TL;DR: For the first time, an Iowa family that misses the June deadline can still get Students First ESA money this school year. The half-year window opened October 15 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on November 15, 2026, and it pays $4,074 toward spring tuition at an accredited private school. Around Des Moines, 34 of the 39 private schools we track qualify.
What is Iowa's half-year ESA, and who is it for?
The half-year ESA is a spring-semester version of the Students First Education Savings Account, worth $4,074 for 2026-27, exactly half of the $8,148 full-year award. It exists because House File 2754, signed May 12, 2026, created a second application window in the fall. Until this year, the only window closed June 30, so a child who changed schools in October had to wait for the next school year.
The families it fits are easy to picture in the Des Moines metro: a third grader who started the year in a public school and is moving to a parish school in January, a family that relocated to Ankeny or Waukee over the summer and missed the spring window, or a homeschooled student whose parents have decided on a full-time accredited school for the second semester. The state notes that homeschooled students may apply if they enroll full time at an Iowa accredited nonpublic school.
The rules are otherwise the same as the full-year program. The student must be an Iowa resident in kindergarten through grade 12, attend at least 75 percent of the school's full-time schedule, and enroll at a school on the state's accredited nonpublic list. There is no income test.
What are the exact dates between now and January?
There are four dates, and the last one matters as much as the first. The Iowa Department of Education publishes them on its ESA page:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Oct 15, 2026, 8:00 a.m. | Half-year applications open in the Odyssey parent portal |
| Nov 15, 2026, 11:59 p.m. | Half-year applications close |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Half-year funds, and spring funds for full-year students, become available |
| Jan 14, 2027, 11:59 p.m. | Enrollment and tuition-payment deadline in the portal |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Half-year eligibility is finalized |
An approval in November is not the finish line. If the school has not entered the spring tuition and fees, and the parent has not confirmed them, by January 14, the money does not move. Put that date on the calendar the day you apply.
Which Des Moines-area schools can a mid-year switcher use it at?
Only schools on the Iowa Department of Education's accredited nonpublic list. In our data for Polk, Dallas, Warren and Madison counties, that is 34 of 39 private schools. Every Catholic school qualifies, from St. Luke the Evangelist in Ankeny to St. Patrick in Perry, and so do most Christian and independent schools, including Des Moines Christian School in Urbandale, Grand View Christian on the east side and Bergman Academy near Grand Avenue.
The five that do not qualify are two Montessori programs for young children, a Lutheran early learning center and two very small Christian schools in Norwalk and Dallas Center. They appear in the federal private school survey but not on the state's 2025-26 accredited list. Our school directory marks every school either way, so check there before you count on the $4,074.
Seats are the other practical question. A school can only enroll a mid-year student it has room for, so call the admissions office before you apply and ask whether a January start is possible for your child's grade.
Half-year ESA vs. full-year ESA: what is different?
Only the timing and the amount. The half-year award is $4,074 instead of $8,148, it is applied for in the fall instead of the spring, and its enrollment deadline is January 14 instead of September 30. Everything else carries over: tuition and fees are paid first, leftover money can be spent only through the Odyssey Marketplace, and any unused balance stays in the account for later years.
What the half-year ESA is not: it is not a top-up for a student who already holds a full-year 2026-27 ESA, it is not available for preschool, and it cannot be used for homeschooling or at a school without Iowa accreditation. It also does not change next year. A student who starts on a half-year award still needs to apply in the 2027-28 full-year window, which Iowa Code places between January 1 and June 30; the state ran this year's window from April 16 to June 30.
What should a Des Moines family do this week?
- Confirm the school is on the accredited list and has a spring seat for your child's grade.
- Gather what Odyssey asks for: residency is checked against a parent's 2025 Iowa tax return, and starting this fall a government-issued ID is also required.
- Apply in the Odyssey parent portal before 11:59 p.m. on November 15. The state lists 515-368-9564 for application help.
- Ask the school when it will enter spring tuition in the portal, and confirm it yourself before January 14.
- Ask about the school's STO grant if your household income is at or below 400 percent of the poverty guidelines; it can cover part of what $4,074 does not.
If you want a second set of eyes, the two-minute funding check sends your answers to an advisor who can walk through the steps with you.
Frequently asked questions
What is Iowa's half-year ESA, and who is it for?
It is a $4,074 spring-semester Students First ESA for 2026-27, created by House File 2754, for Iowa K-12 students who will attend an accredited nonpublic school full time starting in the second semester.
What are the exact dates between now and January?
Applications run October 15 to 11:59 p.m. November 15, 2026; funds are available December 1; enrollment and tuition must be confirmed by 11:59 p.m. January 14, 2027.
Which Des Moines-area schools can a mid-year switcher use it at?
Any school on Iowa's accredited nonpublic list, which covers 34 of the 39 private schools we track in Polk, Dallas, Warren and Madison counties.
Half-year ESA vs. full-year ESA: what is different?
The amount ($4,074 vs. $8,148), the application window and the enrollment deadline; the spending rules are the same.
Related questions
- How does the half-year ESA work?
- What are all the 2026-27 ESA dates?
- What would we owe after the ESA?
- Which schools are accredited?
Sources
- Iowa Department of Education: Students First Education Savings Accounts
- Iowa Capital Dispatch: Reynolds signs charter school, homeschooling bill (HF 2754), May 12, 2026
- Iowa Department of Education: 2025-26 Iowa Nonpublic School Building Directory
- Iowa Code section 257.11B (2026)
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