At @CSInstituteAZ, we’ve been tracking the decline in public district school enrollment for a while, and reporting on the impact it’s had and the need to close district schools. But something is happening this school year that even we did not anticipate, and that I have seen almost no media reporting about: district enrollment in Arizona dropped by almost 30,000 students this school year. This is according to figures published by the Department of Education in January, and these numbers can change. If they hold this would be the largest drop in K-12 District enrollment since the pandemic, when the state lost 50,000 district students. Charter school enrollment has been basically flat for the last few years. So what is growing? The state’s ESA program, which grew by almost 17,000 students this school year. Meaning the remaining drop likely comes from changing demographics, again something @CSInstituteAZ and @GlennFarley14 have been warning about for some time. There are now about 825,000 kids in Arizona’s district classrooms. That’s an all-time low and lower than 2020-2021, during the peak of the pandemic. At its all-time high in 2009, there were 927,000 kids in district classrooms. According to CSI’s research, district schools have enough capacity for an additional 600,000 students in unused, taxpayer funded buildings, while total enrollment in district schools continues to decline – now even faster than our experts predicted.

Colorado became California, and you won’t believe what happened next!

A packed house as @KatieRatliefAZ kicks off @CSInstituteAZ's 2026 Free Enterprise Summit! Arizona's business and policy leaders have gathered to recognize the people advancing free enterprise in this state. #FES2026

Good news on affordability 📊 @IAGovernor highlighted CSI's latest affordability report on @weareiowa5news Our research found Iowa is the most affordable state in the country, offering a strong example of what’s working and how states can better support families facing rising costs. Watch the full clip 👇 youtube.com/shorts/SbmOPZuDI…

Iowa has been ranked the most affordable state in the country! It’s just another reason why Iowa is the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

President and CEO @HannaSkandera delivering the keynote at the @CSInstituteCO luncheon reflecting on Colorado’s pioneering spirit and how it guides the Daniels Fund’s commitment to opportunity, education, and a stronger future for our state.

A recent @CSInstituteAZ study shows that school districts who can’t compete on performance or culture are using taxpayer dollars to build new facilities like this in an attempt to attract families back to their declining schools. Students and the state would be far better off if they instead tried to compete on reading, writing, and math. Full study here: commonsenseinstituteus.org/a…

All-Star panel and event with some of the greatest minds in the state on budget and policy, from both sides of the aisle! Lots of common sense flowing! @CSInstituteAZ @KatieRatliefAZ @FlinnFoundation

Nearly half of K-12 students in AZ use school choice – district open enrollment, public charter school, ESA, STO, or private/homeschool. But participation varies by community. @CSInstituteAZ recently broke down the data by legislative district and the findings are interesting:

Common Sense Institute Arizona is out with a groundbreaking new report that explores three critical questions about Arizona's water future: 1️⃣ Do we have enough water? 2️⃣ What is it worth? 3️⃣ What happens if we do nothing? Read the full report: bit.ly/41ZQH8o Watch CSI Executive Director Katie Ratlief break it down. Watch now⬇️

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ICYMI: The city of Phoenix has approved a 0.5% sales tax increase, starting in July (for its FY26 budget). The city council and mayor believe the tax is necessary to cover a projected budget shortfall, that they believe is the result of declining city revenues. We looked at the data, here are the facts about Phoenix’s budget:

The next time someone assures you that East coast papers can fairly and accurately cover western issues, remind them that the @washingtonpost does not know the difference between Arizona and New Mexico.

Congrats to all of the teams participating in the NCAA tournament this year (but especially @ArizonaMBB, @GCU_MBB & @GCU_WBB)! All of the host cities will win big too, @CSInstituteAZ found that Arizona gained $250-300M from hosting the Final Four last year!

The decline in reading and math scores have a real, measurable impact on our economy. @CSInstituteAZ found that AZ’s declining NAEP scores will costs us nearly $6 billion. Great to see some schools breaking this trend & delivering for students, especially low-income kids.

Had my old @X profile hacked, so starting over on here. Change your passwords! Also, I’ve been on a forced X hiatus as a result, anything interesting happen?

Announcing CSI Iowa's First Annual Free Enterprise Summit! We are thrilled to invite you to CSI Iowa's first annual Free Enterprise Summit. Our marquee event brings together community leaders, policymakers, and elected officials to discuss the future of free enterprise in Iowa. Location: Curate, Des Moines, IA Time: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM This year's event features keynote speaker former Arizona Governor @DougDucey. The former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, Governor Ducey later served as Arizona State Treasurer before leading the state as Arizona's 23rd Governor from 2015-2023. Today, he is the CEO of Citizens for Free Enterprise, a grassroots organization advocating for economic freedom nationwide. Don't miss this opportunity to discuss Iowa's economic future. Secure your spot at The Free Enterprise Summit today: bit.ly/4hNNxdU #FreeEnterpriseSummit #IowaEconomy #CommonSenseIA

We’re thrilled to announce that Arthur Brooks, best-selling author and professor, will deliver a keynote address followed by a Q&A session with former Arizona Governor @DougDucey. Join us for a look into the future of Free Enterprise in Arizona. Event Details: 📅 Date: Thursday, January 9th 📍 Location: Arizona Biltmore Resort ⏰ Time: 11:30 AM Join us: bit.ly/4gYA0R7

Looking forward to seeing my friend @ArthurBrooks at the @CSInstituteAZ Free Enterprise summit. There will be plenty of discussion about economic freedom, opportunity and the American Dream.

A little personal news… I’m thrilled to take on this new role and am looking forward to 2025!