Determining the Home School District FAQs

 

1. What is the statutory definition of the home school district?

A.R.S. § 15-761(9) "Home school district" means the school district or charter school that the child last attended or, if the child has not previously attended a public school in this state, the school district in which the person resides who has legal custody of the child, as provided in section 15-824, subsection B. If the child is a ward of this state and a specific person does not have legal custody of the child or is a ward of this state and the child is enrolled in an accommodation school pursuant to section 15-913, the home school district is the district that the child last attended or, if the child has not previously attended a public school in this state, the school district within which the child currently resides.

 

2. When did charter schools become part of the statutory definition of the home school district?

With the passage of Senate Bill 1177 in 2019, charter schools were added to the home school district definition, this change went into effect on August 1, 2019.

 

3. Where do I find the flowchart for determining the home school district and a student's enrollment history?

The flowchart is located at Flowchart for Determining the HSD. The ESS Vouchers Application under Help/Enrollment History is the best way to determine previous schools attended with an SSID# and date of birth. This displays several fields including grade level, entry date, exit date, entity IDs, and CTDS numbers. Please note: AzEDS Identity is a good method for locating an SSID#, but should not be used to determine previous schools attended/enrollment.

 

4. What entities cannot be used to determine the home school district?

When utilizing the flowchart in determining the appropriate home school district, these entities should be ignored when trying to determine the most recent schools attended:

  • Accommodation schools
  • Juvenile detention centers
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs Education schools
  • Parochial schools
  • Private schools
  • Correctional facilities
  • Vocational schools

 

5. What does "age-appropriate" mean in terms of the flowchart?

Age-appropriate is referring to the district or charter serving the grade level of the student. A unified district serves students K-12, whereas an elementary district serves students K-8. For a student that is a 9th grader and most recently attended an elementary district (as reported in AzEDS), the elementary district is not age-appropriate and should be skipped in determining the home school district.

 

6. How is the flowchart used for children that are wards of the state?

If a specific person does not have legal custody of a child and parental rights have been severed, he or she is a ward of the state. To meet the best interest of the child within the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) if a parent still retains educational rights the child is not considered a ward of the state in terms of the flowchart.

 

7. What if the child has not attended a school district or charter school in Arizona, and the legal guardian resides out-of-state?

In this scenario, the HSD would be the age-appropriate school district of the entity that is responsible for providing the day-to-day care for the child, and the RTC's address would be used.

 

8. Can ESS assist in identifying a legal guardian or home address for a student?

ESS does not have any information pertaining to legal guardianship or home addresses for students in the educational voucher system. This information must be gathered through the appropriate state placing agency.

 

 

Page revision date: February 12, 2025