Homeschool benefits and savings in the Phoenix metropolitan area

Valley Metro gives youth ages 6 to 18 a reduced fare on Phoenix-area local buses and light rail, below the $2 full fare for one local ride. Your child qualifies by age: buy a Copper card for a one-time $4 charge, then apply for reduced fare from your online fare account. Other options include college classes and scholarships and library educator cards and resources.

By Andrew Garber, founder of TheHomeschoolingCompany. Reviewed August 25, 2026.

Benefits in the Phoenix metropolitan area

1. Valley Metro reduced youth fare
2. Maricopa Promise Scholarship
3. Phoenix Public Library homeschool educator account
4. Maricopa Community Colleges Prop 308 homeschool-equivalent tuition classification

Valley Metro reduced youth fare

Who qualifies

1. Is 6 to 18 years old

   Valley Metro offers reduced fares on local bus routes and light rail to youth in this age range, along with seniors and riders with disabilities.

2. Has a Copper fare account

   Reduced Smart Fare needs a reduced-fare account. A Copper card and an app account cannot be combined: each keeps its own balance and its own progress toward the fare caps.

3. Applies for reduced fare online

   Log in at valleymetrofares.org, open Manage Account, and use the reduced fare link to apply.

4. Proves your child's age

   The fare site does not list which age documents it accepts. Call 602-253-5000, option 3, and ask before you apply.

What the fare costs

Valley Metro's Smart Fare page shows these full local fares and caps in its worked example; a youth account pays the reduced rate instead.

Copper card issuance, one time

$4

One local ride

$2

Daily maximum

$4

Weekly maximum, Monday to Sunday

$20

Monthly maximum, calendar month

$64

The fare site does not list the youth reduced amounts, so ask customer service for the current youth one-ride price and caps before you load money onto the card.

How to get the youth fare

1. Before you apply

   Get a Copper card

   Order 1 to 10 cards on the Get a Copper Card page, or buy one at a retail location such as the customer service desk at Bashas' or Food City.

2. After you have the card

   Apply for reduced fare

   Register the card in your valleymetrofares.org account, then apply for reduced fare under Customer Login, Manage Account.

3. Before riding

   Load money

   Reload the card online, at a fare vending machine, or at one of the retail locations across the Valley.

4. Every ride

   Tap and let the cap work

   Smart Fare charges per ride until your child reaches the daily, weekly, or monthly maximum, then stops charging for that period.

What it includes

Included

• Local bus routes
• Light rail
• Daily, weekly, and monthly fare caps

Not included

• The $4 Copper card issuance charge
• Combining a card balance with an app account

Who to contact about the youth fare

Valley Metro's fare customer service answers questions about Copper cards, reduced fare applications, and accepted proof of age.

602-253-5000 Contact page

Maricopa Promise Scholarship

Who qualifies

1. Graduated from home high school

   Your student must have graduated from a public, private, home, or online high school, or earned a state-accredited GED, before enrolling.

2. Enrolls within two years

   Your student must enroll at a Maricopa Community College within two years of high school graduation. Adults 25 or older without a prior degree also qualify.

3. Gets resident tuition

   Your student must qualify for Arizona/Maricopa resident tuition, be admitted to a Maricopa Community College, and enroll in an eligible degree or certificate program with at least 6 credit hours.

4. Is Pell Grant eligible

   Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), be eligible for a Pell Grant, and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements.

What it is worth

Maricopa Community Colleges charges resident students $97 per credit hour in 2026-27 plus a $15 registration fee each semester; these are the costs the scholarship helps with.

Minimum semester (6 credits)

$597

Full-time semester (12 credits)

$1,179

Semester at 15 credits

$1,470

Four semesters at 12 credits

$4,716

The 2026 announcement does not state the award amount, so email promise@domail.maricopa.edu to ask how much the scholarship pays each semester before you count on it.

From applying to keeping it

1. Before you apply

   Get an MEID and file the FAFSA

   Apply for admission to a Maricopa Community College to get a Maricopa student ID (MEID), and file the FAFSA so Pell eligibility can be checked.

2. As early as possible

   Submit the application

   Start the Maricopa Promise application with your student's MEID. Awards are first come, first served and funding is limited.

3. After applying

   Watch the student email

   All further messages about the application go to your student's Maricopa student email.

4. Each semester

   Enroll in 6 or more credits

   Stay in an eligible degree or certificate program with at least 6 credit hours and meet SAP to keep the scholarship.

5. Up to four semesters

   Use it back to back

   Support lasts up to four consecutive semesters, not counting summer, at any Maricopa Community College.

What it pays for

Covered

• Scholarship funds for up to four semesters
• Additional support services
• Use at any Maricopa Community College

Not covered

• Summer semesters
• Students without Pell Grant eligibility
• Students past two years from graduation who are under 25

Funding is limited and awards are first come, first served, so apply as soon as possible.

Who to contact

The Maricopa Promise team answers questions about the requirements and helps with the application.

promise@domail.maricopa.edu Maricopa Promise announcement

Phoenix Public Library homeschool educator account

Who qualifies

1. Educates in Maricopa County

   The library offers Teacher Accounts to teachers and educators in Maricopa County, including homeschool educators who supply the required affidavit.

2. Brings a notarized affidavit

   A copy of a notarized Affidavit of Intent to Homeschool substitutes for current faculty identification.

3. Keeps a personal account

   The Teacher Account is additional to your personal Full Access Library Account.

4. Shows identity and address

   Present valid photo identification when obtaining a card. If it lacks your current address, bring accepted address evidence such as a recent utility bill or postmarked mail.

What the account gives you

The library's current Library Cards page lists the Teacher Account's checkout, hold, loan-period, and annual renewal terms.

Books and media

50 items at once

Physical holds

15 at once

Teacher Account loans

4 weeks

Account renewal

In person each school year

How to get the account

1. Before your visit

   Prepare your documents

   Bring photo identification, address evidence if needed, and your notarized homeschool affidavit.

2. At a library location

   Request a Teacher Account

   Staff can issue the educator account alongside your personal account and explain its borrowing privileges.

3. When borrowing

   Use it for teaching materials

   Select books or media for curriculum and educational group use, within the 50-item limit.

4. Each school year

   Renew in person

   Teacher Accounts expire annually on September 6. Renew at a library location and keep your personal account in good standing.

What it includes

Included

• Teaching books
• Media for curriculum
• Physical material holds

Not included

• Interlibrary loans
• Specialty and promotional items
• Act One Culture Passes

Who to contact about the account

Library staff answer questions about Teacher Accounts, documentation, and borrowing privileges.

602-262-4636 Library card instructions

Maricopa Community Colleges Prop 308 homeschool-equivalent tuition classification

Who qualifies

1. Homeschooled in Arizona two years

   Your student attended a public or private high school or a homeschool equivalent under A.R.S. 15-802 while physically present in Arizona for at least two years.

2. Graduated in Arizona

   Your student graduated from a high school or homeschool equivalent while physically present in Arizona, or earned an Arizona high school equivalency (GED) diploma.

3. Has an eligible status

   Citizens and noncitizens, including Dreamers, qualify, but many visa types such as F1, J1, and H4 are not eligible. Talk to Admissions and Records if your student holds a visa.

4. Has graduated already

   Noncitizen students in Dual Enrollment or an early college program do not qualify while still in high school, but they do after graduating.

What in-state tuition saves

Maricopa Community Colleges charges in-state students $97 per credit hour in 2026-27 and out-of-state students living in Arizona $372.

Per credit hour

$275

One 3-credit class

$825

Full-time semester (12 credits)

$3,300

Semester at 15 credits

$4,125

Two years at 12 credits a semester

$13,200

Each semester also carries a $15 registration fee and any course fees, which are the same under either classification.

How to get in-state tuition

1. Before graduation

   Keep homeschool records

   Keep a transcript that shows at least two years of homeschool attendance in Arizona and your student's graduation.

2. At admission

   Apply to a Maricopa college

   New students are classified out-of-state until they show they qualify, so apply and ask for Prop 308 classification right away.

3. Before the semester

   Send proof

   Give the college's Admissions, Records, and Registration office valid identification and the transcript; an unofficial copy can set the rate, but an official copy must follow.

4. After classification

   Pay in-state tuition

   Your student is billed $97 per credit hour and can also receive state and local grants, scholarships, and tuition waivers.

What it includes

Included

• In-state tuition rate
• State-funded grants and scholarships
• Tuition waiver and exemption programs

Not included

• The $15 registration fee
• Course fees
• Students on ineligible visas

Prop 308 is a tuition classification, not a payment: it lowers the rate your student is charged and opens state and local aid.

Who to contact about tuition classification

Each college's Admissions, Records, and Registration office decides tuition classification; Mesa Community College's office is at 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa.

480-461-7600 Prop 308 page

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

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