Apache Junction Unified School District plans to accept students using Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts during the 2026-27 school year through its AJUSD FLEX program. District officials say the offering is intended to provide access to public-school classes and student interaction for families using vouchers.
The FLEX model lets students assemble individualized schedules rather than attend a full course load. Classes can be arranged around the school lunch period, allowing participants to meet other students and form friendships. Superintendent Robert Pappalardo said the program gives parents a way to add public-school instruction to education provided at home.
The district also plans to offer extracurricular activities during the school day through designated course periods called studio blocks. The schedule change is intended to make clubs available to students who have transportation limitations, including those using ESAs, without requiring them to remain at school after classes end.
Pappalardo said declining birth rates have affected school enrollment throughout Arizona. A state Department of Health Services study cited in the report found that births per capita declined 20% between 2013 and 2023. Because school funding from federal and state sources is tied to enrollment, district officials hope the program will recover some revenue associated with the loss of students.
AJUSD FLEX is available from early childhood through high school. High school courses cost $600 per class each semester, while junior high and high school sports are priced at $600 per sport per semester. Classes for kindergarten through eighth grade cost $450 per course each semester. Preschool options at the district’s Early Learning Center range from $100 per week to $1,650 per year.
Pappalardo said fees are based on what the district would have received for a student taking a comparable number of courses, while acknowledging that the costs will not be fully recovered. Mesa Public Schools also offers athletics and other courses to homeschooled students, and a district spokesperson said about 10 ESA students joined its athletics program during the 2025-26 school year.
