How the funding fits
Every Arizona K-12 student can open an Empowerment Scholarship Account. For the grades Desert Sun Child Development Center serves, ADE's latest chart gives $4,718–$6,205; that chart is labeled 2025-26 (ADE estimate; the 2026-27 chart isn't posted yet), and the exact figure depends on grade and the funding formula for the school the child would otherwise attend. The account can pay tuition at a qualified private school that is set up as a ClassWallet vendor. The state keeps no list of schools that take ESA payments, so ask Desert Sun Child Development Center directly.
Takes STO scholarships from: APESF, APSTO, IBE, School Choice Arizona (per each STO's published school list, Oct 2026). Each STO decides its own awards, so apply to every one on this list that fits; appearing on a list is not a promise of money. Remember that a child on an ESA contract cannot take an STO scholarship that same year, so this is a choice, not an extra.
The school also has a preschool. The universal ESA starts in kindergarten, so ask about the school's preschool aid and look at DES child care assistance or Quality First scholarships.
Independent schools in the Phoenix area usually run their own need-based aid with a winter deadline, separate from any ESA or STO funding.
Check my funding for this school →
What the records show
The U.S. Department of Education's Private School Survey (2023-24) shows the school reporting 17 students, 9.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, a 1.8:1 student-teacher ratio and grades PK-K.
Questions for your visit
- Are you a ClassWallet vendor, and will you bill our ESA directly each quarter?
- What is tuition for my child's grade, and which fees can the ESA cover?
- Which STOs do your families use, and when do their applications open?
- Do you offer parishioner, church-member, sibling or need-based discounts?
After grade K: nearby schools that keep going
Desert Sun Child Development Center ends at grade K. These schools serve grade 1 through 12 and are among the closest:
- St. Dominic Savio Academy: grades K-12, about 1 mi away · 3 STO lists
- Valley Christian Elementary School: grades K-12, about 2 mi away · 1 STO lists
- Accel East Campus: grades K-12, about 3 mi away
- AZ Aspire Academy: grades 1-12, about 3 mi away · 1 STO lists
Nearby schools with profiles
- St. Timothy Catholic School: Catholic School, grades K-8, 1.4 mi · 5 STO lists
- St. Dominic Savio Academy: Independent School, grades K-12, 1.5 mi · 3 STO lists
- Valley Christian Elementary School: Christian School, grades K-12, 1.8 mi · 1 STO lists
- Hope Christian Academy: Christian School, grades PK-8, 1.9 mi · 5 STO lists
- Seton Catholic Preparatory: Catholic School, grades 9-12, 1.9 mi · 5 STO lists
- Autism Academy for Education and Development: Independent School, grades 6-12, 2.6 mi
We list 45 private schools in Tempe & Chandler, and 35 of them are on at least one STO school list.