The Iowa Department of Education announced Jan. 29 that more than 16,000 students paid for nonpublic school tuition this year by using education savings accounts created under a law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds last year.
The law, which supporters often referred to as “school choice” legislation, awards about $7,600 per student to Iowa families who are approved for a state-funded education savings account to pay for nonpublic school tuition and fees.
Supporters of the new law said it would allow parents more opportunity to send their children to a school of their choice by removing financial barriers.
The new data released last week indicates some parents are taking advantage of that option by shifting their children from public to private schools. Nonpublic school enrollment increased slightly more than 7%, or just over 2,000 students.
But the data also shows most of the education savings accounts, or ESAs, went to students who were already attending private schools.
- About two-thirds of students who used their ESAs this year had previously attended a nonpublic school, according to the Department of Education data.
- Another 21% were kindergartners just entering the school system.
- Only about 13% of ESA participants moved from a public school to a nonpublic school this year.