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Are Board games, strategy games, puzzles ESA eligible in Arizona?

Yes. Board games, strategy games, puzzles are general education supplemental material under the SY2025-26 ESA Parent Handbook — allowable for all ESA students with no curriculum documentation currently required. A complete itemized receipt is still required.

Are board games and puzzles an ESA-eligible expense

Board games, strategy games, and puzzles are Tier 1 supplemental material with no curriculum document. The handbook recognizes their educational value — logic, math, vocabulary, planning — so a chess set or a jigsaw puzzle clears on its own.

The mistake families make

Reading "games are allowed" as "all games are allowed." The category is board, strategy, and puzzle games; a video game console and its titles are prohibited electronics, and a purely-themed party game with no clear learning angle sits in a gray zone. The format matters, not just the word "game."

The allowable path nearby

Stick to board, strategy, and puzzle games rather than anything that runs on a console. Keep the itemized receipt and tag the purchase to the subject it serves — math for strategy games, reading for word games — so it counts toward renewal.

The receipt still has to be complete

A yes on allowability doesn't survive an incomplete receipt. Every receipt needs the vendor's name, address, and contact; the date; a receipt or order number; an itemized description; and the itemized and total amounts. Missing any field can get the expense rejected — and undocumented debit-card purchases past the quarterly deadline must be repaid.

Source: Handbook Ch.3. School year 2025-26 rules. Last reviewed 2026-06-15.

Homeschool like the state isn't watching. Because we are.

Educational information based on the official ADE Parent Handbook SY2025-26 — not legal advice. Final allowability is determined by ADE. Verify against the official database at azed.gov/esa/esa-allowable-items.