Arkansas's annual report on the state's school voucher program is out. Little Rock Public Radio's Josie Lenora says the results are largely expected.
The 2025 report includes data from the first two years of the state's Education Freedom Account program, which uses taxpayer dollars to fund private, religious or home school education. In the 2024–2025 school year, more than 14,000 Arkansas students were enrolled in EFAs. That's a jump from the previous year, when only 5,500 students were eligible for the program.
The program was established through the Arkansas LEARNS Act of 2023. The 2024–2025 enrollees attended 126 of the state's private schools. More than 3,000 homeschool kids received the funds.
Supporters say LEARNS helps kids in public schools afford a private option. Opponents say the funds go to kids whose families could pay for private school anyway.
According to the report, about 10 percent of EFA recipients switched from public schools to private schools. The report also boasts high satisfaction ratings from parents and high retention rates in the second year. It also says EFA beneficiaries scored slightly higher on standardized tests compared to national averages, though the EFA program allows students to choose which standardized tests they take.
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