At the end of Tom Horne’s second term as Arizona’s Superintendent of Instruction in 2011, the Grand Canyon State became the first in the country to create the Empowerment Scholarship Account voucher program.
Fifteen years later, ESA students total almost 8% of eligible Arizona’s K-12 students and the program was funded by the Legislature for almost $1 billion.
That explosive growth, its connection to public school funding and an election season that will largely hinge on those issues, are a few of the biggest Arizona K-12 education storylines in 2026.
We are also likely to see school closures, an examination of state teaching standards and a new principal at Tucson High School. Here are six items to watch in the coming year:
Right-sizing Southern Arizona districts
Amphitheater Public Schools will tackle its shrinking financial and attendance numbers next week. The Governing Board will vote on whether to close four elementary schools: Copper Creek, Donaldson, Holaway and Nash, which have been recommended to shut before next school year and affect about 1,100 students. In the Tucson Unified School District, a 3.3% student decline is projected from last school year to about 35,000 students, according to Arizona Department of Education data. Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo says right-sizing Southern Arizona’s largest district — which could mean closing schools — is on the table. Based on state projections, TUSD could lose nearly $8 million in per-pupil spending, according to TUSD’s revised budget.
State superintendent election
Arizona will elect a Superintendent of Public Instruction on Nov. 3 and the impact will be felt statewide, no matter the outcome. Current Superintendent Horne will be 81 by the August primary. His current term expires in January 2027. (He was also state superintendent from 2003-2011.) He will likely be challenged in the primary by current Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee. The filing deadline is early April, so candidates are collecting signatures to get on the ballot. Here’s what else we know at this point: No Labels candidate Stephen Neal Jr. switched from his Republican affiliation last summer and the Flagstaff educator aims to run. Democrat and former Glendale Community College President Theresa Leyba Ruiz is also in the mix.
DEI crackdowns
Diversity, equity and inclusion in classrooms and teaching materials was the focus of an executive order from the White House in last year. The Arizona State Board of Education voted in December to examine state teaching standards, taking the first step towards stripping DEI language. We will know where this is headed by September, when the board considers the draft material proposed by committees formed this month. Failure to remove the language could result in withholding an estimated $866 million in federal funds, Horne says.
Skyrocketing ESA/voucher program
As of last week, 99,160 students are registered for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, according to the Arizona Department of Education. The program was created in 2011 for K-12 students with special needs, who lived on tribal lands, whose parents were in the military, who attended failing public schools or were in the foster care system. In 2022, the ESA program had about 12,000 students statewide. As the school year ended last May, it had about 85,600. In 2025, the Arizona Legislature fully funded the program with about 5% of the total budget or $880 million. In 2025, the program was found to be misused by some and Attorney General Kris Mayes is investigating. Can the system, a hallmark of Horne’s, sustain the explosive growth?
Department of Education dismantling
Is Arizona equipped to deal with the dissolution of the Department of Education as those who most rely on federal money (students with disabilities and who are low-income and those in rural areas) could be most affected by the shutdown? Sweeping changes likely include policy shifts and funding cuts, while the Department of Labor will manage big funds for schools, including Title I money for low-income students.
Tucson High principal search continues
Arizona’s oldest continuously operating public high school seeks permanent leadership, as the job was posted late this fall. Interim principal Jon Lansa was named last summer and TUSD’s flagship school has had interim principals the last few years. The school has about 2,600 students and is the largest high school in Southern Arizona.
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