Arkansas School Choice

Defending School Choice in Arkansas

In 2023, Arkansas’ education reform bill, known as the LEARNS Act, went into effect. The LEARNS Act created the state’s Education Freedom Accounts program, which provides eligible families with thousands of dollars to cover certain educational expenses. For the 2024-25 school year, that amount is up to $6,856.

Currently, eligible students include students with a disability, students experiencing homelessness, current or former foster care children, the children of military members, the children of first responders, and more. Over time, all children in the state will be eligible.

Qualifying educational expenses include tuition and fees, curriculum, supplemental materials, school uniforms, technology, tutoring, and therapy.

But, in June 2024, a group filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Education Freedom Accounts program. In response, the Partnership for Educational Choice—a joint project of the Institute for Justice and EdChoice—announced it will be representing Arkansas mothers Erika Lara, Katie Parrish, and Nikita Glendenning as they seek to protect the program against the lawsuit.

The Education Freedom Accounts program has become popular since its passage. Last school year, more than 6,000 applications were submitted to participate in the program and nearly 5,000 students actively participated in it. More than half of Arkansas voters with a child in K-12 school have favorable opinions on the program.