Veritas Scholars Academy in Arizona
K-12 Online School for Arizona Families
If you’re comparing online schools in Arizona, you’re asking great questions about your child’s mind, faith, and future. Veritas Scholars Academy offers Arizona families live classes with expert teachers, a classical Christian education from kindergarten through 12th grade, and an accredited diploma. And because VSA participates in Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program, your ESA can help pay for it.
- Arizona ESA participant
- Accredited by Middle States
- Live classes, grades 3-12
- Every class recorded
- Classical and Christian
- Enroll year-round
On This Page
Classical Christian Education, From Flagstaff to Tucson
Arizona families have more school options than almost anyone in the country, and that freedom is a gift. It can also be overwhelming. If you’ve been reading reviews late at night and still aren’t sure what fits your child, you’re in good company.
Here’s what makes VSA different. Veritas Press has helped families teach classically for more than 30 years, and Veritas Scholars Academy brings that education into a live online classroom. Students walk through history in order, beginning with Creation. They read the great books, learn Latin, and grow in their ability to think carefully and speak with grace. Every class is taught from a Christian worldview, by teachers who know their students by name.
Families choose how much VSA to bring home:
- Full-Time Diploma Program. A full course load with VSA, a personal Academic Advisor, and an accredited diploma and transcript at graduation.
- Part-Time live classes. Many Arizona homeschool families keep teaching most subjects and add a few live courses where a seasoned teacher and real classmates make the biggest difference.
Your Arizona ESA Can Help Fund a VSA Education
Arizona opened its Empowerment Scholarship Account program to every K-12 family in 2022. Families receive state funds in an account they manage and can use them for private school tuition, online education, curriculum, and more. Awards average about $7,400 per K-12 student, and more for students with disabilities. You can apply anytime through the Arizona Department of Education.
For many families, that changes the math entirely. VSA is priced by the course, so here’s how a typical year compares.
| Typical yearly cost | |
|---|---|
| Typical Full-Time Grammar year | $2,786 |
| Typical Full-Time Secondary year | $5,828 |
| Average Arizona ESA award, K-12 | about $7,400 |
Tuition only; books are separate.
For a typical full-time student, the average ESA award is more than a year of VSA tuition, with room left for books and curriculum. Every family’s plan is different, so build your own child’s plan to see your real number.
How to Pay With Your ESA
Option 1
Direct Pay
Find Veritas Press under the “Pay” tab in ClassWallet and submit your invoice. Once it’s approved, ClassWallet pays us directly.
Option 2
ClassWallet Marketplace
Shop Veritas Press through the “Start Shopping” tab and check out with your ESA funds.
One thing worth planning for: ESA funds arrive on the state’s schedule, and if a payment is delayed, tuition remains your family’s responsibility. A Family Consultant can help you line up your ESA timing with your child’s start date. Using your Arizona ESA with Veritas Press
Arizona’s Requirements, With and Without an ESA
Paperwork is the part of any school change that most parents dread. In Arizona, it’s short, and one detail depends on whether you use an ESA. Arizona requires children ages 6 to 16 to attend school, and parents choose public, private, charter, homeschool, or an ESA (Arizona Revised Statutes §15-802).
With an ESA
Your Contract Is Your Attendance
Your signed ESA contract counts as your child’s school attendance under Arizona law (A.R.S. §15-2402). Families with an ESA don’t file an affidavit of intent to homeschool, and in fact the contract asks you not to. Your child also can’t be enrolled in a public or charter school at the same time.
The contract asks that your child’s education cover reading, grammar, math, social studies, and science, and a VSA course plan covers all five.
Paying on Your Own
One Affidavit, Filed Once
Families who aren’t using an ESA file an affidavit of intent with their county school superintendent within 30 days of starting, along with a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate.
It’s a one-page form, and you only file it once unless your child returns to public school and later comes back home. Your Family Consultant can point you to the right form for your county.
No state testing. Arizona doesn’t require standardized testing for students learning at home (A.R.S. §15-745). Your child’s progress shows up in their VSA grades, teacher feedback, and quarterly comments, which you can see anytime.
Families sometimes ask whether a VSA student “counts” as a homeschooler in Arizona. For ESA families the answer is simple: your ESA contract is your child’s school attendance. For others, this article explains how it works: Is My Student Considered a Homeschooler When in the Diploma Program?
A Diploma That Opens Doors
A homeschool diploma can feel like an open question when your child starts thinking about college. Many Arizona families choose VSA so their high schooler graduates with a record any admissions office will recognize.
An Accredited Diploma
Full-Time Diploma students graduate with a diploma and official transcript from a school accredited by the Middle States Association since 2014. Honors, AP, and dual enrollment courses appear on the transcript with a weighted GPA.
Ready for College
VSA graduates have gone on to schools such as Harvard, Hillsdale, Wheaton, Grove City, and New Saint Andrews. Your child’s Academic Advisor helps plan a course of study with their college goals in mind.
College Credit and NCAA
Eligible high school students can earn college credit through our dual enrollment partnership with Cairn University. VSA courses are also NCAA-approved (high school code 392122).
What a Week Looks Like for Arizona Students
Online school can be hard to picture until you see it. Here’s what a typical week looks like.
Live Classes, Twice a Week
Each live course meets twice a week at a set time, with the same teacher and up to 20 classmates all year. Students raise their hands, answer questions, and discuss ideas together.
Never Behind
Every class is recorded. If a monsoon storm knocks out the power or a family trip gets in the way, your child watches the recording and stays on track.
Between classes, much of the work happens with books, paper, and pencil. Younger students sing their way through history and chant their Latin vocabulary. Older students read Homer and Augustine, work through logic, and write arguments of their own. It’s the kind of education Dorothy Sayers described as teaching students “how to learn” (“The Lost Tools of Learning,” 1947), and our teachers watch it take root every year.
Friendships That Last
Parents often worry most about friendships, and it’s a loving thing to worry about. VSA students see the same classmates every week, and real friendships grow from there. Clubs, field trips, and our End-of-Year Gathering bring students together outside class, and your child may find classmates across Arizona and across the country.
We were both products of public schools… We understood the traditional school experience, and we worried about what our son might be missing. Would he develop meaningful friendships? …
K. Compton, VSA parent
It was as though our son had finally found his people.
Getting Started, One Step at a Time
Talk With a Family Consultant
Tell us about your child and your goals. A Family Consultant replies within 24 hours and can walk you through the ESA alongside your course plan.
Apply for Your ESA
If you haven’t already, apply anytime through the Arizona Department of Education’s ESA portal.
Apply and Find the Right Placement
We review your child’s records, and we may ask for a short placement test so your child starts in the right courses.
Build Your Child’s Plan
Full-Time students meet with an Academic Advisor to plan their courses and register for classes.
Questions Arizona Families Ask
Is online school free in Arizona?
Arizona has tuition-free public online schools, which follow state standards and teach from a secular perspective. VSA is a private school with tuition. For many families, though, Arizona’s ESA covers much or all of a year of VSA tuition. See how the ESA works at VSA.
How much money do you get from the Arizona ESA?
Awards average about $7,400 per K-12 student, and more for students with disabilities. The exact amount depends on your child’s grade and needs, and the Arizona Department of Education confirms it when your application is approved.
Can I use my Arizona ESA for VSA?
Yes. Arizona families can pay Veritas Press through ClassWallet, either by Direct Pay with an invoice or through the ClassWallet Marketplace. A Family Consultant can help you plan around your ESA timing. Using your Arizona ESA with Veritas Press.
How much does online school cost in Arizona?
It depends on the school and your child’s plan. At VSA, you pay for each live course, plus a yearly enrollment fee for Full-Time Diploma students. Our tuition calculator shows your real yearly number in a few minutes. Build your child’s plan.
Do I need to file an affidavit of intent if my child attends VSA?
If you use an ESA, no. Your signed ESA contract counts as school attendance under Arizona law, and ESA families don’t file an affidavit. If you’re paying on your own, you file an affidavit of intent with your county school superintendent within 30 days of starting.
Is VSA accredited?
Yes. VSA is accredited by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), and our accreditation applies to students wherever they live, including Arizona. How accreditation works at VSA.
What time are classes in Arizona?
Class times are listed in Eastern Time. Most of Arizona is two hours behind Eastern Time from November to March and three hours behind from March to November, since Arizona doesn’t observe daylight saving time. Courses are usually offered at several times, so families can choose what fits.
Can my child start in the middle of the year?
Yes. VSA welcomes new students throughout the year. Students can join classes in progress, catch up with recorded lessons, and work with their teachers on any makeup work. How switching works.
Let’s Build Your Arizona School Plan Together
A Family Consultant would love to hear your child’s story, walk you through your ESA, and help you find the right next step, whether that’s next month or next fall.
Keep Exploring
More About VSA
Start Any Time
Switching Schools
How families move to VSA mid-year or next fall, from first call to first class.
See how switching works
Real Numbers
Tuition
Build your child’s plan and see a real yearly cost in a few minutes.
Build your plan
Also helpful: Elementary · Middle School · High School · Diploma Program · ESAs and School Choice