Arizona’s Private School Tax Credit lets you donate your state tax liability (up to the current maximums) to fund tuition scholarships and get every cent back as a tax credit. It’s not a deduction, it’s a dollar-for-dollar credit. If you normally get a refund, your refund gets bigger. If you normally owe, you owe less.
We exist to make Christian Education affordable for everyone
Scholarships
$370+
Million in
Scholarships Awarded
Students
50,500+
Students
Received Scholarships
Donors
108,000+
Donors
Made This Possible
Since 1998, ACSTO has turned dollar-for-dollar tax credit donations into tuition scholarships — giving thousands of Arizona students the opportunity to attend a Christian School.
Your tax credit. Their future.
Next Award Disbursement
November 15, 2026
2026 Tax Credit Maximums
SINGLE TAXPAYERS
Original Tax Credit
$787
Overflow Tax Credit
$784
Combined Total
$1571
MARRIED FILING JOINTLY
Original Tax Credit
$1570
Overflow Tax Credit
$1561
Combined Total
$3131
You may donate up to these amounts OR your actual state tax liability, whichever is less.
How It Works
Apply for a scholarship
Submit a Scholarship Application through the Parent Portal. Applications are available any time. Applications for the next school year are available February 3.
Share with your network
Maximize your scholarship opportunities by letting your friends and family know they can donate to ACSTO and recommend your student.
Award process
Our Selection Committees consider three factors: your family’s financial circumstances, your student’s narrative, and any donor recommendations received.
Scholarship awards
ACSTO awards scholarships four times per year — Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. If awarded, your scholarship is sent directly to your Christian School if funds are still needed for the current school year.
ACSTO requires one application per student every school year. Once submitted, the application is considered in each qualifying cycle through the school year.
Create your Donor Portal
Your Donor Portal enables you to print your receipt, view your donation history, and will make donating again next year even faster!
Make your donation
Donate online, by phone, or by mail. You may identify a Partner School or recommend a specific student for a scholarship.
ACSTO awards scholarships
Your donation provides tuition scholarships for K–12 students attending one of our 130+ Christian Partner Schools in Arizona.
Claim your tax credit
At tax time, use your ACSTO receipt to claim your dollar-for-dollar credit against your Arizona income tax liability.
Donations can be made any time of year up until Tax Day or before you file your Arizona taxes, whichever comes first. This tax credit does not require an organization code to claim the credit on your state taxes.
Become a Partner School
Contact our office to join more than 130 Christian Schools across Arizona already partnering with ACSTO to make tuition affordable for families.
Promote ACSTO
Our School Coordinator Team attends your events, leads Parent Workshops, and explains the program so your staff doesn’t have to do it alone.
Families apply
Parents submit Scholarship Applications through the ACSTO Parent Portal. ACSTO handles the application process — no administrative burden on your school.
Scholarships are awarded
ACSTO sends scholarship funds directly to your school four times per year. We award 92% of all donations as scholarships, exceeding the 90% required by law.
We believe it is vitally important to provide our schools with the best customer service and resources. When you’re winning, we’re winning!
Helpful Resources
“For the current school year, if you have not yet applied with ACSTO, you have up until March 31st of this school year to apply and be considered for scholarships.”
Sally Henry
Director of Communications
“Per the ESA Handbook, ACSTO scholarships and ESA cannot be sent to the school in the same school year. But students can still be considered for a scholarship while they are on ESA.”
Kyle James
School Coordinator
“Our Parent Portal is a tool for parents to apply, view their student’s award history, and create a family page.”
Sara Cornell
Customer Service Specialist
“If a donor has liability that is above the original tax credit maximum amount, the donor can give to the overflow tax credit maximum.”
Wendy Rankin
Customer Service Specialist
Testimonials
"
Knowing these scholarships were there gave us peace of mind when health issues hit our family that could have derailed our educational plans for our daughter. Without the scholarships, we truly would not have been able to keep her in private school.
–John & Sheri
"
The only reason either of us was able to attend a Christian School growing up was because of ACSTO. It was a no-brainer to send our own children to the same school we loved — but we absolutely couldn’t have afforded it without ACSTO.
–Jon & Bethany
"
We could have never understood, 14 years ago when we started down this private school journey, that having so many people feeding into our two sons’ faith journey would be the most amazing blessing.
–April & Scot
