- Chandler (26)
- Mesa (23)
- Oro Valley (20)
- Fountain Hills (19)
- Gilbert (17)
- Peoria (17)
- Goodyear (11)
- Cave Creek (8)
- Yuma (5)
- Cottonwood (4)
- Prescott (4)
- Show Low (4)
- Flagstaff (3)
- Nogales (3)
- Sierra Vista (3)
Ranked lists, each on one stated measure: Top private schools in Phoenix
By kind of school
- Christian schools (111)
- Catholic schools (58)
- Montessori schools (32)
- Special education schools (33)
- Classical schools (6)
- Private high schools (120)
- Private elementary schools (268)
- Private middle schools (209)
- Private schools with kindergarten (236)
- Private schools with pre-K (149)
- Jewish schools (10)
- Lutheran schools (27)
- Seventh-day Adventist schools (9)
By county
- Apache County (2): Immanuel Mission School, Navajo Mission Preparatory School
- Cochise County (7)
- Coconino County (4): Northland Christian School, San Francisco de Asis, Page Christian School, Flagstaff Christian School
- Gila County (3): Peridot-Our Savior's Lutheran Elementary School, Payson Community Christian School, St. Charles Apache Mission School
- Graham County (1): Apache Baptist Academy
- Maricopa County (193)
- McKinley County (1): Hilltop Christian School
- Mohave County (4): Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School, Anya Itpak Elementary School, Emmanuel Christian Academy, Desert Light Christian Academy
- Navajo County (8)
- Pima County (53)
- Pinal County (5)
- Santa Cruz County (4): Sonshine Christian School, Lourdes Catholic School, Sacred Heart Catholic School, Global Schools Starseed and Urantion Child & Teens
- Yavapai County (12)
- Yuma County (5)
The largest private schools in Arizona
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Brophy College Preparatory | 6-12 | 1,402 |
| Northwest Christian School | PreK-12 | 1,369 |
| Salpointe Catholic High School | 9-12 | 1,305 |
| Valley Christian Schools | K-12 | 1,138 |
| Xavier College Preparatory | 9-12 | 1,123 |
| Valley Christian High School | K-12 | 1,114 |
| Ridgeline Academy | K-12 | 1,039 |
| Notre Dame Preparatory | 9-12 | 975 |
| Scottsdale Christian Academy | PreK-12 | 907 |
| Phoenix Country Day School | PreK-12 | 730 |
| North Valley Christain Academy | PreK-12 | 641 |
| Phoenix Christian Preparatory School | PreK-12 | 606 |
| Gilbert Christian Schools - Greenfield Campus | PreK-8 | 567 |
| Dream City Christian School, Glendale | PreK-12 | 561 |
| Seton Catholic Preparatory | 9-12 | 559 |
What private school costs in Arizona
- Kindergarten to grade 5
- $11,600 middle, $6,000 to $34,000 (37 schools)
- Grades 6 to 8
- $12,368 middle, $6,750 to $36,700 (36 schools)
- Grades 9 to 12
- $17,450 middle, $7,000 to $37,300 (22 schools)
Prices read on each school’s own website; mostly larger schools so far, so a guide, not an average.
Private school tuition in Arizona, school by school. Tuition in every state.
Run your own numbers
What would you pay?
Enter amounts of $0 or more.
We could not confirm this year’s ESA amount, so type in the figure from your award letter. An award can never be more than the school actually charges. This is arithmetic, not a quote.
Put the next ESA window in your calendar
No new ESA application dates are posted yet. How ESA works.
Every program's dates in one calendar that updates when we confirm new dates: subscribe in Google Calendar · subscribe in Apple Calendar or Outlook · all deadlines
Free. Nothing to sign up for: the calendar file is made in your browser and nothing is sent to us. Dates can change, so confirm on the official site.
Questions parents ask
How much does Arizona pay toward private school?
About $7,000 to $8,000 for most students (2025-26 figures). We could not confirm the 2026-27 amount from the state. By law the deposit is 90% of the state funding the student would bring to a charter school. Students with disabilities receive far more.
Who can get it?
Any Arizona resident eligible to enroll in public school from kindergarten to 12th grade, or in a public preschool program for children with disabilities. There is no income limit. A public school student may apply, but must leave the public or charter school before the first money arrives.
Is there still room?
More than 100,000 students, at a cost past $1 billion a year, the Arizona Capitol Times reported on February 1, 2026. The Department of Education’s own counts sit on azed.gov, which blocks automated reading, so we do not quote them. There is no cap and no waitlist.
How do I know a school takes ESA?
Arizona does not register participating schools. Any qualified private school can be paid from an ESA, so ask the school whether it accepts ESA payments.