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Executive Summary
Overview
The 2024–25 school year marked a strong second year for Arkansas’s Education
Freedom Accounts (EFA) program, with substantial growth in participation, expanded
eligible uses (including homeschool supports), and encouraging indicators on family
satisfaction, retention, and student performance. The program remained fiscally modest relative
to the state’s K–12 budget while continuing to build operational capacity and provider choice
statewide.
Participation and Access
Participation more than doubled to 14,256 active students (up from 5,548). Of these, 10,834 (76%)
attended participating private schools and 3,422 (24%) used EFAs to support homeschooling—the
first year homeschool became an eligible pathway. Each EFA provided $6,856 (or $7,617 for
former Succeed Scholarship students), disbursed quarterly via secure payments to approved
schools and providers. Private-school access expanded to 126 participating schools, alongside a
growing homeschool ecosystem supported by approved curricula, tutoring, and
enrichment providers.
Retention and Family Experience
Retention from 2024–25 to 2025–26 was strong, with 91% of EFA students continuing in
the program. Participating private schools also retained, on average, 84% of their EFA
students. Families reported positive experiences as platform reliability, guidance, and
communications improved over the year.
Use of Funds and Marketplace
Spending aligned with the program’s primary purpose—tuition and core educational services
—while supporting targeted homeschool needs. The marketplace continued to diversify, with
more than 1,800 service providers available in 2024–25 and over 2,100 approved at the beginning
of the 2025–26 school year, providing families with expanded access to instructional materials,
therapies, enrichment, and tutoring that is consistent with program rules.