Best Private Schools That Accept Arkansas EFA in 2026–27

Title tag: Best Private Schools That Accept Arkansas EFA: 7 Options [2026–27]
Meta description: Arkansas EFA pays $7,208. Compare 7 schools, exact tuition gaps, required fees, and cash due before the August 20 deposit.
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Hero image alt: Cost comparison of private schools that accept Arkansas EFA in 2026–27

By The School Choice Index Editorial Team Last verified: August 12, 2026

The School Choice Index is an independent comparison and research resource for U.S. school choice programs.

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The best private schools that accept Arkansas EFA are the ones your $7,208 actually gets you into — and that number is different for every family. Arkansas pays $7,208 per child for the 2026–27 school year, sent in four chunks of $1,802. At the five large schools we priced, that's a partial payment. At lower-cost schools, the published bill can fit inside the account. Any unused balance stays in the account for qualifying expenses. It is not cash back.

Here's the fastest honest answer we can give you. In our verified 2026–27 comparison, the leftover tuition bill after EFA runs from $2,592 at Conway Christian up to $13,572 at Episcopal Collegiate. Same award. Same year. A $10,980 swing.

That gap is not on the state's school list. And there's one more number that's arguably worse: how much cash you need before the state's first deposit shows up. The first 2026–27 deposit is scheduled for August 20, 2026. Several schools want money weeks or months before that.

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⚠️ Status check — verified August 12, 2026

The 2026–27 EFA application and renewal window ran March 9 to June 1, 2026. It's closed.

Arkansas is still accepting applications, but the Department of Education says they are not being reviewed or processed right now. Applications filed after June 29, 2026 may be looked at later, "pending available funding" — with no promise of review.

If you're reading this in August with school about to start, you're probably in one of four spots. Approved and picking a school. Approved but the money hasn't hit your account. Applied late and waiting for a clear answer. Or planning ahead for 2027–28. This page is built for all four. Jump to the deadline section →

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🧮 Arkansas EFA Gap Check

Before you scroll: this is the thing you came for.

Pick a school and grade. We'll show you four numbers most families don't find out until the first invoice:

1. What you'd still owe for the year — tuition, plus required fees, minus your award
2. The cash you need before August 20 — before the state's first deposit lands
3. What EFA may not pay for at that school, itemized
4. Your first-year cost vs. every year after — so one-time fees don't scare you off a good fit

Fields: school (or type your own tuition) · grade · church member or parishioner rate (yes / no / not sure) · number of children enrolling · payment plan

We don't ask for your email. We don't store anything. And we show the math on screen, so you can check us.

Manual check while the tool loads:

• Annual family estimate = tuition + required fees − EFA award
• Cash-before-deposit estimate = every charge due before August 20
• Do not count a deposit twice when the school says it is applied to tuition.
• Do not treat a negative answer as cash back. The money stays in the account for qualifying expenses.

Where we subtract the full award from tuition plus fees, the estimate assumes those charges are approved for EFA payment. Ask the school to confirm each fee before you rely on the total.

Run the Gap Check for your school and grade →

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Best private schools that accept Arkansas EFA in 2026–27: the cost ladder

Answer capsule: ADE-attributed 2025–26 payment data identified 166 private schools receiving EFA funds. For 2026–27, published tuition at five large schools we verified leaves families owing between $2,592 and $13,572 per child after the standard $7,208 award. That is tuition only. Required fees can add hundreds or more.

We sorted this table by the lowest published K–12 tuition gap at each school — smallest first. Not by reputation, not by test scores, not by who's most famous. Little Rock Christian's lowest row is half-day kindergarten; its full-day K5–3rd grade gap is $6,788.

Six things to know before you use this table.

1. This is not a quality ranking. We don't score how good these schools are. We can't — not fairly, and not from a spreadsheet. We rank what you'd owe, because that's the part that's checkable.

2. Fees are extra. Every priced school on this list publishes at least one charge beyond tuition. Shiloh's first-year fee stack for a new K5 student on the 10-month plan adds $930 before any returned-payment fee. We break it all out later.

3. Two large EFA schools don't publish an open price we can use. Pulaski Academy puts its tuition sheet behind a request form. The New School says it participates in EFA, but the page we checked didn't give a current tuition number. We're not going to guess. "Ask the school" is the honest answer, and it's also a fact worth knowing before you apply.

4. Pre-K is not covered. EFA is a K–12 program. Your child has to turn 5 by August 1 to start kindergarten on it. That matters a lot at these schools, because some of their cheapest published rates are pre-K rates.

5. A school can take EFA and still have no seat for your child. More on that in a minute — it's the biggest thing families get wrong.

6. Rates can change. Many schools publish the next year's prices between winter and spring. Every current number on this page has a verification date so you know exactly what we checked.

See what you'd actually owe at your school and grade →

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How much is the Arkansas EFA in 2026–27?

Answer capsule: The standard Arkansas Education Freedom Account award for 2026–27 is $7,208 per student, paid in four quarterly deposits of $1,802. Former Succeed Scholarship students receive $8,011, paid as $2,002.75 per quarter. The current payment platform is ClassWallet.

An EFA (Education Freedom Account) is a state-funded account. Arkansas puts money in it, and you spend that money on approved school costs — private school tuition and fees, homeschool curriculum, tutoring, testing, uniforms, technology, and other approved educational services. It came from the LEARNS Act, the big education law Arkansas passed in 2023.

Here's the money, plainly:

That second number is no longer unresolved. ADE's current family information gives $8,011. If your child is in the former Succeed group, use that official number and confirm the account inside the payment platform before signing a budget.

The award went up by $344 — tuition can still move faster

That's a $344 raise this year. Feels good. Here's the catch: Conway Christian's own 2026–27 board letter says its K–12 tuition increased by about $85 to $100 per month, depending on grade. Over a 10-month plan, that's roughly $850 to $1,000. The award increase does not guarantee your leftover bill will shrink.

Why you'll still see the wrong award number online

This one surprised us. Current school pages do not all match the state:

What you do about it: budget from ADE's $7,208. Then ask your school one question: "Which award number did you use to build my invoice?" An $18 gap is small. It is still your bill if the school used the wrong number.

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Does the Arkansas EFA cover full private school tuition?

Answer capsule: Sometimes. It does not cover full tuition at the five large schools in our current price table. It can cover the published bill at a lower-cost school. Christ Academy in Newport publishes a $6,750 tuition-and-fee total, which is $458 below the standard award if every listed charge is approved for EFA payment.

Let's do this with real rate cards instead of averages, because averages hide the thing you need.

Little Rock Christian Academy — every grade, 2026–27

We read this school's published rate sheet in full on August 12, 2026. Here's the annual July 1 column, with our subtraction:

Plus a $300 registration fee for every student, every year. New students pay a $75 application fee.

Look at the 4th grade row. From 4th grade up at this school, what you still owe is bigger than the entire award. You'd owe $7,450 and the state gave you $7,208. That is a real, checkable sentence, and it's the clearest way we know to explain what "partial payment" means.

Shiloh Christian School — the monthly-price trick

Shiloh received $10.6 million in EFA payments in 2025–26, more than any other private school in the state, according to payment data attributed to ADE.

And it doesn't publish an annual price. It publishes a monthly price, over 10 months, August through May. So we multiplied.

Notice what happened there. The two cheapest rows at the state's biggest EFA recipient are the two rows EFA can't pay for. If you've got a 4-year-old and you saw "$670 a month" and felt relief — we're sorry. That's not an EFA price. That's a pre-K price you'd pay yourself.

About that "member rate." It's real, and it's $1,300 a year cheaper. But the tuition page doesn't spell out who qualifies. Don't assume it's you. Ask the school what membership it requires, in writing, before you plan around it. We're keeping it in the table with the standard rate shown first for exactly that reason.

The current sticker spread we could verify: $23,350

Same state. Same school year. Very different published numbers:

$30,100 − $6,750 = $23,350.

That comparison needs one honest warning. Thaden uses Indexed Tuition, so many families pay less than the maximum. Christ Academy's page combines tuition and listed fees, while Thaden's figure is maximum tuition. The point is not that one school is better. The point is that the same $7,208 account can mean "the published bill fits" at one school and "the award covers about one-fourth" at another.

Where two large schools land against each other

Shiloh's member rate for grades 5–12 is $10,800. Little Rock Christian's price for grades 5–8 is $14,878. That's $4,078 apart — same year, overlapping grade band. That spread is our subtraction, not a school claim.

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Does an Arkansas EFA guarantee my child a seat?

Answer capsule: No. Arkansas decides who receives an EFA; each private school decides who it admits. Program rules leave the school's admissions process in place. A school can take EFA funds and still deny an application, have no opening in a grade, or decide it cannot serve a child's needs.

This is the part we'd rather not tell you, because it's the part that makes families angry. But you need it before you fall in love with a school.

An EFA is money. It is not a seat. Arkansas doesn't require a participating school to take your child. It doesn't require the school to change its admissions rules. Pulaski Academy, The New School, and Thaden each separate EFA funding from admission on their own pages.

Pulaski Academy goes further. Its board has publicly stated that taking EFA money won't change its mission, independence, operations, curriculum, class size, enrollment, or admissions criteria — and that it reviews whether to keep participating every single year. That's an honest school telling you something true: a school's future participation isn't guaranteed either.

So here's the straight trade.

Arkansas EFA does not guarantee your child a seat. A public charter school or an open-enrollment transfer does not guarantee a particular seat either. But both are tuition-free public options worth checking before you pay a private-school deposit. A charter school is a public school run under a charter. It can't charge tuition, and EFA doesn't pay for it, because there's no private-school tuition to pay.

But here's why the design can still work in your favor. The state doesn't make the private school's admissions decision. The money can follow your child to a participating school that admits your child and submits qualifying charges. Whatever you don't spend stays in the account under program rules instead of becoming cash in your pocket.

If tuition-free public options belong on your list, start with Arkansas's official School Choice page.

Still with us? Good. Let's find your school.

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Which private school fits my child?

Answer capsule: The best-fitting participating school depends on four things about the family, not the school: the child's grade, how many children are enrolling, whether the family qualifies for a church member or parishioner rate, and how the school's own financial aid changes the final invoice. Changing any one can change which school is most affordable.

We call these the four switches. Flip one and your whole answer moves.

Grade. At Little Rock Christian, moving from 3rd to 4th grade adds $662 to tuition. At Conway Christian, moving from K–4 up to grades 10–12 adds $1,550.

Number of kids. Sibling rules can move hundreds or thousands of dollars. Pulaski gives $1,000 off for the third child and up. Little Rock Christian has a discount starting at the third child. Shiloh caps its building fee at $500 per family instead of charging it beyond two students.

Member or parishioner rate. This is one of the biggest verified levers in this comparison, and it's one families get wrong. See the faith section below.

Aid you already have. Arkansas's payment rule says the school's scholarships, rates, and discounts come off the invoice before EFA pays the remaining qualifying charge. Ask for your final bill with EFA and without EFA. Do not assume the two forms of help simply stack.

Pick the school for the kid, not for the family

One child may need a small, quiet, structured room. Another may need better arts, better sports, harder classes, or just space to work on their own. The right school for one of your kids can be the wrong school for the other. Sending your kids to two different schools is not a parenting failure. It's a fit decision.

Our rule of thumb: keep a school on your list only if it works in at least four of these five areas — the daily feel of the place, your child's learning needs, your budget, the drive, and your family's values. A famous name doesn't fix a bad daily fit.

The questions nobody asks until it's too late

• Who's driving, morning and afternoon?
• Can you handle two campuses if the kids split up?
• Do you need before-school or after-school care? What does it cost?
• Could you still pay the balance if tuition rose by $1,000 next year?
• Does the drive still work during sports season, therapy, or a work trip?
• Does the school calendar fit your job?
• Do you need to start mid-year?
• Are you ready for uniforms, lunches, activity fees, and deposits?

Build a three-school list, not a thirty-school list

1. Your best guess at the right fit.
2. A cheaper or closer backup.
3. One school that's genuinely different — different size, different style — to test whether your assumptions are right.

Three is enough to compare. Thirty is how you end up not calling anybody.

What Arkansas parents are actually trying to solve

The real question is whether EFA, school aid, the drive, and the daily school environment can work together for a child who is struggling now.

The state tells you the award. It doesn't tell you whether the school works for your child at a price you can actually pay. That is the decision this page is built to help you make.

Build a three-school shortlist by grade, budget, and drive →

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Which private schools accept Arkansas EFA in Little Rock and Central Arkansas?

Answer capsule: Central Arkansas, including Conway, held seven of the ten private schools receiving the most EFA money in 2025–26. Published 2026–27 tuition among the four Central Arkansas schools we priced runs from $9,800 to $20,780, leaving tuition gaps from $2,592 to $13,572 before required fees.

Conway Christian School — the smallest gap we've verified

Conway · K–12 · Christian · $4.74 million in EFA payments in 2025–26 (7th most in the state)

Conway Christian publishes four grade bands:

That's the smallest leftover tuition bill in our verified large-school comparison.

The school also publishes a $100 new-student application fee and a $250 enrollment fee if paid by the listed deadline. The enrollment fee rises to $400 after the deadline. Books are included in tuition.

Our first-year math for a new K–4 student with the on-time enrollment fee: $9,800 + $100 + $250 = $10,150 → $2,942 out of pocket before any aid. If the higher $400 enrollment fee applies, the estimate becomes $3,092.

What we're saying: Conway Christian is the strongest affordability finding in our launch data. What we're not saying: that it's the cheapest EFA school in Arkansas. We've priced a small share of the statewide list. There are likely lower-cost schools we have not verified yet.

Central Arkansas Christian Schools

North Little Rock · Christian · $6.17 million in EFA payments in 2025–26 (4th most)

Published tuition leaves about $4,925 in K–5 and $5,980 in grades 6–12 after the award. That's a lower tuition gap than several better-known Central Arkansas schools.

CAC's required fees change the first-year number:

• Application fee: $75 for an applying student
• Enrollment fee: $400 per student
• Facility and technology fee: $400 per elementary student or $500 per secondary student
• Campus security fee: $100 per student, but it has been included in tuition since 2024
• Bus service, extended care, optional trips, and a $50-per-month testing center charge for students who elect that service are separate

Our math for a returning 6th grader: $13,188 tuition + $400 enrollment + $500 facility and technology = $14,088 → $6,880 out of pocket before aid.

Our math for a new 6th grader: add the $75 application fee → $6,955 out of pocket.

CAC also runs a program for students with learning differences called Foundations. Ask about the exact grades, services, staffing, and added cost today — we cover why that matters in the support section.

Little Rock Christian Academy

Little Rock · K3–12 · Christian · $10.43 million in EFA payments in 2025–26 (2nd most)

The full grade-by-grade table is up above. The short version: you'd owe $3,811 for half-day K5, $6,788 for full-day K5 through 3rd grade, and $8,883 in 11th–12th, before fees. Add $300 registration every year and $75 to apply.

Our first-year math for a new full-day K5 student: $13,996 + $300 + $75 = $14,371 → $7,163 out of pocket. Every year after that, using the same tuition: $7,088.

LRCA is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association, the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability, and the Southern Association of Independent Schools. It publishes different prices for different grades, which is more useful than a single schoolwide average and makes the math easy to check.

Its priority deadline for returning families is March 31. Aid deadlines run months ahead of the school year. Put next year's on your calendar now.

Episcopal Collegiate School

Little Rock · K–12 · Episcopal · $4.78 million in EFA payments in 2025–26 (6th most)

Biggest tuition-only gap in our verified group: about $10,392 in K–5 and $13,572 in grades 6–12. The award covers 35% to 41% of tuition.

The school's rate sheet adds a one-time new-student enrollment fee:

• $500 for a new student in K–5 or 9–12
• $1,500 for a new student in grades 6–8
• A $1,000 nonrefundable deposit is required, but it is applied to tuition and should not be counted twice
• Optional tuition protection costs $530 for K–5 or $620 for 6–12

Our first-year math for a new kindergartner: $17,600 + $500 − $7,208 = $10,892, with the deposit treated as part of tuition.

Our first-year math for a new 6th grader: $20,780 + $1,500 − $7,208 = $15,072.

Episcopal Collegiate says all $7,208 can go toward tuition there. It also offers need-based aid. So don't read that gap as "out of reach" — read it as "the aid conversation matters more here than the EFA conversation does." Start with the aid application, not the award.

Pulaski Academy

Little Rock · early childhood–12th grade · independent, non-religious · $7.99 million in EFA payments in 2025–26 (3rd most)

Pulaski is the only school in the state's 2025–26 top-ten payment list that we identified as non-religious. That makes it a clear starting point for families seeking an independent, non-religious option in Central Arkansas.

We can't give you its current tuition. Pulaski's tuition sheet is behind a request form. We're not publishing a directory estimate as if it were the school's number — we've seen those be wrong by thousands.

Here's what we did verify on Pulaski's own pages on August 12, 2026:

• It confirms the $7,208 award for 2026–27
• $750 enrollment deposit, nonrefundable, applied to tuition
• Three payment plans: one payment, three payments, or 11 monthly payments beginning in July
• $1,000 discount for the third child and up, grades 1–12 or full-day early childhood
• Financial aid runs through a separate application
• Its board says EFA doesn't change admissions criteria and reviews participation annually

Pulaski's own page has a date conflict. The summary lists June 22 / October 22 / February 22. A lower section lists June 20 / October 20 / February 20. Do not guess which set controls your contract. Ask the business office to put the dates in writing.

Look at those payment dates again. We'll come back to them, because they're a problem.

Other Central Arkansas schools worth checking

Baptist Prep, Catholic High School, ACCESS Schools, Easterseals Academy, Montessori schools, Catholic schools, and smaller Christian schools have appeared in official or ADE-attributed EFA records.

We haven't priced all of them yet. When we do, they go in the table with a date on them — not before. A school gets into our current price comparison only after we've confirmed its current school type, grades, published rate, and EFA status or clearly labeled the part still pending.

Compare Central Arkansas schools by what you'd still owe →

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Which private schools accept Arkansas EFA in Northwest Arkansas?

Answer capsule: Northwest Arkansas includes Shiloh Christian, the state's largest reported EFA recipient in 2025–26, plus independent and faith-based options across Springdale, Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville, and nearby cities. Shiloh's current tuition gap starts at $2,992 for a family that qualifies for its member rate. Thaden's current maximum tuition reaches $30,100, but its Indexed Tuition program makes the family-specific price the number that matters.

In Northwest Arkansas, the drive is part of the price. A school with a $3,000 gap and a 50-minute commute may cost you more than a school with a $5,000 gap ten minutes away — once you count gas, time, and what happens during sports season.

Shiloh Christian School

Springdale · PK–12 · Baptist · $10.63 million in EFA payments in 2025–26 (most in the state)

The full monthly-to-annual table is up above. You'd owe $4,292 in K5–4th and $4,892 in grades 5–12 at the standard rate, before fees.

Then there's the fee stack. These are the charges the school lists beyond tuition; not every charge applies to every family:

Our first-year math, new K5 student, standard rate, 10-month plan: $11,500 + $125 + $300 + $250 + $75 + $125 + $55 = $12,430 → you owe $5,222.

Every year after, using the $200 on-time re-enrollment fee: $11,500 + $200 + $250 + $75 + $125 + $55 = $12,205 → you owe $4,997.

So the first year costs $225 more. Good to know, not a dealbreaker.

Shiloh also warns families that re-enrollment isn't guaranteed after March 1, and that once you enroll, the enrollment fee doesn't come back. Read the financial policy before you sign.

The New School

Fayetteville · independent

The New School states that it will participate in the 2026–27 EFA program. The page we reviewed didn't publish a current tuition figure we could use for a reliable calculation, so it stays in the fit comparison and out of the price ladder. Call admissions and ask for the current schedule in writing.

Thaden School

Bentonville · independent

Thaden's current page lists maximum 2026–27 tuition of:

But the maximum is not the whole story. Thaden uses Indexed Tuition, which sets a family's contribution from its financial resources. The school's FAQ says about two-thirds of current families receive an indexed amount.

One current-status flag belongs here. Thaden's school FAQ confirms EFA acceptance for 2025–26, but the page we checked did not yet make the same statement for 2026–27. Verify current participation on ADE's live source before you count the award.

The affordable end of Northwest Arkansas

This is the part most "best schools" lists skip entirely.

Fe Viva Christian School in Rogers submitted 2025–26 tuition of $6,000 for K–7 and $6,500 for grades 8–12 in state records reported by the Arkansas Advocate. Both figures were below the current $7,208 award, but they are prior-year figures, not a current quote. Its current site confirms that it is a K–12 ministry of a Spanish-speaking independent Baptist church. Ask for the 2026–27 schedule before you use the old price.

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Rogers splits tuition into a Catholic Qualified rate and a full rate. The cheaper rate has a price of its own — see the faith section.

Providence, Montessori programs, Catholic schools, and smaller Christian schools across Rogers, Bentonville, Fayetteville, Springdale, and Siloam Springs may appear on state sources. They enter our price comparison when we've verified them, not before.

The drive-time filter

The Gap Check can take your ZIP code, a maximum one-way drive, where you need to be in the morning, and whether siblings need the same campus. Drive time should be calculated live rather than printed in an article that goes stale when roads change.

Find Northwest Arkansas schools inside your drive-time limit →

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What about Conway, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, and rural Arkansas?

Answer capsule: EFA dollars are concentrated in Arkansas's larger school markets, but not every top recipient is in a city over 50,000. Nine of the ten largest reported private-school recipients in 2025–26 were in Central or Northwest Arkansas. Harding Academy in Searcy was the exception. Outside those markets, location often becomes the first filter instead of the last.

That concentration is a fact, not an opinion, and it's the single most useful thing a rural Arkansas family can know before spending a Saturday on this.

Conway and north-central Arkansas. Conway Christian is the cheapest verified large-school option in our current comparison. If you're within range of Conway, start there.

Fort Smith and the River Valley. Union Christian Academy, Catholic schools, Montessori options, and other private schools have appeared in state EFA records. Verify the current ADE list and the school's own current page before you pay a fee.

Jonesboro and northeast Arkansas. Separate general private schools from specialist programs here, and treat specialist programs with extra care — see the support section.

Hot Springs, south, southwest, and east Arkansas. Small Catholic, Christian, Adventist, and specialist schools have participated in the program. The current price can be hard to find, which is why old directory figures should not be treated as a quote.

Christ Academy in Newport publishes one of the clearest current rural price sheets we found: $6,500 tuition, a $100 registration fee, and a $150 resource and technology fee, for a published total of $6,750 before discounts. That total is $458 below the $7,208 standard award if every charge is approved for EFA payment. The school's page also prints "net tuition after EFA funds: $250." That does not match a straight subtraction from $7,208, so ask whether the school is excluding fees or using a different account assumption. We do not use that $250 as current math.

Ewing Adventist Junior Academy in Bonnerdale is a good example of why we will not carry an old number forward. Its current site confirms the school and its location, but we could not verify a current tuition rate. The old $2,000 figure stays historical, not current.

If you're rural, read this before you drive anywhere

A school can be affordable after EFA and still be unusable. A 90-minute round trip twice a day, no bus, work hours that don't line up, no option for a younger sibling — any one of those ends it.

So before you tour, set a hard commute limit and see whether anything survives. If nothing does, that's real information, not a failure. Your better paths may be public open enrollment, a public charter, homeschool with EFA funds, or an approved online option.

Online-only and out-of-state options are not "schools near me"

Arkansas's provider sources can include options that are not ordinary neighborhood campuses. Some online programs charge by course rather than by year, so a single annual tuition line can mislead.

Out-of-state participation is limited by program rules and approval. It is not a general promise that any nearby school across the state line can take Arkansas EFA.

We badge every row so you're never surprised: Arkansas campus · Online only · Out of state · Specialist school · Current status being checked.

See verified EFA options in your part of Arkansas →

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When does EFA money actually reach the school?

Answer capsule: Arkansas schedules four quarterly EFA deposits, not one lump sum before school starts. The first 2026–27 deposit is August 20, 2026. The second is October 29, 2026, and the fourth is April 8, 2027. ADE's live page currently prints "February 4, 2026" for Quarter 3 inside the 2026–27 schedule, so families should confirm that date before relying on it.

This is the section we'd read first if we were you. It's where families get hurt, and it has nothing to do with which school is "best."

The official 2026–27 deposit schedule

We are not silently changing the Q3 year. The live state page should be corrected or confirmed by ADE.

The cash-before-August problem

Your first $1,802 is scheduled for August 20. Here's when the schools actually want money:

Read that Little Rock Christian row again. Annual, two-pay, three-pay, 11-month draft, 12-month draft — every single one starts July 1 or in July. Not one starts after the state's first deposit.

And your first deposit isn't a year of tuition. $1,802 covers about one and a half monthly payments at Shiloh ($1,150 for K5–4th) or Little Rock Christian ($1,273 for full-day K5–3rd on the 11-month plan). One and a half. Not twelve.

So the real question to ask a business office isn't "do you take EFA?" It's "what's the earliest date you need money from me, and how much?" Then compare that date to August 20.

Payment delays have happened

We're not going to soft-pedal this. In June 2026, KATV reported, citing an ADE memo and state officials, that the program had a backlog of about 41,000 payment and reimbursement requests near the end of the school year. The stated processing goal was about 25 days, while some requests had taken about 45 days.

That does not prove your 2026–27 payment will be late. It proves you should not build a fragile budget that only works if every reimbursement is fast.

Four things to do about it, today:

1. Ask your school, in writing, for a late-payment hold if state funds are delayed. Get the answer in an email, not a hallway conversation.
2. Ask which payment plan starts latest. At Little Rock Christian that's still July. At Pulaski it's the 11-month plan. A later start date is worth real money to you.
3. Keep every receipt. Reimbursements run through the approved platform, and deadlines can change by school year.
4. Don't quit your current school until admission and funding are both confirmed.

Get the cash-before-August number for your school →

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Can a school charge me more, or cut my aid, because I have an EFA?

Answer capsule: A participating school must apply its scholarships, tuition rates, and discounts before EFA pays an invoiced charge. That stops the school from collecting EFA on top of a balance you do not owe. It does not tell you that every school-funded scholarship will stay unchanged. Ask for the final bill with EFA and without EFA, in writing.

Two things here. One protects you. One can cost you. Read both.

The rule that can cost you: aid and discounts come off first

Arkansas's payment rule says a school has to apply its scholarships, rates, and discounts to your bill before EFA money touches the remaining invoiced charge.

In plain English: do not assume EFA is a coupon that stacks on top of every school scholarship. The exact result depends on the school's aid terms and the final invoice.

So if you're already getting significant aid, your out-of-pocket cost may move less than you expect. That's the honest answer, and it's the opposite of what many families assume.

What to do: ask the business office for two numbers in writing.

1. What will I owe with EFA?
2. What would I have owed without EFA?

If those two numbers are the same, EFA isn't lowering your bill at that school. You should be talking about the school's aid formula instead. That one question can save more money than any ranking on this page.

The same rule protects you

That rule cuts both ways. A school can only be paid for what it actually charges after its own rates, discounts, and scholarships are applied. It can't collect EFA money on top of a bill you don't owe.

Whatever is left in the account stays there for qualifying expenses and may roll forward under program rules and limits. It does not become a cash withdrawal, refund, or rebate to the family.

State review does not freeze tuition

ADE can review a participating school's tuition and fees under program rules. That does not mean rates stay flat.

Conway Christian's own board letter says K–12 tuition increased by about $85 to $100 per month for 2026–27. The school also explained where it planned to use the increase. That is the kind of direct disclosure families need.

What it means for you: compare next year's likely bill, not just this year's gap. Put a private-school stress test in your budget. Ask: "Could we still do this if our annual share rose by $1,000?"

For the wider pattern, see our research on private-school tuition increases after voucher expansion.

Already have school aid? Save the 12-question call sheet below. Question 4 is the one that exposes the real net price.

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Christian, Catholic, independent, secular: what each label actually means

Answer capsule: Nine of the ten private schools receiving the most reported EFA payments in 2025–26 were religious or religiously affiliated; Pulaski Academy was the only one we identified as non-religious. "Independent" and "non-religious" are not the same thing. A lower parishioner or church-member rate can also require church giving or participation the EFA account cannot simply reimburse as tuition.

Let's define the words first, because directories use them loosely and it costs families money.

An independent school is not automatically secular. Episcopal Collegiate is independent and Episcopal. Pulaski Academy is independent and non-religious. Same word, different worlds.

The parishioner-rate gate — a detail that can change the whole answer

Catholic schools in Arkansas often publish two prices. The lower one is a real discount. It can also carry a separate family obligation. Here is what two schools currently publish:

So the cheaper tuition line can carry $1,500 a year of required church giving that is not the same thing as school tuition. If you're already a giving parishioner, use the qualified rate only after the school confirms it. If you're not, assume the higher rate until the parish and school say otherwise in writing.

The same logic applies to Protestant schools with a "member rate," like Shiloh. Ask what membership means at that specific school. Don't guess.

The values questions to ask before you pay a nonrefundable fee

• Is religious instruction required?
• Is chapel, Mass, or prayer required?
• Do parents or students sign a statement of faith?
• Does a lower rate depend on church membership or giving?
• How does the school teach religion, science, and history?
• Are students of other faiths, or no faith, admitted?
• Can a student opt out of anything?
• What conduct rules apply outside of school hours?

If a school requires a faith statement or worship to get a particular rate, it should tell you before you pay an application fee. If it won't put that in writing, that's your answer.

We don't rank faith traditions. Religion is a fit question, not a quality score. We'll tell you what a school requires. We won't tell you which belief system educates better.

Compare schools by faith requirements and family obligations →

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What if my child has dyslexia, autism, or serious anxiety?

Answer capsule: Some Arkansas EFA-participating schools document specialized programs, but participation does not mean a school can meet a particular child's needs. Under federal IDEA rules, a child placed in private school by a parent does not have an individual right to every special education service the child would receive in public school. School districts still have Child Find and equitable-services duties.

Please read this box before anything else in this section.

### ⚠️ Moving to private school can change your child's special education rights An IEP (Individualized Education Program) is the plan used to provide a child with special education and related services in a public-school placement. It comes from a federal law called IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). When you choose to move your child to a private school, that individual entitlement does not move with them. The responsible public school district still has duties — including Child Find and equitable services for the group of eligible parentally placed private-school students. But those are not the same as your child's public-school IEP services. This is the single biggest risk on this page for families whose kids depend on services. It has nothing to do with EFA being good or bad. It's how federal law works.

So before you withdraw from public school:

1. Don't rely on a private school's website. Ask the private school which services it provides itself, with its own staff.
2. Ask the responsible public school district, in writing, what may still be available if you enroll privately.
3. Get service frequency, group size, staff qualifications, and cost in writing.
4. Ask what happens if your child needs more support in February.
5. Keep copies of the current IEP, evaluations, and service records.
6. Ask the private school to review those documents before you enroll.

We're a research resource, not a law firm. For your specific situation, talk to your district's special education office, a qualified special education advocate, or an attorney.

Dyslexia and reading differences

Ask for the specifics, not the label:

• Which grades does the program serve — all of them, or only some?
• Is it a whole-school model or a pull-out program inside a regular school?
• Is screening or testing required to get in?
• Which reading method? Who's trained in it, and how?
• How often, and how many kids in a group?
• Is it included in tuition or billed separately? How much?
• What would make the school say no?
• Is there an opening right now?

Central Arkansas Christian's Foundations Program is an example worth asking all eight questions about. Get the current grade range and the current service scope, because programs like this change year to year.

Autism-focused and specialist schools

Arkansas sources include specialist settings such as ACCESS Schools and Easterseals Academy, plus other programs serving defined populations. "On the list" tells you nothing by itself about fit.

Verify: ages and grades served · the population the school is actually staffed for · communication supports · the behavior approach · whether therapies are school services, outside clinical services, or billed separately · staffing ratios · tuition and extra fees · the admissions evaluation · transportation · and whether the school can carry out the support arrangement your child needs.

We will never put an "autism-friendly" badge on a school just because the word appears on its website. Ask for the documented scope.

Anxiety, school avoidance, bullying recovery

No school can promise to fix anxiety, and any school that implies it can should worry you. What you can compare is the environment:

School size · class size, where it's published · counselor availability · how discipline actually works · transition support for a mid-year or mid-crisis start · whether quiet spaces exist · attendance expectations · academic pressure · and whether they'll let your child shadow for a day before you commit.

That shadow day is worth more than every brochure combined.

The hard line

If your child depends on intensive services, one-to-one support, transportation, a behavior plan, assistive technology, or enforceable public-school IEP services, do not assume a private school will recreate what you have now. Verify the whole arrangement first. If it can't be verified, staying put for one more year is a legitimate, loving choice.

Read the U.S. Department of Education's official IDEA guidance for parentally placed private-school students before you withdraw.

Compare schools with documented support programs →

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What extra costs might Arkansas EFA not cover?

Answer capsule: Tuition is only part of a private-school bill. Families may face application, enrollment, registration, technology, facility, uniform, meal, transportation, aftercare, activity, athletic, trip, testing, and payment-plan charges. Arkansas now applies one 25% cap to transportation spending and a separate 25% cap to extracurricular, physical-education, and field-trip spending. A fee's name alone does not prove it is payable from EFA.

Here's what the fee stacks look like at schools we verified:

Ask about these too, at every school: uniforms · lunch · a required laptop or tablet · athletic and fine-arts fees · overnight trips · bus service and whether it runs to your ZIP · before-school and after-school care rates and late-pickup penalties · tuition protection or insurance, and whether it's optional.

And ask one question about each fee: "Can this exact charge be paid from my EFA account, or does it have to come from me?" Don't guess from the fee's name.

For the statewide spending picture behind these categories, see Arkansas EFA spending by category.

First-year cost is not your forever cost

This one trips people up and pushes them away from good schools.

Application fees hit once. Some enrollment or registration fees hit every year. When you compare schools, compare year one and year two — year two is the number you'll live with.

See your estimated first-year cost and ongoing cost →

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How do I check that a school still takes Arkansas EFA?

Answer capsule: Verify participation two ways: on ADE's current EFA source and on the school's own current EFA, tuition, or admissions page. Historical reports and old school pages can prove past participation. They cannot prove that the school is a current 2026–27 option.

Program lists move. Schools join. Schools leave. A school can also change its name, grades, location, or legal type.

Our two-source check

We mark a school verified current only when all five are true:

1. It's on the state's current source.
2. Its legal name and school type check out today.
3. Its own website acknowledges EFA, or the school confirms directly.
4. Its city and grades match the state listing.
5. No important source conflict is left unresolved.

We use four labels, and we define them out loud instead of slapping a green check on a row:

• Verified current
• On the state source; school confirmation pending
• Participated before; current status not confirmed
• Not in our current private-school comparison

Why old lists mislead — with numbers

The last official annual report covers 2024–25, when 126 private schools participated.

ADE-attributed payment reporting for 2025–26 identified 166 private schools receiving EFA money.

Those are different school years and different measures. "Approved," "participating," and "actually received a payment" are not interchangeable. A page that gives one number without a year and a definition is not giving you a usable number.

We will not publish a 2026–27 statewide count until a current state source supports it. Arkansas law requires an annual report. The next report is due by September 30, 2026.

Check ADE's current EFA page and the school's own current page before paying a nonrefundable fee.

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Who actually uses Arkansas EFA?

Answer capsule: The official 2024–25 report counted 14,256 active students: 10,834 in private schools and 3,422 in homeschool. ADE-attributed 2025–26 payment reporting shows that the ten largest private-school recipients received $61,490,334.24, about 20% of the more than $309 million reported across 166 private schools.

This section won't help you pick a school. It'll help you walk in with clear eyes, which is why we're keeping it.

Where the money went in 2025–26

Our math: 10 schools out of 166 — about 6% — received $61.49 million, about 20% of the more than $309 million reported. Nine of the ten were in Central or Northwest Arkansas. Harding Academy in Searcy was the exception. Nine of ten were religious or religiously affiliated by the school descriptions we checked.

Notice something in that table: Conway Christian is 7th in payments and 1st in tuition affordability in our verified large-school comparison. The money goes further there. That's the kind of thing you only see when you put the two datasets next to each other.

See the broader ledger in our school voucher payments by private school dataset.

Three big funding numbers that are not the same thing

You will see numbers near $309 million in more than one place. Do not blend them:

• 2025–26 reported private-school EFA payments: more than $309 million, according to reporting that attributes the data to ADE
• 2026–27 base state allocation: $309,487,318
• 2026–27 separate reserve set-aside: $70 million

One is a prior-year reported payment total. One is the next year's base appropriation. One is a separate reserve. They are different years and different accounting buckets.

We're showing you our work here on purpose. If we'll flag a number that makes a nice headline, you can trust the numbers we do print.

Who was on the accounts in 2024–25

The official annual report gives the full previous-setting split:

That means 12% reported a public school as the prior setting. It does not mean the other 88% were all already paying private-school tuition. One-third were returning EFA students, and the report breaks the remaining groups out separately.

See how Arkansas compares with other programs in the percentage of voucher students already in private school by state.

What it means for you: a family moving from public school may still be a minority inside the program. Ask what onboarding looks like for a family new to private school, and whether anyone will help you with the payment platform.

Two more numbers, for context: in 2024–25, an average of 48% of students enrolled at participating private schools were EFA students. Going into 2025–26, the program retained 91% of its students, and participating private schools retained an average of 84% of their own EFA students.

Students with valid submitted nationally normed test results averaged at the 57th percentile in math and 59th percentile in English language arts. Those are program-level results from submitted tests. They are not proof that EFA caused the scores or that any one school produces that result.

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What if I missed the Arkansas EFA deadline?

Answer capsule: The 2026–27 application and renewal window ran March 9 through June 1, 2026, and is closed. As of August 12, ADE says applications are still accepted but are not being reviewed or processed. Applications submitted after June 29 may be considered later if funding and program rules allow. There is no promise of review.

If you're here because you missed it: you're not the only one, and you have moves. Just don't spend money based on hope.

How Arkansas decides who gets funded when money is short

State law now lists this priority order for new accounts:

1. Returning EFA participants
2. Former Succeed Scholarship students from 2022–23
3. Students with a disability under IDEA
4. Students experiencing homelessness
5. Students in foster care
6. Students coming from a public school rated D or F
7. Students who are children of active-duty military members, veterans, or Arkansas National Guard members
8. Students who are, or have a parent who is, a law-enforcement officer
9. Students who are, or have a parent who is, a first responder
10. Students entering kindergarten or first grade for the first time
11. All other eligible students

Filing early can still help you finish paperwork and fix errors. It does not move a lower priority category ahead of a higher one when funds are insufficient. Within the same category, completed submission time matters.

Can the money run out? Yes — but the old "fifty awards left" math was wrong

Here's the current funding structure:

• Base 2026–27 allocation: $309,487,318
• Separate reserve set-aside: $70,000,000
• Standard award: $7,208
• Applications reported by July 2026: more than 54,000

The base allocation alone equals about 42,937 full standard awards.

If every dollar of the separate reserve became available for awards, the combined amount would equal about 52,648 full standard awards.

That still does not produce an exact funded-student count. Former Succeed students receive more. Some homeschool accounts do not use the full amount. Some applicants never become active. Reserve release rules matter. An application is not the same as an approved, funded, active account.

Translation: filing late can still be worth doing. Building your family budget around a late approval is not.

What to do this month

1. Read the current notice on ADE's page yourself. Not our summary — the live page. It changes.
2. File anyway if you're eligible, but with accurate expectations.
3. Ask the school: "Will you hold a seat without confirmed EFA funding?"
4. Ask which payments are nonrefundable if funding never comes.
5. Ask about the school's own aid — separate from EFA, with its own deadline.
6. Keep your current placement until admission and funding are both confirmed.
7. Look at your alternatives: public open enrollment, public charter, homeschool, or an approved online option.

Put next year on your calendar now

Applications have opened in early March in recent years. The annual report is due by September 30. Aid deadlines at schools like Little Rock Christian ran in March for the following fall — months before school starts.

If 2027–28 is your real target, the work starts this winter, not next spring.

Check today's official ADE status before you commit any money.

Planning for 2027–28? Build your shortlist now →

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12 questions to ask before you say yes

Answer capsule: The biggest surprise bills usually come from four places: charges outside tuition, a member or parishioner rate the family does not qualify for, a payment plan that begins before the first state deposit, and school aid that does not stack the way the family expected. Get written answers before enrolling.

Print this. Take it to your two finalists. Ask for answers by email.

Money

1. Do you take Arkansas EFA for my child's grade this year?
2. What is the complete first-year cost for us — tuition and every required fee?
3. Which exact charges can be paid from the EFA account, and which come from me directly?
4. What will I owe with EFA, and what would I have owed without it? ← the one that exposes the real net price
5. What's the earliest date you need money from me, and how much?
6. Which payments are nonrefundable, and by what date?
7. What happens if the state's deposit or reimbursement is late — do you charge us, hold the account, or pause collection?
8. What happens to money already paid if my child withdraws in November?

Admission and fit

1. Is my child's grade open right now, or is there a wait pool or waitlist?
2. What would cause you to say no — and what could cause you to decide later that you cannot meet my child's needs?
3. Which support services do your own staff provide, and which require an outside provider I'd pay for?
4. Can someone review my child's current IEP, evaluation, or support records before we enroll?

Walk away if you see these

• The school won't give you a complete cost estimate in writing.
• Someone tells you EFA funding or admission is guaranteed.
• They won't explain refund rules.
• Support promises are verbal only.
• Their grades, services, or prices don't match across their own pages.
• You're pushed for a nonrefundable deposit before you understand your EFA status.
• Someone says they'll follow your IEP "exactly as written" without explaining how, who, and at what cost.
• The award amount on their site doesn't match the state's current number.

Save the printable 12-question call sheet →

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How we built this comparison

Answer capsule: Every current tuition figure in the main comparison came from the school's own published 2026–27 rate sheet or tuition page and was dated. Program facts come from ADE pages, Arkansas law and rules, the official annual report, and federal IDEA guidance. No school pays for inclusion, position, or wording.

The School Choice Index is an independent comparison and research resource for U.S. school choice programs.

Why this page exists

Arkansas's official material can tell you whether a school or provider participates. It does not put current tuition, required fees, what remains after the award, and the first payment date in one family-level comparison. Those are the questions that decide things. So we built the page that answers them.

What we did

1. Read Arkansas's current EFA program pages, current law, and payment rules.
2. Read each profiled school's own tuition page or rate sheet.
3. Subtracted the current award from published tuition and showed the arithmetic.
4. Listed required fees separately instead of folding them into one number.
5. Used the official 2024–25 annual report for historical participation, retention, previous-setting, spending, and testing figures.
6. Labeled 2025–26 ADE-attributed payment figures as reported payment data, not an official annual-report replacement.
7. Read federal special education guidance for the private-placement warning.
8. Left claims out when sources were missing or conflicted. Pulaski Academy and The New School have no open current price in our table. Pulaski's two payment-date sets are shown as a conflict instead of silently choosing one.
9. Dated every current field.

Provider-stated vs. verified

Why we don't use school-rating sites for prices

We checked. One large directory presents Shiloh Christian's tuition as roughly $1,010 — a monthly member-rate figure — while the school's own current page works out to $10,200 to $12,100 a year, depending on grade and rate.

If we'd used the directory number, we'd have handed you a price wrong by thousands. So we don't. School's own page, or nothing.

What "best" means here

"Best" means the best documented starting point for a specific family need — smallest leftover bill, clearest published pricing, or a documented program fit. It does not mean highest academic quality, guaranteed admission, or best school for every child.

We sort by what you'd owe, because we can verify that. We do not score school quality.

What never affects our ordering

Affiliate payouts. Advertising. Referral volume. How much EFA money a school received. How many EFA students it has. Unsourced review averages. Whether a school talks to us.

School relationship disclosure: Some providers may pay a flat subscription to receive introductions after a parent selects them. Payment does not affect editorial coverage, compatibility criteria, or result ordering. Schools cannot pay for rankings, badges, favorable wording, or placement. Any link about choosing a school goes to the school's official site, a government source, or our finder — never to an affiliate link.

Found something wrong? Tell us.

Found an error? Send us the field, your source, and the campus through our contact page. We publish corrections with the date, what changed, and why. A school can't get an accurate limitation removed just because it doesn't like how it reads.

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✅ What we actually verified

What we could not verify as of August 12, 2026: a clean Q3 deposit year on ADE's live schedule · the final number of 2026–27 participating private schools · Pulaski Academy's open current tuition · The New School's open current tuition · whether every late application will be reviewed · whether Thaden's own site has posted a 2026–27 EFA participation statement.

We'd rather show you the holes than paper over them.

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Frequently asked questions about Arkansas EFA private schools

How much is the Arkansas EFA in 2026–27? $7,208 per standard account, paid as $1,802 four times a year. Former Succeed Scholarship students receive $8,011, paid as $2,002.75 per quarter.

Is there an income limit? No. Every Arkansas resident student eligible to enroll in a public K–12 school can be eligible regardless of family income. Residency, age, application rules, and funding priority still matter.

Can my child get an EFA if they're already in private school? Yes. There is no rule requiring a student to come from public school. In the official 2024–25 report, 25% listed private school as the prior setting, 17% listed homeschool, 12% listed public school, and 33% were returning EFA students.

Does EFA cover pre-K? No. It's K–12. Your child must turn 5 by August 1 to start kindergarten on it. Several schools' cheapest published rates are pre-K rates the account can't pay.

Does EFA cover full tuition? Sometimes. It does not cover full tuition at the five large schools in our current price table. Christ Academy's published $6,750 tuition-and-fee total is one current example that fits inside the $7,208 account if every listed charge is approved.

Does EFA approval mean the school has to admit my child? No. The state decides funding; each private school decides admission and keeps its own criteria.

Can a school take EFA and have no openings? Yes. Being on the list says nothing about whether a grade has room. Ask the school directly, and don't trust an undated seat claim — including ours.

Can I combine EFA with school financial aid? Possibly, but the school's scholarships, rates, and discounts are applied before EFA pays the remaining invoiced charge. Ask for your final cost with EFA and without it, in writing.

Are there non-religious schools that take Arkansas EFA? Yes. Pulaski Academy was the only school we identified as non-religious in the 2025–26 top-ten payment list. Just don't assume "independent" means "secular" — check each school's own description.

Are there EFA schools for autism or dyslexia? Some participating schools document specialized programs, and some specialist schools serve a defined population. Being on a state source does not prove the school can serve your child. Verify ages, scope, staffing, cost, transportation, and admissions criteria first.

Will my child keep the same IEP services at a private school? Not necessarily. When a parent chooses private placement, the child does not have an individual federal right to every service they would receive in public school. The responsible district still has Child Find and equitable-services duties. Ask both the district and private school in writing before you withdraw.

Can EFA pay for a charter school? No, and it doesn't need to. Charter schools are public and tuition-free.

Can EFA pay for an online private school? Some approved online options may participate. They can charge by course rather than by year, so confirm current approval, grade coverage, total course load, and total cost directly.

When does the money hit my account? The first 2026–27 standard deposit of $1,802 is scheduled for August 20. Q2 is October 29. Q4 is April 8, 2027. ADE's page currently prints a conflicting year for Q3, so confirm that date.

What if I applied after June 1? As of August 12, applications are accepted but not being reviewed or processed. Applications filed after June 29 may be considered later depending on funding and program guidelines, with no promise of review. Don't make nonrefundable commitments on that basis.

Does unused money roll over? Unused funds can roll under program rules and limits. There are no cash withdrawals, rebates, or family payouts. Funds remain restricted to qualifying expenses.

Do participating students have to test? Participating students generally must complete a qualifying state-identified test or an approved nationally recognized norm-referenced test, subject to current rules and exemptions. Private schools report required results. Homeschool testing procedures can differ, so check ADE's current family handbook and testing instructions.

How often do you update this page? Award amounts and application status: monthly, and more often during application season. Tuition and fees: when schools publish new schedules. Participation: when current state sources change and when the annual report lands. Every material update changes the visible verification date.

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One last thing

If you take one number from this page, take this one: $1,802.

That's your first standard deposit. Not $7,208. Not a year of tuition. One and a half monthly payments at several schools in this comparison, scheduled for August 20, after many schools have already asked you for money.

The repeat risks on this page are timing and fees — not just the tuition line. You now know both. Go call two business offices and ask question #4.

You didn't have bad instincts. You just had incomplete information.

Build my EFA school shortlist →

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Sources

Arkansas program, law, and federal guidance

• ADE Education Freedom Accounts program page
• ADE information for families
• Arkansas EFA payment rules
• Arkansas Act 920 of 2025
• Arkansas Act 143 of 2026
• FY 2027 revenue stabilization allocations
• 2024–25 Arkansas Education Freedom Accounts Program Annual Report
• U.S. Department of Education IDEA guidance for parentally placed private-school students

School tuition, fee, EFA, and admissions sources

• Conway Christian School tuition information
• Shiloh Christian School tuition
• Little Rock Christian Academy tuition and aid
• Central Arkansas Christian tuition
• Episcopal Collegiate 2026–27 tuition breakdown
• Pulaski Academy tuition information
• The New School Arkansas LEARNS Act page
• Thaden School affordability page and admissions FAQ
• Christ Academy tuition
• St. Vincent de Paul tuition and assistance
• Our Lady of the Holy Souls tuition and fees

Attributed reporting used for current-year data not yet in an annual report

• KATV reporting on the June 2026 payment backlog
• 2025–26 private-school payment figures attributed to ADE; exact values and calculations are preserved in our school voucher payments by private school dataset
• Clearly labeled prior-year tuition records are used only where a current school price was not published

Last verified: August 12, 2026. Next scheduled full review: September 30, 2026, when Arkansas's annual EFA report is due.