EFA and Sunshine Montessori
Sunshine Montessori was not on the state's 2024-25 list of EFA participating schools, and it is not on the current list either. Schools can apply to participate each year, so ask whether it has applied. Until it does, an Education Freedom Account can't pay its tuition, though a homeschool or hybrid family may still use the account for other approved expenses.
In the federal Private School Survey (2023-24), the school reported 7 students, 1 full-time-equivalent teachers and a student-teacher ratio of about 7.0:1.
From kindergarten through grade 2, that's 3 school years. At the 2026-27 amount, a child who uses an account every year here would bring about $21,624 in state funding over that span. The amount is set each year, so treat this as a planning number.
Paying the balance
Montessori programs often start before kindergarten. The EFA begins at kindergarten (age 5 by August 1), so pre-K years are paid privately or through other early-childhood aid.
Check my funding for this school →
After grade 2: where students can continue
Sunshine Montessori ends at grade 2. These local EFA schools serve grade 3:
- Life Way Christian School (Centerton, grades PK-12, about 19 mi)
- Providence Classical Christian Academy (Rogers, grades K-12, about 21 mi)
- Shiloh Christian School (Springdale, grades K-12, about 22 mi)
- First Academy (Rogers, grades PK-5, about 22 mi)
- Bentonville Christian Academy (Bentonville, grades PK-8, about 22 mi)
Questions to ask the school
- Have you applied to participate in the Education Freedom Account program?
- How do you bill EFA families: directly through ClassWallet each quarter, or do we pay and get reimbursed?
- What is the full cost for my child's grade, including registration, books, uniforms and fees, and what's left after the $7,208 account?
- Which discounts and aid apply on top of the account?
- Which nationally norm-referenced test do you give, and will you share my child's results?
Closest private schools
| School | Type | Grades | Distance | EFA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ozark Adventist School | Seventh-day Adventist | PK-8 | 4.1 mi | — |
| Ozark Adventist Academy | Seventh-day Adventist | 9-12 | 4.2 mi | — |
| Gravette Holiness Bible School | Church of God | PK-10 | 16.9 mi | — |
| Life Way Christian School | Baptist | PK-12 | 18.5 mi | ✓ |
| Providence Classical Christian Academy | Christian | K-12 | 21.2 mi | ✓ |
| Shiloh Christian School | Baptist | K-12 | 22.0 mi | ✓ |
Straight-line distance from federal survey coordinates.