An annual report accounting for state school voucher money shows that most of the dollars go to students already in a private school, though at slightly lower numbers than the last school year. This is in keeping with the same report data from 2023-2024.
“Education Freedom Account” money is a pile of tax money allocated to private, religious and homeschool students. It is the result of a massive education law known as Arkansas LEARNS, signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders last year.
A main criticism of the LEARNS EFA program is that funds typically go to children already enrolled in private schools. For the 2023 school year, 95% of the money went to kids already in a private school. For the 2024 school year, that number fell slightly, but 82% of kids were not enrolled in a public school before they received the money. The report says, 90% of the students who received the money last year kept with the program for this school year.
Right now, the program has 14,297 participants with an average of $6,672 each. This is an increase of about 8,000 participants from the 2023 school year. The report says there are 128 private schools receiving money from the program, compared to last year when 97 schools were participating. 3,111 students in the program are being homeschooled.
In total almost $35 million has been spent on the program statewide in the two years it has been in effect.
The report says the majority of the students, 57%, have a diagnosis under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Little Rock Public Radio has reported that the qualifications to receive a diagnosis under the LEARNS Act are much lower than schools will usually allow to provide disability accommodations.
18,490 students applied for the program for the 2024 school year. A little over 3,000 are on a waitlist.
Next year, all Arkansas students will be eligible for the money.
