Iowa private schools see enrollment jump after passage of education savings accounts

Iowa's private schools saw an enrollment increase last fall of several thousand students under a new state law that allows families to use taxpayer funds to pay for nonpublic education.

The Oct. 1, 2023, statewide student count showed private school enrollment rose just over 7% from the previous year for a 2023-24 school year count of 36,195 students, according to numbers released by the Iowa Department of Education Friday.

Of those students, 16,757 used the state's recently created education savings accounts to pay for their school expenses, the department's news release states. The state had approved almost 19,000 students to access the funds ahead for the current 2023-24 school year.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed education savings accounts into law during the 2023 legislative session. The accounts allow Iowa families to apply for about $7,600 per student for private school expenses including tuition and fees.

The accounts use funds that otherwise would have followed the student to the public school district he or she attended.

Related: Nearly 19,000 Iowa students approved for education savings accounts. What that means:

Roughly two in three students using the ESA accounts had previously attended a private school, the news release states. About 21% using the accounts started kindergarten this year and more than 12% previously attended a public school.

Statewide, public school enrollment was down about .57% from last year for a total of 483,699 students, the release stated. Certified enrollment numbers are used to determine public school funding for the next school year.

Related: Gov. Kim Reynolds touts passage of 'school choice' law as conservative group honors Iowa

Previously, Reynolds, a proponent of school choice, has said education savings accounts would raise the bar for everyone.

"It will make education better across the board," she said at the time.

Critics denigrated the plan as a giveaway for families who already could afford to send their kids to private school at the expense of public schools, particularly in rural areas.

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa private school enrollment rises with education savings accounts