New Education Poll: What Arizonans Believe About Postsecondary Attainment, Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, and the Path Forward
In times of heightened polarization and significant political turmoil it is rare for public sentiment to remain stable, let alone grow stronger, on any major public policy issue. And yet, Education Forward Arizona’s most recent survey of Arizona voters finds exactly that: unwavering and, in some cases, growing support for increasing education attainment after high school.
Conducted as part of the Everything to Gain campaign, the September 2025 Education Issues Poll is the latest in a now three-year series of polls examining attitudes toward postsecondary attainment and, for the first time this year, public perceptions of Arizona’s unique Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. Taken together, the results are a striking reminder that voters of all political affiliations see education as a gateway to economic mobility and prosperity, and expect their leaders to improve it through common-sense policies.
A Durable, Bipartisan Mandate for the Achieve60AZ Goal
Despite the unprecedented disruptions surrounding education this year, Arizona voters remain overwhelmingly committed to the state’s Achieve60AZ goal: that 60% of working-age adults earn a degree, certificate, or credential by 2030. In fact, support for this goal has grown from 2024 to 2025; today over two-thirds of voters believe that the state should do more to help Arizonans pursue education after high school, not less.This is significant because this year’s sample included a higher proportion of conservative respondents (41%, up from 39% in 2024). This reflects a broader trend: growing public belief in the value of education after high school. An overwhelming majority of respondents found the core message of the Everything to Gain campaign persuasive: increasing postsecondary enrollment by just 20% could generate an additional $5 billion in state revenue each year. A key metric for judging the opportunity in front of policy makers.
Support for Specific Attainment-Boosting Policies
The poll repeated many questions from 2024 to test for movement and message durability. In nearly every instance, support for proposed solutions and programs like dual enrollment, two years of community college for qualifying students, investments in teacher training, and online education access remained statistically unchanged. Like the above, in some cases support even increased.
Last year’s public mandate remains: Arizonans believe that education after high school is the surest path to opportunity, and they are prepared to support public investments that make this path more affordable and accessible.
The Check-In on ESA’s: Growing Awareness, Growing Alarm
This year’s poll also breaks new ground with its deep dive into public opinion on Arizona’s universal voucher system, known as Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA). The findings confirm a shift: while most voters still have limited familiarity with the program, a clear majority of those who do know about ESAs have a negative perception of the program. This is likely one of the few times publicly released polling about the ESA program has shown it to be underwater with voters.
After hearing a short summary of recent public reporting on issues of fraud and abuse in the program, more than 75% of voters expressed concern over how the program has been administered and highlighting issues of fraud, lack of spending controls, and absence of outcome tracking.
Even more telling: when presented with a list of potential accountability reforms, every single policy tested received over 60% support, including:
- Academic achievement reporting for ESA students
- Stronger audit requirements and financial oversight
- Transparency measures to prevent misuse of public funds
These results mirror the public’s expectations for public K-12 and higher education systems. Voters believe that their tax dollars need public accountability. To be clear, Education Forward Arizona is supportive of vouchers but included ESAs in this poll in the hopes that Arizona’s elected leaders will understand that they have a mandate to act.
Key Takeaways for Policymakers and Leaders
- Increasing education after high school is not politically toxic, it’s politically durable. Arizonans of all sides continue to support policies that expand access to higher education and workforce training. This is rare.
- The attainment goal has a mandate. Overwhelming support for Achieve60AZ has held steady for three years. Policymakers and community leaders should feel confident pushing forward bold investments in dual enrollment, Promise Programs, and career-connected learning.
- Public trust is fraying around ESA implementation. Without strong reforms to ensure transparency and responsible use of taxpayer dollars, ESAs risk undermining trust in all public education spending. The window to fix this and rebuild that trust is now.
- Economic messaging remains effective, especially when voters learn that there are high-skill jobs in Arizona that need to be filled – but voters also generally respond strongly to messages that link education to job opportunities, wage growth, and Arizona’s long-term prosperity.
Arizonans’ Agree: Education and Training are Key to Opportunity and Economic Growth
This poll offers a clear, timely message: Arizonans still believe in education after high school and want access to it. They still believe in the promise of opportunity, and they expect the state’s education investments, especially in regards to ESA vouchers, to be held to rigorous standards.
“These results should serve as a clear call to action. Even with the charged rhetoric around education, Arizonans continue to agree that increasing attainment is important and that type of agreement is a rare phenomenon in politics today.,” shared Rich Nickel, President and CEO of Education Forward Arizona, “ The voters want lawmakers and leaders to prioritize investments in education and training after high school. We also cannot ignore the overwhelming data and sentiment surrounding voters’ concerns about the need for more oversight, transparency and accountability within the ESA voucher program.”
The state’s future depends on whether we meet the moment. The research and the public opinions that back it are clear: We have billions to gain by increasing attainment of education after high school and we have the mandate to act.