School Choice & Parent Empowerment

Information for Private and Micro Schools

The 2025-2026 Private and Micro School Application is now OPEN!

Eligibility Criteria for Participating Schools

Accreditation

  • Meet accreditation requirements established by the State Board of Education, the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association, or another accrediting association recognized by the State Board, or
  • Be an associate member of, or be in the process of applying to, the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association or another accrediting association recognized by the State Board.
  • The list of ADE-approved accrediting organizations can be found here.
    • Contact the EFA office if your accrediting organization is not on the list and you would like to inquire about the process to be added.

Financial Requirements

  • Be in operation for at least one (1) year, or
  • Provide ADE with a note from a certified public accountant verifying that the school is insured and has sufficient capital to operate, or
  • File a surety bond or letter of credit with ADE equal to funds needed in any quarter.

Employee Requirements

  • Employ or contract with only teachers who have a baccalaureate degree or equivalent experience.
  • Complete background checks and fingerprinting for any school employee and maintain a database of these records.

Administrative Compliance

  • Comply with state laws governing private schools and applicable health and safety laws.
  • Adhere to the school's published disciplinary procedures before expelling a participating student.
  • Hold valid occupancy of buildings as required by the school's municipality.

Testing & Reporting Requirements

  • Administer a nationally norm-referenced test approved by the ADE (linked here) to participating students on an annual basis and provide aggregated student testing results for state reporting, or
  • Prepare a portfolio of student progress for those exempt from testing (due to the existence of an Individual Service Plan (ISP) & significant cognitive disability), or
  • Provide an approved alternative assessment to those exempt from testing (due to the existence of an Individual Service Plan (ISP) & significant cognitive disability).
    • Contact the EFA office if your school's test is not on the list.
    • The Office of School Choice and Parent Empowerment will notify approved schools of the details for reporting scores each spring.
    • Schools must list the tests each child was administered and the percentile scores for relevant categories.

Ongoing Administrative Responsibilities

NOTIFY

  • Verify the initial enrollment of a participating student through an ADE portal for the upcoming academic year.
  • Re-verify participating student enrollment status before each of the State's quarterly disbursements.

TEST

  • Annually administer a nationally norm-referenced test approved by ADE.
  • Report test results for portfolios/alternate assessments for students qualifying for a testing exemption.
  • Testing is only required for participating students.

COMPLY

  • Comply with audit requests if randomly selected for ADE's annual financial audit.
  • Eligible expenses for the 2024-2025 school year include tuition/fees, uniforms, testing, instructional materials, tutoring services, curricula, supplemental supplies, specific technology devices, transportation costs, and fees for college courses.
  • Tuition expenses should be prioritized over other eligible expense types.

Student Withdrawals

  • Schools are only eligible to receive payment for the cost of tuition associated with the time a participating student is enrolled in and attending the school.
  • If a student unenrolls early and the fund disbursement has already been made, the school must return excess funds to ADE.
  • ADE will determine the amount to be returned (a pro-rated calculation will be made).
  • Any outstanding amount owed by the family is handled between families and schools.


Legal & Policy Compliance


IDEA & IEP Compliance

  • Private schools are exempt from federal requirements under IDEA.
  • Parents may be required to waive procedural obligations and rights under IDEA at the time of EFA application.
  • Private schools may offer services for special education students and develop individualized plans, but offerings vary by school.
  • Families should engage directly with private schools to determine if services meet their child's needs.

Disciplinary Procedures

  • Schools must publish and adhere to their existing disciplinary procedures.
  • No adaptation of procedures is required, provided there is no discrimination on any basis prohibited by 42 U.S.C. § 2000d as of January 1, 2023.

Curriculum Requirements

  • Starting in 2024-25, participating schools must offer core subjects of ELA, math, science, and social studies.
  • Most private schools in Arkansas already offer these subjects.
  • Receipt of Education Freedom Account funds does not impact schools' religious affiliation or curriculum.

Admissions Criteria

  • Education Freedom Accounts do not impact schools' existing admission timelines, criteria, and processes.
  • Schools must communicate their acceptance of participating students to ADE.

Who do I contact for help with the EFA program?

Office of School Choice and Parent Empowerment

Arkansas Department of Education
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
One Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-683-1876
Email: ade.efa@ade.arkansas.gov