DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Education released 2024 fall certified enrollment numbers for public school districts and accredited nonpublic schools as well as open enrollment numbers and participants in the Students First Education Savings Account program for the 2024-25 school year.
Public school district certified enrollment was similar to last year at 480,665, compared to 483,699 with a change of less than one percent (-0.63%). State enrollment projections from May 2022, prior to the passing of the Students First Education Savings Account (ESA) program (signed into law by Kim Reynolds in 2023), show a downward trend in public school enrollment starting in the 2023-24 school year and continuing through at least 2026-27.
Educations Savings Accounts can be obtained by families who enroll their eligible children in an accredited private school for an amount equal to the per pupil funds allocated by the state to all public school districts each year ($7,635 for the 2023-24 school year).
Certified enrollment at Iowa accredited nonpublic schools was 39,356, up from 36,195 last year. A total of 27,866 participants used their Students First ESA at an accredited nonpublic school as of the Oct. 1 certified enrollment date. Additionally, more than 43,000 public school students open enrolled in a public school outside of their home district, representing about 9% of total 2024 public school district certified enrollment.
The certified enrollment count is a snapshot in time, taken on the first day of October every year or the following Monday if the first falls on a weekend. Certified enrollment is used to determine funding for public schools and differs slightly from the actual headcount of students enrolled. Certified enrollment in October of any given year drives funding for the next fiscal year. Fall 2024 numbers will be used to determine public school funding for the 2025-26 school year.
About 6.8% of the student ESA participants attended a public K-12 school in the previous school year, and about 14.2% of the student ESA participants were entering kindergarten students.
1,905 ESA participants attended an Iowa public K-12 school last year.
3,960 ESA participants were entering kindergarten students.
A breakdown of public school districts that have ESA participants who reside within their district boundaries is as follows:
13.5% of districts (n=44) had no ESA students living within their district boundaries.
37.5% of districts (n=122) had 1-10 ESA students living within their district boundaries.
28.9% of districts (n=94) had 11-99 ESA students living within their district boundaries.
20.0% of districts (n=65) had 100 or more ESA students living within their boundaries.
The number of participants using their ESA differs from the total number of applications that were approved by the Sept. 30 program close date. Some participants withdrew prior to the Oct. 1 certified enrollment date and others had an approved ESA but did not use it.