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Arizona Department of Education

Arizona Residency Guidelines

9/22/11

INTRODUCTION

Generally, under Arizona law, only Arizona residents are entitled to a free public education. The Arizona

Department of Education (“Department”) is a designated steward of state education tax dollars and is

responsible for providing state aid to school districts and charter schools for students who reside in

Arizona. Pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-823(J), a school district or charter school may not include non-resident

pupils in their student count and may not obtain state aid for those pupils. The residency of a student is

determined by the residency of the parent or guardian with whom the student lives. Accordingly, it is the

responsibility of the school districts and charter schools that receive state aid to ensure that their

student/parent residency information is accurate and verifiable. The Department may audit schools to

ensure that only Arizona resident students are reported for state aid. Any school district or charter school

that cannot demonstrate the accuracy of any student’s residency status may be required to repay the state

aid received for that student.

VERIFIABLE DOCUMENTATION

A.R.S. § 15-802(B) requires school districts and charter schools to obtain and maintain verifiable

documentation of Arizona residency upon enrollment in an Arizona public school. This document is

designed to assist school districts and charter schools in meeting the legal requirements of the statute.

The documentation required by A.R.S. § 15-802 must be provided each time a student enrolls in a

school district or charter school in this state, and reaffirmed during the district or charter’s annual

registration process via the district or charter’s annual registration form. The documentation

supporting Arizona residency should be maintained according to the school’s records retention

schedule.

In general, students will fall into one of two groups: (1) those whose parent or legal guardian is able to

provide documentation bearing his or her name and address; and (2) those whose parent/legal guardian

cannot document his or her own residence because of extenuating circumstances including, but not

limited to, that the family’s household is multi-generational. Different documentation is required for each

circumstance.

Parent(s) or legal guardian(s) that maintains his or her own residence: The parent or legal

guardian must complete and sign a form indicating his or her name, the name of the school district, school

site, or charter school in which the student is being enrolled, and provide one of the following documents,

which bear the parent or legal guardian’s full name and residential address or physical description of the

property where the student resides (no P.O. Boxes):

•

Valid Arizona driver’s license, Arizona identification card

•

Valid Arizona motor vehicle registration

•

Valid United States passport

•

Property deed

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Arizona Residency Documentation Form And Instructions - Arizona Department Of Education