More than 54,000 Arkansas families have applied for an Education Freedom Account (EFA) for the 2026-27 school year, according to the Arkansas Department of Education, marking a slight increase from the more than 52,000 applications submitted for the previous school year.
The program, created under the Arkansas LEARNS Act, provides state education funding that families can use for approved educational expenses, including private school tuition, homeschool costs and other qualifying educational services.
The upcoming school year will be the fourth year of the Education Freedom Account program and the second year it has been available to all Arkansas K-12 students statewide.
According to the Department of Education, the program is intended to give families greater flexibility in selecting the educational setting that best meets their children’s individual needs, recognizing that students learn in different ways and may benefit from different educational environments.
Supporters of the program say the continued increase in applications reflects growing interest among Arkansas families in having additional educational options.
They also argue that expanding school choice encourages competition among public, private and homeschool providers, which they believe could improve educational opportunities across the state.
The Arkansas Department of Education says it is now reviewing applications for the 2026-27 school year.
Families can expect to begin receiving application decisions in early August.
Education Freedom Accounts remain one of the key components of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, which expanded school choice by making the program available to eligible students across the state.
