Tag: Arkansas Legislature

Educational Freedom Funding Tops $128.5M for Second Half of 2025

Arkansas invested more than $128.5 million in Educational Freedom Account funding during the second half of 2025, according to data on the state’s financial transparency website.

In 2023, lawmakers passed the LEARNS Act overhauling public education in Arkansas.

The Educational Freedom Accounts (EFAs) authorized under the LEARNS Act make it possible for students to use public dollars to pay for an education at a public or private school or through home schooling. Family Council and our homeschool division, the Education Alliance, were pleased to support this good law, because it expands educational opportunities for families.

State data shows from July 1 to December 31 of 2025, Arkansas spent $128,543,373 on Educational Freedom Accounts.

Of that money, approximately $126.7 million went to pay for students’ educations, and $1.8 million went to operating expenses under the program.

EFA spending has been a topic of conversation over the past month. In December Family Council and its homeschool division, the Education Alliance, submitted public comments asking the Arkansas Department of Education to rethink a set of proposed rules prohibiting EFA money from being used for team sports under the LEARNS Act.

The proposed rules said that registration fees, equipment, dues, and any costs associated with club and team sports could not be paid for with EFA funding.

Many homeschoolers expressed concerns that completely prohibiting EFA spending on team sports would be unfair and would fail to track with state law. However, despite opposition, the Department of Education has opted to move forward with implementing the restrictions at this time.

Since the LEARNS Act launched three years ago, thousands of students have taken advantage of school choice in Arkansas. Many families feel that public education has deteriorated over the years. For those families, programs like the LEARNS Act could empower them with real alternatives that help their children succeed. That is part of the reason Family Council has supported the LEARNS Act and the EFA program.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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State of Arkansas Has Invested $111M+ in School Choice Since July 1

Data from the state’s official transparency website shows Arkansas has spent more than $111 million on its school choice program since July 1.

In 2023, lawmakers passed the LEARNS Act overhauling public education in Arkansas and making it possible for students to use public dollars to pay for an education at a public or private school or through home schooling. Family Council and our homeschool division, the Education Alliance, were pleased to support this good law, because it gives families educational opportunities.

The State of Arkansas reportedly spent $111,138,210 on Educational Freedom Accounts under the LEARNS Act from July 1 through October 31 of this year. Administrative costs have accounted for $916,574 of the program’s spending. The other $110.2 million went to pay for education expenses.

Last spring, the General Assembly budgeted nearly $187.5 million for the Educational Freedom Accounts for the 2025-2026 school year and placed $90 million in its Restricted Reserve Fund set aside for the program.

Since the LEARNS Act launched in 2023, thousands of students have taken advantage of school choice in Arkansas. Many families feel that public education has deteriorated over the years, and they don’t like the direction it is heading. For those families, programs like the LEARNS Act could empower them with real alternatives that help their children succeed. That is part of the reason Family Council has supported the LEARNS Act.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

READ MORE