Homeschool benefits through Pima County JTED homeschool CTE
Pima County Joint Technical Education District (JTED) offers free career and technical education to eligible homeschool sophomores, juniors, and seniors in its service area. Programs take one or two years; students receiving Empowerment Scholarship Account or private-school tuition-tax-credit funding must pay tuition. Other options include college classes and scholarships.
Pima County JTED homeschool CTE
Who qualifies
Lives in the service area
Eligible areas include Pima County, Nogales, Rio Rico in Santa Cruz County, and Mammoth-San Manuel in Pinal County. Free programs require residence within a member district's boundaries.
Meets high school eligibility
Home-school students qualify alongside public, charter, and private-school students. The usual entry level is sophomore, junior, or senior; students not in school must have completed ninth grade, be under 22, and have no diploma or General Educational Development (GED) credential.
Qualifies for free public education
Students who accepted Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) funds or Private School Tuition Tax Credit Program funding must pay JTED tuition. Ask a JTED counselor which payment route applies before accepting a seat.
Completes program-specific steps
Some pathways need a separate application with its own deadline. Pima Community College concurrent-enrollment programs require attendance at a spring information session.
What it is worth
Pima JTED's enrollment page lists no program fees for eligible member-district students, program lengths, and conditional transportation assistance.
- Program tuition and fees
- Free for eligible students
- Certified Nursing Assistant pathway
- 1 year
- Engineering/Mechatronics & Design
- 2 years
- Bus-pass assistance
- Only for students who qualify
- Uniforms and extra supplies
- Family cost; assistance for qualifiers
From applying to keeping it
- Before pre-enrollment
Choose a pathway
Compare program days, hours, location, and one-year or two-year commitment. Ask a counselor about supplies and tuition eligibility.
- January 25, 2027, 5 p.m.
Submit pre-enrollment
For 2027-28, submit within the first 24 hours to enter the priority random-selection process. Pre-enrollment does not guarantee placement.
- After pre-enrollment
Finish extra requirements
Complete any separate program application by its deadline. Attend the required spring information session for college concurrent-enrollment programs.
- Early April
Check SchoolMint
Admission decisions appear on your SchoolMint dashboard. If selected, submit the additional enrollment form by the assigned deadline.
- While enrolled
Attend your program
Regular attendance is required. Arrange your own transportation, or ask your counselor whether you qualify for a bus pass.
What it includes
Included
- Career and technical coursework
- High school elective credits
- Industry certification opportunities
- College credit in some courses
- Conditional bus passes
Not included
- Automatic transportation
- Uniforms and additional supplies
- Free tuition for ESA or tuition-tax-credit recipients
Who to contact
JTED counselors answer homeschool eligibility, tuition, pathway, supply-assistance, and transportation questions.
counselors@pimajted.org Enrollment requirements
Pima Community College Prop 308 homeschool-equivalent tuition classification
Who qualifies
Attended in Arizona for two years
Your student must have attended a public or private high school or homeschool equivalent while physically present in Arizona for at least two years. The two years need not be consecutive.
Graduated in Arizona
Your student must have graduated from an Arizona public or private high school or homeschool equivalent, or obtained a high school equivalency diploma in Arizona.
Meets the immigration-status rules
Qualifying non-citizen students can receive the rate regardless of immigration status, without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status. The college excludes specified nonimmigrant visa holders, including F1, F2, J1, H4, and H1.
Documents the classification
Send documents to the Registrar's Office. Proposition 308 changes tuition and state-aid eligibility, but does not change college admission requirements.
What you pay at the in-state rate
Pima's 2026-27 resident schedule charges $103 per lower-division credit and caps general tuition at 15 credits per semester.
- 3 credits
- $309
- 6 credits
- $618
- 12 credits
- $1,236
- 15 credits
- $1,545
- 18 credits
- $1,545
From applying to keeping it
- Before registration
Review eligibility
Check your student's Arizona attendance, physical presence, graduation, and immigration-status criteria against the college's Proposition 308 guidance.
- During admission
Submit documents
Email the Registrar's Office for the documents needed and send them to registrar@pima.edu.
- Before paying
Confirm the updated rate
Ask the Registrar's Office or an advisor to confirm that your student's tuition classification reflects the in-state rate.
- Each semester
Budget the remaining bill
Include course fees, first-day materials, and any differential tuition. An optional payment plan is available through MyPima with a $10 non-refundable enrollment fee.
What the classification provides
Included
- In-state tuition classification
- Eligibility for state and local aid
Not included
- Automatic tuition payment
- Course fees and materials
- Federal aid eligibility changes
Good to know
The proposition does not pay the tuition bill
Proposition 308 makes qualifying students eligible for resident tuition and some state-funded grants, scholarships, or waivers. Your student still owes the resulting charges unless separate aid covers them.
Who to contact
The Registrar’s Office receives Proposition 308 documents and answers questions about updating tuition classification.
registrar@pima.edu Proposition 308 FAQ
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Arizona
Within 30 days of starting, file an affidavit of intent and a certified birth certificate or other authorized ID with the county superintendent. The ID rule exempts homeless pupils. Within 30 days, notify the superintendent if you stop or file a new affidavit if you resume.
Arizona sets these rules:
- Subjects: Reading, grammar, math, social studies, and science required.
- Testing: Arizona does not require standardized testing for homeschoolers.
- Records: Arizona does not prescribe routine academic portfolios or attendance reports; required identity documentation is filed with the county superintendent.
- Teachers: Arizona does not require a teaching certificate or degree to homeschool your own child.
Arizona also has an education savings account that home-educated students can use.
- The Empowerment Scholarship Account pays about 90% of the state funding your child's district or charter school would have received, for curriculum, tutoring, and other approved expenses. Using it is a separate path from homeschooling under state law.
- TheHomeschoolingCompany is an approved vendor for it.
Read the Arizona homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Arizona
Questions parents ask
- Is everything at Pima JTED free?
- Not quite. Eligible students within member-district boundaries pay no program fees, but some pathways require uniforms or extra supplies, and counselors can discuss financial assistance for qualifying students.
- When is the next Pima JTED enrollment opening?
- January 25, 2027, at 5 p.m., for 2027-28. Applications in the first 24 hours enter a random selection when a program is oversubscribed; later applicants are processed first come, first served or waitlisted.
- Do the two Arizona years for Prop 308 have to be consecutive?
- No. Pima accepts nonconsecutive years, provided the attendance and physical-presence requirements are documented.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Local classes cover the subjects they offer. We teach the remaining subjects, so a local class can stay part of the year without becoming the whole curriculum. We are an approved Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) vendor, so your ClassWallet balance can pay for it.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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