Government Empowerment Scholarship (ESA)
What is the Government Program called the Empowerment Scholarship (ESA)?
Parents have the right to choose what’s best for their family and have their education tax dollars pay for the school that meets their child’s needs. Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) make that possible. With the ESA program, the money that would pay for that student’s education in a neighborhood school follows that student to whichever school the parents choose for their child, including education at home.
This is a government contract between the family and the Arizona Department of Education and is highly regulated. It is the responsibility of the family to read and understand all contractual obligations of the contract. Yuma Catholic High School is not permitted to assist you with questions regarding your ESA contract or Class Wallet Account. All questions need to be addressed by you to the help desk at ESA: https://www.azed.gov/esa
ESA Parent Resources and Handbook
ESA Law and Administrative Rules
Class Wallet information & Help
2026/2027 YCHS ESA Policies & Procedures
Parents taking ESA Funding for the 26/27 Academic Year will need to notify the Finance Department by July 15, 2026 – Parents/Guardians will need to make the decision to use either ESA or STO Funding for their student by this deadline. YCHS will apply ESA Funding to annual tuition first until the balance is paid in full, before allocating these funds to activity fees, summer school, etc. Families on the ESA Contract program may not pause the family payments. We stand ready to help each family in the YCHS Community make a Catholic Education affordable but need to ensure there are no large unexpected balances due in May 2027. As a responsible Catholic School, we are obligated to collect all fees owed to us in a timely manner to continue providing quality education.
Families electing ESA Tuition Assistance Funding must acknowledge the remaining balance not covered by ESA Funds is the Family's responsibility. Your FACTS account must remain in good standing throughout the year as we collect the remaining tuition balance from your FACTS account. Taking ESA Funding strictly limits any internal funding Yuma Catholic has available to provide to ESA Families as regulations prevents the use of STO Funding and ESA concurrently.
Yuma Catholic High School ESA Funding Policy and Procedures:
- YCHS will need a copy of the fully executed 26/27 Empowerment Scholarship contract from the AZ Department of Education for your student - this must have both your signature as well as that of the AZ Department of Education and it must clearly show the date the contract was executed (PDF please, no partial screenshots can be accepted)
- YCHS must receive this contract within 30 days of execution.
- Once these items are received and processed YCHS will make adjustments to your FACTS account to defer the portion of tuition covered by ESA to May 2027. The remaining balance is the family’s obligation and will be collected using the FACTS Tuition account based on the payment plan selection of 10-Month, Quarterly, or Semester selected during enrollment. Families on the ESA Contract program may not pause the family payments.
- Invoices will be available in your Facts Tuition Management Account.
- Class Wallet funds must be sent to YCHS in a timely manner which is 10 business days after the ESA/Class Wallet is funded. Once payment is received by class wallet it will be applied to the ESA portion of tuition (not the family contribution) which will show in May 2027 as one balloon payment on Hold. YCHS will apply the net payment after the Class Wallet fee deduction to your May 2027 balance. Reminder notices and instructions to send Class Wallet Funds will be sent out quarterly.
- YCHS reserves the right to remove a family from this process and reallocate account balances if the family does not (1) submit to the finance department a fully executed ESA Contract. (2) does not send quarterly Class Wallet Funds within 10 business days, (3) does not keep their FACTS Account in good standing with the scheduled family payments not covered by ESA; (4) the ESA Contract is suspended by the AZ Department of Education.
- Families with multiple students in private schools must ensure that ESA funds sent to YCHS are only for the student attending Yuma Catholic.