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Monday, January 20, 2025

Public school enrollment drops slightly in Iowa as ESA participants increase

Public school enrollment drops slightly in Iowa as ESA participants increase

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Department of Education on Friday announced its 2024 certified enrollment numbers for public school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and participation numbers in the ‘Student First Education Savings Account program (ESA). Public school district certified enrollment dropped .63 percent last year from 483,699 in 2023 to 480,665 in 2024. It continues a downward trend from the previous year’s numbers.

Meanwhile, certified enrollment at Iowa-accredited nonpublic schools rose again last year from 36,195 in 2023 to 39,356 in 2024. 27,866 participants used their Students First ESA at an accredited nonpublic school, as of Oct. 1. That number is up from 16,757 participants in 2023. More than 43,000 public school students open enrolled in a public school outside their home district.

The Department of Education explained the certified enrollment count is a snapshot in time, taken on the first day of October every year. It’s used to determine funding for public schools and is slightly different from the actual headcount of students enrolled. The certified enrollment drives funding for the next fiscal year, so the numbers from Fall 2024 will determine public school funding for the 2025-26 school year.

The Department of Education says the number of participants using ESA differs from the total number of applications that were approved because some participants withdrew and others had an ESA approved, but did not use it.

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