Plenty of Valley private high schools advertise college credit. Fewer families realize how the pieces fit together: who runs the courses, what they cost, and whether the Empowerment Scholarship Account can pay for them. For a student at a Catholic prep school in central Phoenix, a Christian high school in Peoria or a small college-prep program in Scottsdale, dual enrollment through Maricopa Community Colleges can be one of the better-value uses of an ESA balance. Here is how it works as of fall 2026.
What dual enrollment is at Maricopa
Maricopa Community Colleges is the system of ten community colleges that serves Maricopa County, including Glendale, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler-Gilbert, Estrella Mountain and Phoenix College. According to the district's early-college pages, dual enrollment is offered at all ten. A student takes a college course that is taught as an identified dual-enrollment section at their high school, and must meet the college's admission requirements and any prerequisites for the course. The student earns both high-school and college credit.
The key phrase is "identified section." Dual enrollment runs through arrangements between a college and a high school, so what is available to your teenager depends on which courses that school has set up. The Maricopa page does not say whether private or home-educated students can take dual-enrollment sections on a college campus instead, so if your teen's school has no partnership, ask the college directly rather than assuming.
What it costs
Maricopa charges dual-enrollment students the standard in-state tuition: $97 per credit hour, plus a $15 registration fee per semester at each college. A single three-credit course works out to $291 in tuition plus the fee. Two courses a semester for a junior and senior year adds up to about $2,400 in tuition, before books, for 24 credits. The district also lists a Maricopa Tuition Assistance Grant; we have not verified its rules, so ask the college whether your student qualifies.
That price is one reason Phoenix differs from Tucson, where Pima Community College handles dual enrollment under its own agreements and fee rules. If you are comparing schools across the state, compare the college partner as well as the high school.
Can the ESA pay for it?
Yes, within the rules. Arizona's ESA statute lists tuition, fees and required textbooks at an eligible postsecondary institution as an allowed expense, and ADE's 2025-26 handbook names Arizona community colleges among the eligible institutions. Room, board, meals and transportation are not covered. For an ESA student whose private high-school tuition is close to or below the award, the remaining balance can pay college tuition, so the family is not paying for those credits out of pocket.
A few practical points:
- Billing route. Ask whether the college or the high school will invoice for the dual-enrollment course, and whether it can be paid through ClassWallet directly or must be reimbursed with a detailed invoice and proof of payment.
- Balance timing. ESA deposits arrive quarterly, generally in July, October, January and April. Make sure the money is in the account when the college bill is due.
- Exam fees too. AP exams and college-admission tests such as the SAT and ACT are also allowed ESA expenses, so a student can mix dual-enrollment credit with AP exams.
- STO families. A family using STO scholarships instead of the ESA pays for dual enrollment on its own; STO awards go to the private school for tuition only.
Is it worth it for your teen?
Dual enrollment is not for every student. A college course moves at college speed, the grade goes on a permanent college transcript, and a poor result follows the student. For a junior who is ready, though, a handful of general-education credits can shorten a later degree or free up room for harder courses in college. Talk with the high school's counselor about which courses transfer cleanly to the universities your teen is considering, and start with one course before committing to a full load. Families with more than one teenager should also plan the ESA balance across both, since college tuition and private high-school tuition draw on the same account.
The account after graduation
The ESA does not have to end at graduation. Under A.R.S. 15-2402, the account can stay open while the student is enrolled in an eligible postsecondary program, and it closes when the student graduates from that program or after four consecutive years without enrollment. If an account is not renewed for three academic years, ADE gives 60 days' notice before closing it, and the remaining money returns to the state. Families who expect a balance at the end of senior year should read the current handbook carefully before planning around it, and should confirm with ADE how the rules apply to their student.
Questions to ask a private high school
- Which Maricopa college do you partner with, and which courses are offered as dual-enrollment sections?
- Who teaches them, and which grade levels can enroll?
- Are college fees billed separately from tuition, and can they be paid through ClassWallet?
- How do the college credits transfer to Arizona's public universities and to out-of-state colleges?
Our directory lists every private high school in Maricopa and Pinal counties, and our dual-enrollment guide sets out the costs side by side. For everything else the account can buy, see what the ESA pays for.