Inspire Prep Academy
How to pay for Inspire Prep with your Arizona ESA
Arizona gives families an education account they can spend on the school and the instruction they choose — kindergarten through twelfth grade. This page walks you through getting one, then enrolling in the academics: every step, in order, with links to the exact pages where you do each thing.
It takes about 30 days for the State to process an application, so the sooner you start, the better. If you get stuck anywhere on this page, call us — we do this with families every week.
The short version
Three things happen, in this order. Most of the waiting is in the first one, which is why it goes first.
- 1
Get your ESA
Apply to the State of Arizona. About 30 days. This is the funding.
- 2
Enroll at Smart Schools
The accredited online school our students use for academics.
- 3
Start training
Sign the waiver and we put your student in a pod.
What your student actually gets
The training is the program
Physical education is not an add-on to the Inspire Prep day — it is the core of it, and it is mandatory for every student in the academy. Inspire Academy LLC is a registered Arizona ESA vendor in the Tutor — Physical Education category, which is what allows a family to direct ESA funds to coached instruction here.
Daily skill development
Every training day is built around individual skill work — handle, finishing, shooting mechanics, footwork — coached and corrected in the moment rather than left to reps alone. Small groups and one-on-one, so nobody hides in a drill line.
Strength and conditioning
A real strength and conditioning program running alongside the skill work, scaled to the athlete's age and stage. This is the half of development most young players never get, and it is the half that decides who is still healthy and improving at seventeen.
Applied team practice
Skills that only exist in a drill do not survive a game. Live team-practice instruction turns individual work into decisions made at speed — spacing, reads, communication, and basketball IQ under pressure.
Film and film review
Game film captured at tournaments, then reviewed with coaches. Players see what they actually did instead of what they remember doing, which is where the fastest correction happens.
Competition and exposure
National competition against real talent, plus highlight reels and direct exposure to college coaches. Development that nobody sees is only half the job.
Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Every age trains — the work is scaled to where the athlete actually is, not to a one-size program. Tell us your student's grade and we'll tell you exactly what their week looks like.
Before you start, have these ready
Gathering these first is the difference between finishing the application in one sitting and abandoning it halfway.
- Your student's birth certificate.
- Proof that you live in Arizona — the State publishes the exact list of documents it accepts, linked below. Check it before you start; a document that isn't on the list will hold up the application.
- An email address you check often. The State sends its decision by email.
Part 1 — Do this first
Getting your Arizona ESA
An Empowerment Scholarship Account — everyone calls it an ESA — is an account the Arizona Department of Education funds for your student. You choose how to spend it on their education, within the State's rules. This is the part that takes the longest, so start here.
Check that your student qualifies
Most families qualify. The State's list starts with every Arizona student in kindergarten through twelfth grade. There is no income limit. You do not need a special reason. Other categories cover preschoolers with disabilities, students with an IEP or 504 plan, and military families.
Read the State's eligibility listHeads up: Your student cannot be in a public school and have an ESA at the same time. In Arizona, charter schools count as public schools. Is your student at one now? Call us before you apply. This is the thing families get surprised by most.
You're done when: You've found your student on the State's eligibility list.
Gather your documents
You need two things. Your student's birth certificate. And proof that you live in Arizona. The State lists exactly which documents it accepts. Open that list and pick one you already have.
See which documents count as proof of Arizona residencyHeads up: Bills not in your name? That happens. The State has a form for it, called an Affidavit of Shared Residence. You are not stuck.
You're done when: You have both documents saved on your phone or computer, ready to upload.
Create your account on the State's ESA portal
Go to the State's ESA portal. The first thing it asks is whether you have an "ADEConnect" account. Do not let that stop you. ADEConnect is just the State's login system. If you have never used one, click "No — Create my account." It walks you through it.
Open the Arizona ESA portalHeads up: Have more than one child? Register once. You add each student inside the same account. Do not make a second login.
You're done when: You can log in to the portal and see your own account.
Fill out the application and upload your documents
Fill out the application for your student. Upload the two documents from step 2.
Heads up: Finish it in one sitting if you can. A half-finished application does not start the clock. The 30 days only begins once you submit a complete one.
You're done when: The portal shows your application as submitted.
Sign the ESA contract
Taking an ESA means signing a contract with the State. You agree to two things. First, that your student is taught reading, grammar, math, social studies and science. Second, that you spend the money only on approved education costs. Smart Schools' coursework covers those subjects.
Heads up: You cannot use an ESA and a tax-credit scholarship at the same time. A tax-credit scholarship is called an STO. You may switch from one to the other during the year. You just cannot hold both at once. Has your student got an STO now? Tell us before you sign.
You're done when: The contract is signed and submitted through the portal.
Wait for the State's decision — and tell us when it lands
The State says it processes a complete application within 30 days. The answer comes by email. Heard nothing after 30 days? Call the ESA service center. That is what it is there for.
Call the State's ESA service center — 602-364-1969Heads up: This is the step families underestimate. Money is released four times a year. The later you apply, the less of this year's funding you can still use. Applying early is the whole game.
You're done when: You receive the State's decision email. Forward it to us and we'll take it from there.
Set up ClassWallet
Your ESA money arrives in a system called ClassWallet. That is where the State holds it. Money comes in four times a year. From ClassWallet you can pay a school directly, order from its store, use a linked debit card, or pay yourself back for approved things you already bought.
Heads up: You have to track what you spend and report it four times a year. Keep every receipt from day one. Hunting for them later is miserable.
You're done when: Your ClassWallet account is open and shows your first quarterly deposit.
Part 2 — After your ESA is submitted
Enrolling at Smart Schools
Smart Schools handles the academics for Inspire Prep students. Your student does their coursework online, on their own schedule, which is what makes a full training day possible.
What Smart Schools is
- What it is
- An online private school based in the East Valley, serving junior high and high school. Coursework is entirely online, self-paced, and available around the clock, with instructors and a personal academic advisor.
- Who accredits it
- Smart Schools states it is accredited by the Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools, and by Accreditation International. Accreditation is what determines whether coursework transfers and counts toward a college application.
- Learning platform
- Coursework runs on Edgenuity.
- Subjects
- Mathematics, language arts and reading, science, history and social studies, plus health and language.
- Students with an IEP or 504 plan
- Smart Schools offers IEP and 504 services through its Exceptional Student Services team. Tell us about your student's plan and we'll make sure it's raised early.
- Enrollment window
- Year-round. There is no application deadline.
Start your ESA first
You can talk to Smart Schools before your ESA is approved. But the ESA is what pays for the schooling. Smart Schools say so themselves: to have your student's costs covered in full, you must apply for an ESA with the State.
Smart Schools' own ESA pageYou're done when: Your ESA application is submitted (steps 1–6 above).
Check your student meets the admissions requirement
Smart Schools has two requirements. Your student must be at least 11 years old. And they must be working at a sixth-grade level or higher in every subject. You show this with a school transcript, a homeschooling portfolio, or test scores. There is no upper age limit and no deadline. They take students all year.
Smart Schools admissions requirementsHeads up: This is a real cutoff, not a formality. Read it carefully. Inspire Prep trains students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Smart Schools starts at sixth-grade level. So if your student is younger, the school part works differently for you. Your ESA does not change — State funding still covers kindergarten through twelfth grade. Call us before you enroll anywhere. We will sort out the academic plan with you.
You're done when: You have a transcript, portfolio, or test scores ready to show.
Request enrollment through Smart Schools
Fill out the form on their ESA page. A Smart Schools counselor will contact you. They answer your questions and start the process. They also publish a parent guide you can read first.
Smart Schools' ESA parent guide (PDF)You're done when: An enrollment counselor has been in touch with you.
Point your ESA funds at the tuition
Once your ESA is approved and funded, the school is paid from it. In ClassWallet, the "Pay Vendor" option pays a school directly.
Heads up: Talk to us before you set this up. We work out the academic side with each family one at a time. Do not assume. Just ask. We will tell you exactly how it works for you.
You're done when: Tuition is arranged and your student has course access.
Planning to play college basketball?
Ask us about this before you enroll. Here is the honest picture. To play NCAA Division I or II, a player must pass a set number of NCAA-approved core courses. The NCAA approves those one course at a time, school by school. A school being accredited does not make its courses NCAA-approved. Those are two different things. Smart Schools makes no claim about NCAA approval on its website. So we will not make one for them. What we will do is help you check it directly with the NCAA Eligibility Center and with Smart Schools — before your student takes a course that might not count.
Stuck on any of this?
Call us and we'll walk through it with you on the phone — this is genuinely part of what we do, and nobody should lose funding over a form. For questions only the State can answer, their ESA service center is the right call.
Ready to enroll your student?
You can start your Inspire Prep enrollment now — you do not have to wait for your ESA to be approved first. Tell us where you are in the process and we'll pick it up from there.
Start enrollmentWe checked every step on this page against the State of Arizona's and Smart Schools' own websites on 2026-08-05. These processes do change, and the State is always the final word on your family's ESA — if anything here doesn't match what you're seeing, call the ESA service center at 602-364-1969 or call us and we'll sort it out with you.