Private schools in Arkansas
EFA pays $7,208 per student for 2026-27. Universal since 2025-26: every Arkansas K-12 student is eligible, subject to the annual appropriation.
Start here
- 119 schools on the official EFA listBy town, with tuition where verified
- How EFA worksAward, who qualifies, how to apply
- Private schools by city18 town pages
- Homeschooling in ArkansasThe law and what the state pays
Arkansas private schools at a glance
- Counties with a private school
- 38 of 75
- Town pages
- 18
- Most private schools
- Little Rock (23), Fayetteville (11) and North Little Rock (10)
- Typical school
- 105 students, 8.6 per teacher
- Smallest and largest
- Shiloh Excel Christian School, 10 students; Little Rock Christian Academy, 1,534 students
- Co-ed or single-sex
- 1 all-girls and 2 all-boys
- Association members
- 45, most often the National Catholic Educational Association
- To a 4-year college
- 80% of graduates at the typical high school (47 reporting)
- Programs
- 10 Montessori, 9 special education
- Public charter schools
- 102, tuition-free and not counted here
Charter schools in Arkansas
- Catholic23
- Christian, not Catholic67
- Islamic1
- Nonsectarian23
- Not in federal survey33
- Pre-K (and up)72
- Elementary (K to 5)103
- Middle (6 to 8)85
- High school (9 to 12)61
- K to 12, one school42
- Under 5030
- 50 to 14935
- 150 to 29916
- 300 to 59919
- 600 or more4
- Arkansas81%
Where these facts come from
- Grades, size, affiliation, co-ed, membership, college-going: NCES Private School Universe Survey 2023-24, downloaded September 20, 2026.
- Program list: Arkansas Education Freedom Accounts schools, list read October 26, 2026, checked November 4, 2026.
- Award and rules: Arkansas Education Freedom Accounts, official page, read October 2, 2026.
- Tuition for 5 schools: each school’s own website, last read October 11, 2026.
- Public charter schools: NCES Common Core of Data, public school directory 2025-26 (preliminary), loaded October 8, 2026.
What Arkansas pays
Figures read from each program’s official pages, October 2, 2026. Sources and how to apply
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported on September 18, 2026, citing the Education Department, that 55,833 applications had been filed for 2026-27 and that about 50,000 students are expected to take part: just over 28,000 in private school and about 21,000 homeschooled. We have not found these counts on a state page.
How EFA works, start to finish
What share of Arkansas private schools are on the list, next to other states
Charter schools, private schools and school choice in Arkansas, next to other states
By city
Each count: schools in the town or within 6 miles (12 for small towns).
- Little Rock (24)
- North Little Rock (19)
- Jacksonville (13)
- Bentonville (11)
- Fayetteville (11)
- Rogers (11)
- Benton (7)
- Fort Smith (7)
- Jonesboro (7)
- Hot Springs (6)
- Harrison (5)
- Conway (4)
- Searcy (4)
- Siloam Springs (4)
- Paragould (3)
- Russellville (3)
- Stuttgart (3)
- West Memphis (2)
By kind of school
By county
- Arkansas County (3): St. John's Lutheran School, Holy Rosary Catholic School, Grand Prairie Evangelical Methodist School
- Baxter County (1): Mountain Home Christian Academy
- Benton County (16)
- Boone County (5)
- Bradley County (1): FBC Warren Christian School
- Carroll County (2): Academy of Excellence, Clear Spring School
- Cleburne County (1): Heber Christian School
- Columbia County (1): Columbia Christian School
- Conway County (2): Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School, Riverview Baptist Christian School
- Craighead County (7)
- Crawford County (1): Joshua Academy
- Crittenden County (2): West Memphis Christian School, St. Michael School
- Faulkner County (4): St. Joseph School, Compass Academy, Ambassador Baptist Academy, Conway Christian School
- Garland County (6)
- Greene County (3): Arrows Academy, Crowley's Ridge Academy, St. Mary's Catholic School & Preschool
- Hempstead County (1): Garrett Memorial Christian School
- Hot Spring County (1): Ewing Adventist Junior Academy
- Jackson County (1): Christ Academy
- Jefferson County (1): The Audubon School
- Lafayette County (1): South Arkansas Christian School
- Lee County (1): Lee Academy
- Logan County (2): Subiaco Academy, St. Joseph Catholic School
- Lonoke County (1): New Horizon Academy
- Miller County (1): Trinity Christian School
- Mississippi County (1): The Delta School
- Ouachita County (1): Victory Christian School
- Phillips County (2): Marvell Academy, Desoto School
- Pike County (2): Ouachita Hills Academy, Glenwood Christian School
- Pope County (3): Russellville Baptist Academy, Valley Christian School, World Harvest Baptist Academy
- Pulaski County (40)
- Randolph County (1): St. Paul Catholic School
- Saline County (5)
- Sebastian County (6)
- Sevier County (1): Legacy Academy
- St. Francis County (1): Calvary Christian School
- Union County (2): West Side Christian School, Maranatha Baptist Christian School
- Washington County (11)
- White County (6)
The largest private schools in Arkansas
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Little Rock Christian Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,534 |
| The Episcopal Collegiate School ✓ | PreK-12 | 800 |
| Catholic High School for Boys ✓ | 9-12 | 705 |
| Harding Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 638 |
| Providence Classical Christian Academy ✓ | K-12 | 578 |
| Conway Christian School ✓ | PreK-12 | 564 |
| Christ the King School ✓ | PreK-8 | 556 |
| The Baptist Preparatory School ✓ | PreK-12 | 526 |
| Life Way Christian School ✓ | PreK-12 | 507 |
| Central Arkansas Christian School ✓ | 6-12 | 479 |
| Mt St. Mary Academy ✓ | 9-12 | 477 |
| Our Lady of the Holy Souls ✓ | PreK-8 | 448 |
| St. Joseph School ✓ | PreK-12 | 446 |
| Calvary Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 379 |
| St. Joseph Catholic School ✓ | PreK-8 | 357 |
What private school costs in Arkansas
- Kindergarten to grade 5
- $9,608 middle, $5,500 to $17,600 (5 schools)
- Grades 6 to 8
- $9,955 middle, $5,500 to $20,780 (5 schools)
Prices read on each school’s own website; mostly larger schools so far, so a guide, not an average.
Run your own numbers
What would you pay?
Enter amounts of $0 or more.
We filled in the standard EFA amount. Change it if your award letter says something different. An award can never be more than the school actually charges. This is arithmetic, not a quote.
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Questions parents ask
How much does Arkansas pay toward private school?
$7,208 per student for 2026-27. $8,011 for students who previously held a Succeed Scholarship, paid in four quarterly payments of $2,002.75.
Who can get it?
Universal since 2025-26: every Arkansas K-12 student is eligible, subject to the annual appropriation.
Is there still room?
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported on September 18, 2026, citing the Education Department, that 55,833 applications had been filed for 2026-27 and that about 50,000 students are expected to take part: just over 28,000 in private school and about 21,000 homeschooled. We have not found these counts on a state page.
How do I know a school takes EFA?
Schools marked “EFA school” here appear on the participating-school list published by the Arkansas Department of Education. We match by school name and city, or by a name that appears only once in the state, and show the date we last read the list.