Nearly 30,000 Iowans Have Applied For Revolutionary School Voucher Program

According to an announcement from the office of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), nearly 30,000 Iowa residents have applied for the state’s Students First Education Savings Account (ESA).

Iowa’s ESA has been described as one of the most revolutionary voucher programs in the United States and has faced strong opposition from teachers unions throughout the long process of creating the program. 

While state projections predicted that just 14,068 students would be approved to receive education savings accounts within the first year of the program, the more than 29,000 applicants far exceeded the state’s predictions.

“The tremendous response from Iowa families demonstrates there’s both a need and a strong desire for school choice in our state,” Reynolds said. “Allowing parents to choose the education that’s best for their children levels the playing field and creates equal opportunities for Iowa’s students.”

There are currently only 9,000 spots available in Iowa’s private schools this year, so most of these applicants will not be successful. However, the increase in opportunities for children to leave failing public schools via the ESA will prompt an increase in open slots over the next three years — likely leading to having enough space that everyone who applies and is eligible will be accepted.

The requirements to be eligible for the program include having a household income below $90,000 per year, or 300% of the federal poverty line. Families who are approved for the ESA program will receive a voucher worth $7,635 per student for the 2023-2024 school year. This money can be used to pay for any expenses related to private schools, beginning with tuition and fees. Funding all of the applications that have been approved would cost the state roughly $133.5 million, and that number will only continue to rise as applications continue to be approved.

The majority of applications reportedly come from families who are already sending their children to private schools. According to the Des Moines Register, “Sixty percent of the 17,481 approved applications are for students who already attend an accredited private school, while 40% are for students planning to move from public to private school this year. The 40% includes incoming kindergarteners.”

Reynolds signed the school voucher program into law in January, and has celebrated the revolutionary decision to allow the funding to follow the student — and to remove the restriction that confines a child to the school in their zip code unless their parents can afford a private school.