FAQ
Your questions, answered.
ESA & Funding
Is Goodwin Learning Academy ESA-approved?
Yes. Goodwin Learning Academy is ESA Approved by the Arizona Department of Education and fully approved to accept Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) funding. We are fully approved ESA vendors, and our team can assist with the application process if your family is not yet enrolled.
The approval means Goodwin Learning Academy can accept Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) funding, making quality special education accessible to Arizona families. Learn how the program works, and how we help you apply, in our ESA funding guide.
Does Arizona's ESA pay for private school tuition?
Yes. Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program provides funds for eligible students to attend private schools like Goodwin Learning Academy, and ESA funds can cover full tuition costs for qualifying Arizona families. GLA is a fully approved ESA vendor, and we assist families with the application process.
ESA goes by two names: Empowerment Scholarship Account is Arizona's official term, and many national resources say Education Savings Account. They are the same program. Our ESA funding guide explains how it works at GLA, and our team can assist with the application process if your family isn't enrolled yet.
How does ESA funding work?
Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program provides funds for eligible students to attend private schools like Goodwin Learning Academy. We are fully approved ESA vendors and can assist with the application process, whether you are already enrolled in the program or applying for the first time. ESA funds can cover full tuition costs.
In practice: eligible students receive ESA funds, and those funds can pay tuition at approved private schools like Goodwin Learning Academy. Discussing ESA funding is a built-in part of our enrollment process. Start with the ESA funding guide, or schedule a call with our ESA Support team.
How much ESA funding will my child receive?
ESA award amounts vary from student to student, so Goodwin Learning Academy doesn't publish a single figure. The Arizona Department of Education is the authority on current amounts. What we can say: ESA funds can cover full tuition costs for qualifying families, and our ESA Support team walks you through the application.
Figures quoted online vary widely, and repeating a number we can't verify would not help you plan. During a call, our ESA Support team can walk through what the application and funding process looks like for your family. See the ESA funding guide for everything that is settled.
How do I apply for an ESA in Arizona?
If your family isn't enrolled in Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account program yet, Goodwin Learning Academy can help you apply. We are fully approved ESA vendors, we assist with the application process, and ESA funding is part of the enrollment conversation: step six of our admissions process covers it directly.
Bring your ESA questions to the initial consultation. Helping families with the application is a normal part of our admissions process, and you don't need to be enrolled in the ESA program before applying to Goodwin Learning Academy. If you are already enrolled, have your ESA account details and prior-year expenditure report handy for the document checklist.
Will my child lose their IEP at a private school?
Goodwin Learning Academy creates an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) for every student, and it is our in-house plan for your child. We do not implement the IEP itself. We do take the accommodations listed on your child's most current IEP, add them to the ILP, and provide them.
Records review is step four of our admissions process: we read your child's current IEP, evaluations, and records, and we write the ILP from them. Accommodations on the most current IEP carry across into the ILP, and we provide them. What we do not do is implement the IEP itself.
For how special-education services work at a private school in Arizona, the Arizona Department of Education is the authority, and we will walk through your family's specifics at the initial consultation.
Admissions
How much does tuition cost at Goodwin Learning Academy?
Goodwin Learning Academy is an ESA-approved private school, and ESA funds can cover full tuition costs for qualifying Arizona families. For current tuition details and what enrollment would look like for your family, contact our admissions team through the form on our contact page or by phone. We respond within 24 hours.
We would rather you hear accurate, current numbers from a person than an outdated figure from a webpage. Call our admissions team (ext. 101) or send a message, and read the ESA funding guide first if you want to understand how qualifying families cover tuition through the program.
Do you accept students mid-year?
There's no enrollment window to be waiting on. We offer rolling enrollment throughout the year. Goodwin Learning Academy accepts students throughout the academic year, based on program availability and student needs, and because teaching is individualized we can onboard new students at any time.
Enrollment at Goodwin Learning Academy is year-round. Because teaching is one-to-one, joining mid-year doesn't mean catching up to a classroom. Instruction meets your child where they are. Start the application whenever your family is ready.
What does the admissions process look like?
A six-step process: Initial Inquiry, Campus Tour & Program Overview, Application & Required Documentation Submission, Records Review & Admissions Team Evaluation, Student Shadow Day, and Intake/Enrollment Meeting.
- Initial Inquiry. Families contact us to learn more about our programs, services, and admissions process.
- Campus Tour & Program Overview. A campus tour or a virtual consultation, whichever fits your family, plus an overview of how we teach and what we expect.
- Application & Required Documentation Submission. A completed enrollment application with all required documentation and educational goals.
- Records Review & Admissions Team Evaluation. The Admissions Team reviews everything submitted to determine whether we can appropriately meet your child's needs.
- Student Shadow Day. A structured trial visit in the setting being considered for placement.
- Intake/Enrollment Meeting. Enrollment paperwork, an ESA funding walkthrough if applicable, and your child's start date.
See Admissions for full detail and the required documents.
What documents do I need to apply?
Helpful documents include your child's current IEP or 504 Plan (if applicable), recent psychological or educational evaluations, proof of Arizona residency, birth certificate, immunization records, and recent report cards or progress reports. Don't worry if you don't have everything yet. Goodwin Learning Academy can work with you to obtain necessary documentation.
Essential documents: current IEP or 504 Plan (if applicable), recent psychological or educational evaluations, proof of Arizona residency, student birth certificate, immunization records.
Academic records: most recent report cards or transcripts, standardized test results (if available), progress reports from the current school, any behavioral plans or assessments.
ESA information: ESA account details (if enrolled) and the prior-year ESA expenditure report. Not enrolled in ESA yet? We can help you apply.
Do you provide transportation?
Families arrange their own way to our Mesa campus, and we are not able to provide or coordinate transportation. If the drive is the hard part, our in-home and virtual programs bring a teacher to your child anywhere in Arizona, so many of our families never make the trip at all. We are glad to talk through which option fits you best.
Families arrange their own way to our Mesa campus, and we are not able to provide or coordinate transportation.
If the drive is the hard part, that is worth a conversation. Many of our families never make the trip at all: in-home and virtual instruction brings the teacher to your child, anywhere in Arizona. We are glad to talk through which option fits you best.
Programs
What is your student-to-teacher ratio?
Instruction is highly individualized, one-to-one and small-group, built around each student's strengths, needs, and learning style, and aligned with Arizona State Standards throughout. Every student works directly with a qualified teaching professional.
One-to-one teaching is not a premium add-on. It is the core of how we teach, alongside small-group time where it helps, ensuring personalized attention and allowing us to fully customize learning to each student's needs. See our programs for how it works at each level, or schedule a tour to watch it in action.
What curriculum do you use?
Every Goodwin Learning Academy student starts with a diagnostic process: IXL Diagnostics for current reading and math levels, plus DIBELS, PAST, and GLA Designed Dyslexia Screening Assessments when appropriate. From there we build the learning experience around the student, using Edgenuity, Unique Learning System, Everfi, and GLA-designed curriculum, all aligned with Arizona State Standards and reinforced with IXL and BrainPOP.
Every student's journey begins with a comprehensive diagnostic process: IXL Diagnostics establishes current grade-level performance in reading and mathematics and identifies skill gaps, and when appropriate, based on student needs or parent request, DIBELS, the PAST assessment, and GLA Designed Dyslexia Screening Assessments further evaluate early literacy development and screen for indicators of dyslexia or language-based learning differences.
From there, we don't place students into a one-size-fits-all curriculum. Instruction is built from a curriculum tailored to that student, drawing on Edgenuity and Unique Learning System for structured, standards-aligned coursework, Everfi for real-world, life-ready learning experiences, and GLA-designed curriculum aligned with Arizona State Standards. IXL and BrainPOP reinforce instruction and monitor mastery.
At GLA, data doesn't sit in a report. It drives every instructional decision we make.
Can my child earn a high school diploma?
Yes. Goodwin Learning Academy offers three graduation pathways so every learner has a meaningful goal to work toward. The Standard Academic Pathway covers state-required credits with modified assessments, accommodations, college prep options, and concurrent enrollment available, for students who can meet Arizona graduation requirements. The Life Skills Pathway focuses on functional academics, independence, and daily living skills for students whose goals are substantially different from grade-level academics. The Blended Pathway combines both, applied subject by subject based on each student's documented goals.
All three pathways lead to a high school diploma; what differs is the route. The Standard Academic Pathway is credit-based, with modified assessments and accommodations. The Life Skills Pathway centers functional academics, independence, and daily living. The Blended Pathway mixes the two, subject by subject, against each student's documented goals. See the high school program for how each one runs.
What options exist after high school for students with disabilities in Arizona?
Graduation doesn't have to be a cliff. For students who benefit from it, Goodwin Learning Academy's Job Readiness & Life Skills Support is built into the high school years: work-readiness coaching, life-skills instruction, and hands-on prep for what comes after graduation.
The years right after high school are where many services fall away. Job Readiness & Life Skills Support is built into the high school program for students who benefit from it, so the work-readiness and independent-living skills keep building through the years a family is already here.
Is there a school that comes to your house in Arizona?
Yes. Goodwin Learning Academy brings school to your child: qualified teaching professionals provide personalized 1:1 instruction in the comfort of your home, or through live online sessions with real-time teacher interaction and support.
In-home instruction offers a familiar environment, reduced transitions, family involvement, and a customized setting. It also pairs with our virtual option for families who want a flexible combination. See In-Home & Virtual for how statewide delivery works.
How does virtual learning work for students with autism?
Virtual learning at Goodwin Learning Academy means live online sessions with real-time teacher interaction and support, with one qualified teaching professional working with your child 1:1. Lessons are interactive, with screen-sharing tools, digital resources, and recorded sessions. Students anywhere in Arizona can enroll.
Virtual instruction uses the same model as every other setting: one-to-one teaching, with small-group time where it helps, customized to your child's strengths, needs, and learning style. Families anywhere in Arizona can enroll. See In-Home & Virtual for details.
Do you work with our child's ABA provider?
Yes. The School-Readiness Program is designed to complement clinic-based ABA services, not replace them, so your child's therapy hours and clinical ownership stay with your provider. We align academic goals with their targets, share progress updates with the provider team, and keep clear communication running between our teaching staff and the clinic.
Yes. The School-Readiness Program is built to sit alongside clinic-based ABA, not to replace it — your child keeps their therapy hours and their provider keeps clinical ownership.
In practice that means aligned goals, progress updates shared with the provider team, and a direct line between our teaching staff and the clinic. The full collaboration model, for providers and for families, is on the School-Readiness Program page.
General
What makes Goodwin Learning Academy different?
One-to-one instruction with a qualified teaching professional, at home, on-campus, or online, from kindergarten through high school. Goodwin Learning Academy is ESA-approved, and full tuition coverage is available for qualifying Arizona families through the ESA program.
Instead of asking your child to fit a classroom, Goodwin Learning Academy builds the school day around your child. Every learner works 1:1 with a qualified teaching professional, in your home or online, or on-campus. Programs run from elementary through high school, and ESA funding can cover full tuition costs for qualifying families.
What time does school start and end?
On campus, the school day runs 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. Virtual students work in twelve 40-minute periods between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, scheduled around your family. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, if you need to reach us outside those times.
On campus, the school day runs 8:30 am to 2:30 pm.
Virtual students work in twelve 40-minute periods between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, scheduled around your family. The full week is on our calendar page.
Contact
How do I schedule a tour?
Use the tour form on our contact page, call our admissions team, or email us. We respond within 24 hours. You can visit the Mesa campus to see our programs in action, or book a virtual consultation via video call if in-home or virtual learning fits your family better.
Tours are the best way to see what 1:1 instruction actually looks like. Prefer to talk first? Book a virtual consultation instead: we meet families via video call. Either way, start on the contact page.
Still have questions? Ask them in person.
The best way to know whether Goodwin Learning Academy fits your child is to see 1:1 instruction in action. Schedule a tour of our campus, or call and talk it through first.
Monday–Friday, 7:30 AM–5:00 PM