When parents of a child with dyslexia, autism or ADHD ask whether the Education Freedom Account can help, the answer in Central Arkansas is often yes. In the state's 2024-25 report, students with disabilities identified under federal special-education law were the largest single group of EFA users statewide, at 36% of participants. And Pulaski County has more schools built for these students than anywhere else in Arkansas.
The schools
Three participating schools in our directory serve students with learning differences as their core mission:
- ACCESS Schools in west Little Rock had 115 EFA students out of about 378 in 2024-25. It serves students with a range of learning and developmental disabilities.
- Easterseals Academy at Riverdale had 77 of its roughly 78 students on an account, almost the entire school.
- Friendship Lab School for Dyslexia in Maumelle serves grades 1 through 9 and focuses on structured literacy for students with dyslexia.
Several general-enrollment schools also report special-education services or learning-support programs. If your child needs moderate support rather than a specialized school, ask any campus what its learning-support staff can actually provide and whether it costs extra.
The higher amount: who gets $8,011
Most students receive $7,208 for 2026-27. Students who came into the EFA from the former Succeed Scholarship receive the full state foundation amount instead: $8,011 for 2026-27. Succeed was Arkansas's earlier scholarship for students with IEPs, foster youth and some military families. When the LEARNS Act created the EFA, former Succeed students carried their higher funding level with them.
A child who never had a Succeed Scholarship but has an IEP doesn't automatically get the higher amount. Students with disabilities are given priority when applications are reviewed, though. If you aren't sure which category your child falls into, ask the state EFA office directly before you build a budget.
What the account can pay for besides tuition
For families of children with learning differences, the account's flexibility matters as much as its size. Under the program rules, approved uses include:
- Tuition and fees at a participating school
- Educational services for students with disabilities from licensed or accredited practitioners, such as speech, occupational and behavioral therapy
- Educational evaluations and assessments
- Tutoring from approved providers
- Curriculum and instructional materials for students taught at home
In the 2024-25 report, families statewide spent about $344,000 from accounts on therapy and smaller amounts on disability evaluations. Central Arkansas families paid local practices, including a behavioral health and evaluation practice in Bryant, from their accounts.
A school, therapy, or both?
Here's where families often get stuck. If your child attends a specialized school full-time, tuition may use most of the account, leaving little for outside therapy. If therapies are included in tuition, that can be a better deal than it looks. If they're billed separately, ask whether the school invoices them through ClassWallet.
A child who is homeschooled or attends a hybrid program can instead put the whole account toward a combination of curriculum, a reading specialist and therapy sessions. That's often the right choice for a younger child with dyslexia who needs intensive structured-literacy tutoring more than a different classroom.
There's no single right answer. The best approach is to price both paths for your child's specific needs before you commit.
Reading the test numbers fairly
Participating schools give a nationally norm-referenced test each year, and the state report shows each school's average EFA percentiles. Specialized schools will show lower numbers than general-enrollment schools. That reflects the students they serve, not the quality of their teaching. A better question is how the school measures progress for your child: which reading or math assessments it uses, how often, and how it reports results to parents.
Questions to ask every program
- Which diagnoses and support levels do you serve well, and do you have openings at my child's grade?
- What ratio of students to teachers will my child have, and who provides therapies on site?
- Are therapies included in tuition or billed separately, and can they be paid through ClassWallet?
- How will you measure my child's progress, and how often will I see results?
- What happens if my child is ready to move to a general-enrollment school?
If your child is in public school now
Moving a child with an IEP from a public school to a private school changes the legal picture, and parents are often surprised by it. An IEP is a public-school document. Once your child is enrolled in a private school by your choice, the district is no longer required to deliver everything in the IEP. Federal law does require districts to set aside some money for "equitable services" to parentally placed private-school students, but those services are usually limited. Ask your district's special-education office what it offers students at private schools in its boundaries.
That's one reason the account's therapy and evaluation categories matter. Families often use EFA dollars to replace services the IEP used to provide.
What to gather before you apply
- Your child's current IEP or 504 plan, and the most recent evaluation report
- Any paperwork showing your child previously received a Succeed Scholarship
- Notes on the services your child receives now, and how often, so you can price replacements
- A list of two or three schools or providers you want to compare
All of these schools are on our special-needs page, with enrollment and EFA figures from the state report. If you want an advisor to walk through your child's options and which amount applies, start a funding check.