Iowa Dept. of Education: 18,000+ ESA applications approved

By KAALTV

Credit: Canva

(ABC 6 News) – The Iowa Department of Education announced that as of Aug. 4, it has approved 18,627 Students First education savings accounts (ESAs) with less than 1,000 applications left to review before the school year begins.

In January, Governor Kim Reynolds signed the Students First Act, which allowed families across the state to apply for about $7,600 per student to use toward private school tuition, fees and other related costs, including textbooks and tutoring.

“Public schools are the foundation of our education system and for most families they will continue to be the option of choice, but they aren’t the only choice,” Gov. Reynolds stated. “For some families, a different path may be better for their children. With this bill, every child in Iowa, regardless of zip code or income, will have access to the school best suited for them.”

The department told ABC News Des Moines affiliate, WOI-DT, they received approximately 25,000 applications by the June 30 deadline. As of Aug. 4, applications have been accepted from 96 of Iowa’s 99 counties.

According to a nonpartisan report created by the Iowa Legislative Services Agency in January, by 2026 the program will have cost the state around $880 million.

Below are the counties in the ABC 6 News local area with the number of applications approved:

Cerro Gordo: 338
Floyd: 113
Howard: 87
Winnebago: 27
Hancock: 17
Worth: 8
Mitchell: 3

The applications were screened and verified through an automatic review process, according to the state website.

If an approved student does not attend an accredited nonpublic school by September 30, the account is closed and the funds are returned to the general fund.

Additional information regarding the final number of approved applicants will be available after September 30.

Below is a year-by-year breakdown of application criteria:

Year 1: School 2023-24

All entering kindergarten students
All students enrolled in a public school
A student enrolled in an accredited nonpublic school with a household income at or below 300% of the 2023 Federal Poverty Guidelines

Year 2: School Year 2024-25

All entering kindergarten students
All students enrolled in a public school
A student enrolled in an accredited nonpublic school with a household income at or below 400% of the 2024 Federal Poverty Guidelines that will be updated January 2024

Year 3: School Year 2025-26

All K-12 students in Iowa regardless of income