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Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program
Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program
The Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program from the Arizona Department of Education gives eligible parents public funding to pursue flexible options for customizing their children's education. Intended to expand educational opportunity outside of the public school system, it provides public funding for a wide range of personalized education expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring services, textbooks and more.
Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA)
From The Arizona Department of Education
As your student gets started in the ESA program, we hope you will find the following information helpful.
What’sNext? Your student’s ClassWallet account will be set up and funded.
ClassWallet is a thirdparty vendor and the ESA Program’s payment platform; it is how you will make purchases and spend your student’s ESA funds.
NOTE: It typically takes approximately 3 weeks after signing the ESA contract to set up and fund your student’s account in ClassWallet.
Accessing ClassWallet To access your student’s ClassWallet account, log into your ESA Applicant Portal.
Once logged in, select the blue button that reads Go to ClassWallet Account.
The link will take you directly to the ClassWallet portal, no additional sign-in is necessary!
Direct Pay Vendors
If your child's school and/or service providers are registered in ClassWallet, you can find them by clicking on the "Pay" tab on the ClassWallet homepage (see screenshot below). You can make payments for tuition and approved vendors, and upload invoices through the ClassWallet portal. NOTE: To submit a payment, you will need to upload your invoice, statement, or other supporting documents (PDF, JPEG or PNG format).
Vendor name is ESS Tutoring LLC or ESS Schools
Certification for School Tuition Organizations
Certification for School Tuition Organizations
Certified School Tuition Organizations (STOs) are established to receive income tax credit contributions that fund scholarships for students to attend qualified private schools located in Arizona (A.R.S. Title 43, Chapters 15 and 16). A nonprofit organization in this state that is exempt or has applied for exemption from federal taxation under section 501(c)(3) may apply to ADOR for certification as an STO. Once certified, an STO may receive tax credit donations from individual and/or corporate taxpayers.
Requirements for an STO to be eligible for and retain certification for receiving tax credit donations:
The STO must allocate at least 90% of its annual tax credit contributions to scholarships;
The STO shall not limit the availability of scholarships to students of one school;
The STO must allow ADOR to verify that the scholarships issued are awarded to students attending a qualified school (corporate income tax credit program);
The STO must not knowingly collude with any other STO to circumvent the limits of the low-income corporate scholarship (corporate income tax credit program);
The STO may allow donors to recommend student beneficiaries but shall not award, designate or reserve scholarships solely on the basis of donor recommendations (individual income tax credit programs);
The STO shall not allow donors to designate student beneficiaries as a condition of any contribution to the organization (individual income tax credit programs);
The STO shall not facilitate, encourage or knowingly permit the exchange of student beneficiary designations (i.e. swapping) (individual income tax credit programs);
The STO shall include on the organization’s website, if one exists, the percentage and total dollar amount of educational scholarships and tuition grants awarded during the previous fiscal year to (a) students whose family income is up to 185% of poverty level and (b) students whose family income is greater than 185% of poverty level but not more than 342.25% of poverty level;
The STO must not award scholarships to students who are simultaneously enrolled in a district school or charter school and a qualified school;
The STO shall follow all other statutory requirements in A.R.S. §§ 43-1089, 43-1089.03, 43-1089.04 or Title 43, Chapter 16;
The STO shall follow all other statutory requirements in A.R.S. §§ 20-224.06, 20-224-07, 43-1183, 43-1184 or Title 43, Chapter 15.
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