Yes, You Can Use ESA Funds for Field Trips to Entertainment Venues in Arizona - Here's How

If you've ever looked at a venue like Andretti Indoor Karting, Main Event, or iFly and thought, "That would be an incredible learning day for my kids...but there's no way ESA would ever cover it," - you're not alone. And until recently, you would have been mostly right.

These are exactly the kinds of "entertainment" venues that don't qualify for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) when a family books on their own. I've been asked about it directly: how can these places possibly count as educational expenses? It's a fair question, and the answer is the whole reason Discoveries in the Desert exists.

Here's the good news for Arizona homeschool families, microschools, and co-ops: when you book through Discoveries in the Desert, these become ESA-approved field trips - structured, standards-aligned, and payable with ESA funds instead of out of your own pocket. Let me show you why.

These venues are secretly some of the best STEM classrooms in Arizona

The reason places like Andretti or iFly get written off as "just fun" is that most people only ever experience the recreational version of them. But hands-on learning in real-world environments is where science and math finally click for kids, especially students that need more of an interactive lesson to fully grasp a concept.

• Andretti Indoor Karting is a rolling physics lab. Speed, acceleration, friction, momentum, and the forces you feel leaning into a turn - students don't just read about Newton's laws, they feel them.

• Topgolf turns into a live experiment in projectile motion, launch angles, trajectory, and data. Every swing produces real numbers students can measure, predict, and graph.

• iFly is aerodynamics you can stand inside. Lift, drag, air resistance, and the way body position changes flight make abstract concepts about forces suddenly very real.

• Main event is physics and probability disguised as a party. Bowling alone cov

  ers force, momentum, friction, and energy transfer, while the game of laser-tag is a lesson on angles, geometry, and strategy.

  
  

...and the lineup keeps growing every season!

The learning was always there. What's been missing is the structure that connects the experience to curriculum, and that's the piece we provide at Discoveries in the Desert. Education packets that prepare students for these experience, combined with on-site STEM lessons that truly help students understand the concepts they're learning is how these "fun" venues transform into exciting STEM programs.

Why these venues usually don't qualify for ESA when visiting on your own

ESA funds are reserved for expenses that are primarily educational. When an individual family buys general-admission tickets to an entertainment venue, there's nothing on that receipt that distinguishes it from a fun day out. There are no learning objectives, no instruction, no documentation tying the visit to academic standards. So it reads as recreation and gets denied.

That's the gap. The venue isn't the problem. The missing educational framework is. (New to how ESA spending works? My full guide to using ESA funds for enrichment programs in Arizona walks through the basics.)

How booking through Discoveries in the Desert changes everything

When you register for one of our programs, you're not buying tickets. You're enrolling in a structured, standards-aligned educational program that happens to take place somewhere extraordinary. Here's exactly what makes that ESA-eligible:

• Standards-aligned education packets. Every program comes with materials built around Arizona State Standards that prepare students before the visit, so they arrive ready to learn.

• Booked educational programming at the venue. We arrange the educational version of each experience, which many venues only offer to organized groups and not to walk-in individual families. This is structured learning, led with intention.

• Documented curriculum correlations. We detail the specific educational connections between each activity and grade-level learning objectives, so the academic purpose is clear and on the record. This is exactly what ESA approval depends on.

• Group educational discounts. Booking through Discoveries in the Desert unlocks group rates that individual homeschool families often can't access, which means your ESA funds stretch further.

Put those four things together and you have what an individual ticket purchase never will: a genuine, documented educational program. That's what turns a day out into ESA-approved field trips and enrichment - and it's why families who book through Discoveries in the Desert can finally say yes to the venues they previously thought were off-limits.

Built for homeschool families, microschools, and co-ops

These ESA-approved enrichment programs are designed for Pre-K through 8th grade learners and welcome every kind of student. Having nearly a decade of experience designing and leading Arizona standards-aligned field trips, our founder, Allie, is present at every program. The result is a learning day that feels like an adventure to your kids and like a smart, standards-backed use of your ESA funds to you.

Registration for our Fall 2026 field trip schedule begins June 29th!

Educational visits to these exciting venues is bookable very soon! Sign up for our monthly newsletter for exclusive discounts and to be the first to know when registration is open. If you've been wishing for ESA-approved field trips in Arizona that are hands-on, educational, and are sure to get your kids excited about learning, this is your chance to lock in your spots.

Browse the fall 2026 field trip schedule

Are you part of a microschool, co-op, or learning group and want to arrange a private field trip for your group? Contact us today and we can discuss which venue or venues will bring your lessons to life.

Discoveries in the Desert is an ESA-approved, ClassWallet Direct Pay vendor serving homeschool families, microschools, and co-ops across the Phoenix Valley. As with any ESA purchase, families should confirm current allowability in their ESA Parent Handbook. We provide the standards-aligned documentation that supports educational use.