Fact vs. Fiction: Washington Post Launches False Attack on Arizona ESAs

The Washington Post launched a biased and untrue attack on Arizona’s pioneering school choice program this week, profiling a Phoenix school district and pinning blame for its shuttered schools on the state’s expanded Empowerment Scholarship Accounts.

But it just isn’t true.

The Post story focused on the Roosevelt Elementary School District in south Phoenix, which recently closed several schools due to enrollment declines. One staffer described the closing of her school as “like a death.” The school’s principal said her staff was grieving. Of course, readers are led to believe that the declining enrollment and school closures are the result of students with ESAs fleeing the district for private education.

However, Arizona Department of Education data tells a different story. While more than 8,500 students have rejected the Roosevelt Elementary district’s offerings, only 102 students who previously attended the district left for an ESA, the data show. By comparison, 8,440 students who live within the Roosevelt Elementary district enrolled in a different public school not operated by Roosevelt, according to the state.

So, while it is true that many Roosevelt families are choosing to send their kids to different schools, it is misleading for the Washington Post to suggest that ESAs are the primary cause.

Why spin a false narrative? Simply put, opponents of school choice see that it’s working—and they’re pulling out the stops to shut it down.

Here’s the truth: Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts are an incredible success.

• In 2022, Arizona became the first state to enact universal Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, giving every child the opportunity to get the education they deserve.

• Today, the program is incredibly popular–and it’s succeeding. Nearly 90,000 students in AZ are using ESAs to get into better schools that suit their needs. And reports show that ESAs are helping those who are truly in need.

• The program costs taxpayers thousands of dollars less per child than the public school system while serving students across the income spectrum.

 The Washington Post and the leftwing media are attacking ESAs because they threaten the education establishment. But the truth is, Arizona’s ESAs are a much-needed lifeline for kids who need it most.