There are two kinds of resources families can consider to subsidize their tuition. One is the School Tuition Organization (STO) scholarship and the other is the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA). Read below for information on each.
Our goal is that financial need will never be a barrier to families seeking to provide their child with an academically rich education alongside meaningful encounters with Christ. We recommend that families that would like financial assistance apply to the ESA and to multiple STOs in order to determine which option is the better one for them.
School Tuition Organizations (STOs) receive income tax credit contributions that fund scholarships for students to attend qualified private schools in Arizona. Great Hearts Christos has partnered with the following STOs to support our families who would like to use private school tax credits to fund their child’s education.
Note that you can “stack” STO awards, which means that you can apply to several of the organizations below and combine awards (up to the total tuition amount). We recommend applying for both ESA and STO funds and making a decision during the summer about whether the ESA or the STO option is best for your family (note that you cannot combine ESA funds with STO funds).
*Please confirm this information by viewing the organization’s website as dates are subject to change.
Corporate STOs (for low-income families – see chart below)
Substantial corporate tax credit scholarships await lower-income Christos families who apply to School Choice Arizona, Arizona Leadership Foundation, AAA, and Institute for Better Education.
Federal Reduced-Price Lunch Guidelines
If your household income is less than the listed amount (in purple) for your household size, your child should meet the corporate tax credit low-income criterion.
The Universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) is a scholarship program offered through the Arizona Department of Education that allows students to receive roughly $7,000 to pay for school tuition at a private school (the amount varies by year).
Empowerment Scholarship Account | Arizona Department of Education (azed.gov)
Every family in Arizona is eligible to access an ESA for their K-12 students to pay for tuition. You need only your child’s birth certificate and a proof of residency (such as a utility bill). There are no income requirements.
How does the ESA process work? Applying is a 10-minute process. Once approved, you can either pay the quarterly tuition and get reimbursed by ClassWallet or upload an invoice and have ClassWallet pay the quarterly tuition to Christos directly.
Pay and Get Reimbursed: If you pay the Christos tuition yourself and then get reimbursed by ClassWallet, you will be reimbursed 100% of your ESA funds.
OR
Have ClassWallet Pay Christos Directly: You can submit your tuition invoice to ClassWallet every quarter, and they will pay Christos directly on your behalf. However, note that there is a 2.5641% service fee for doing so.
Please note: You will be responsible to ensure that there are sufficient funds in your ClassWallet account to pay tuition, and you are responsible for the remaining tuition beyond the ESA funds.
ESA website: www.azed.gov/esa. ClassWallet information: www.azed.gov/esa/classwallet. For students who have a disability, a different ESA is available: www.azed.gov/esa/eligibility-requirements
Questions? Reach out to our billing specialist. brent.labhart@greatheartschristos.org (602) 438-7045 ext. 620
Typically, students are awarded around $7,000 for a full year, and funds are distributed quarterly (about $1,750 per quarter). Students with IEPs, METs, or 504 plans may be awarded more.
No. STOs (School Tuition Organizations) like AZSTO, IBE, and AAA are different types of scholarships. Please see above for more information about STOs.
No, if you accept ESA you cannot accept any STO funds in the same quarter. When you receive your ESA award, you must notify the school to request the return of any STO funds from that quarter.
Kindergarten is different because the state only requires funding for half-day kindergarten. Depending on your home school district, the ESA may only provide about $4,000.
We recommend applying to the ESA program for each child to see how much their scholarship award would be. When you receive your ESA offer, it will show you the quarterly amount you would receive. You can then choose to accept or decline.
The application period for the coming year opens in April for first-time applicants. Even if you enroll in Christos mid-year, you can apply for the ESA for the coming quarter. Once you’ve accepted an ESA scholarship, you don’t need to reapply; you will be sent a renewal email offer in May or June.
No. You may decide whether it would make sense to use the ESA scholarship for some children and not others. You MAY NOT use STOs and ESA for the same child at the same time.