Arizona Digital Learning Landscape
ASU Prep Digital, a DLC State Affiliate, was instrumental in conducting the research for this profile.
| State virtual school? | NO |
| Multi-district fully online schools? | YES |
| Online learning requirement for graduation? | NO |
| State approval process for online providers? | NO |
| State approval process for online courses? | NO |
Arizona has no state virtual school, but there are 119 school districts and about 22 charter schools authorized to provide both fully online and supplemental online options through the Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) program as of November 2022. The AOI is a program of the Arizona Department of Education (established A.R.S. §15-80) and allows approved school districts and charter schools to develop online learning programs. The State Board of Education approves district AOI programs. Charter schools can be authorized by multiple entities in the state.
In SY 2020-21, 139 AOI districts and online schools served 121,605 full- and part-time students per the Annual Report of the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction FY 2020-21, up from 79,694 students in SY 2019-20. Primavera Online School is the single largest AOI authorized provider with 16,800 part- and full-time student enrollments in SY 2020-21. State reporting identifies students as those who took at least one course through an AOI program and does not distinguish between full- and part-time students. Any student can apply to any approved provider in the state (and to multiple providers) for up to three individual courses or whole programs if the provider has capacity to serve that student.
Multi-district full-time online schools enrolled 29,680 students for the 2021-22 SY. Full-time online schools had grown from 15,963 student enrollments in the 2019-20 SY to 32,646 enrollments in SY 2020-21.
There are also consortia, a university-sponsored program, and single district activity in Arizona. Arizona State University Prep Digital (ASU Prep Digital) is a diploma-granting online K-12 school where students can take a single online course or enroll full-time. It also offers blended and hybrid options. As part of Arizona State University, ASU Prep Digital offers an accelerated path toward college admission and the chance to earn concurrent high school and university credit. ASU Prep Digital served over 5,000 full-time students and over 600 part-time students in SY 2021-22.
ASU Prep Digital provides two hybrid options. ASU Local has students onsite at a local ASU campus 2 days per week, online 2 days, and the final weekday is a flex day for projects, field trips, or other activities. ASU Experience offers site-based activities on an ASU campus to online students one day per week.
Many districts in Arizona have online programs for district students. Some of the more established districts programs include the following.
The Mesa Distance Learning Program serves both Mesa Public Schools students and students from partner districts across the state in grades 4-12.
Chandler Online Academy provides online learning for elementary and secondary students.
Scottsdale Online Learning is a K-12 program that combines teacher-led and independent study for its K-5 students.
The Paradise Valley Unified School District’s PVOnline serves students in grades K-12.
Deer Valley’s online academy, Aspire, provides part- and full-time online options for K-12.
Casa Grande Union High School District Online Academy has a full-time program that requires students to work in the learning management system for a minimum of 5 hours per school day to receive attendance status. Students are expected to complete six courses per semester.
For details of online learning funding in this state see the DLC's report A Review of Online Learning Funding.
State Policies
No major legislation impacting online and/or blended learning was passed January through August 2022.
HB 2862 (April 28, 2021) “provides flexibility to schools in meeting statutory instructional time requirements, including a pathway for schools to provide remote instruction without an approved AOI,” per the AZ Department of Education summary.
ARS §15-701.01(H) established AOI and required receiving districts to accept credits earned at a charter or district but allowed the receiving district to determine whether the credit will count as elective or core credit.