TL;DR: The Students First ESA can only be spent at an Iowa accredited nonpublic school, so the state's accredited list is the map that matters. We matched the Iowa Department of Education's 2025-26 directory against the federal private school survey for Polk, Dallas, Warren and Madison counties: 34 of 39 private schools are accredited, and the five that are not are mostly preschools and very small programs.
Why does the accredited list decide where an Iowa ESA can be used?
Because Iowa law ties the ESA to accredited nonpublic schools. The Department of Education's eligibility rules require enrollment and full-time attendance at an Iowa accredited nonpublic school, and its 2025-26 Nonpublic School Building Directory lists every accredited building: state accredited, independently accredited and specially accredited. A school missing from that list can still be a good school, but it cannot receive ESA money.
The directory is organized by building, not by school, so a school with an elementary and a secondary building appears twice. In our four counties it holds 42 buildings, which we grouped into 34 schools. The federal survey added five more private schools that are not on the state list.
To build the map, we paired each directory building with its federal survey record by school name and city and checked every pair by hand. Where the two sources disagree on grades, our school pages show the wider span and list each building's own grades from the state record, so a family can see, for example, which campus of a multi-site school serves middle school.
Which communities have the most ESA-eligible schools?
Des Moines itself, split three ways, holds the deepest bench. Here is the count by community, using each school's main address:
| Community | Private schools | On the accredited list | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines: Downtown, Beaverdale, Drake & Waterbury | 6 | 6 | Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive Lutheran, Bergman Academy |
| Des Moines: East Side | 6 | 6 | Grand View Christian, J.W. Reed Christian, Holy Family |
| Des Moines: South Side | 4 | 4 | St. Anthony, Christ the King, Des Moines Adventist |
| West Des Moines | 7 | 5 | Dowling Catholic, Sacred Heart, AlRazi Academy |
| Urbandale & Johnston | 3 | 3 | Des Moines Christian, St. Pius X, Gospel Assembly |
| Ankeny | 4 | 3 | St. Luke the Evangelist, Ankeny Christian Academy |
| Norwalk & Indianola | 5 | 4 | Victory Christian, Providence Christian, Main Street |
| Perry, Dallas Center & Winterset | 4 | 3 | St. Patrick, Winterset Christian, Bridges Outdoor |
Every one of the 16 schools inside Des Moines city limits in our data is accredited. The suburbs and towns are where the exceptions sit.
Which schools are not on the list, and what does that mean?
Five: Cottontail Creek Montessori School in Ankeny, Montessori Children's House and Shepherd's Flock Early Learning Center in West Des Moines, Norwalk Christian Academy and Dallas Center Christian School. Three of them serve mainly preschool and kindergarten-age children, and the other two reported fewer than 15 students in the federal survey.
What that is not: it is not a judgment of quality, and it is not permanent. Accreditation is a process schools can complete. It does mean that, as of the 2025-26 directory, a family cannot use ESA money at those five, and the preschool-age programs fall outside the ESA anyway because the program starts at kindergarten.
Who accredits Des Moines-area private schools?
Fourteen schools, including every Catholic school, hold state accreditation from the Iowa Department of Education. The rest are accredited independently or specially. Christian Schools International (CSI) is the most common independent accreditor in our data, covering schools such as the Joshua Christian Academy campuses, Victory Christian Academy and Winterset Christian Academy. Cognia accredits Des Moines Christian School, J.W. Reed Christian Academy and OneSchool Global, among others. Bergman Academy, AlRazi Academy and Main Street School are accredited through ISACS, and Two Rivers Classical Academy through the Association of Classical Christian Schools.
For a parent, the agency matters less than the fact of accreditation. Every school page in our directory shows the agency named on the state record and, for multi-campus schools, each building's grades.
Are there ESA-eligible high schools outside the Catholic system?
Yes, eleven of them. Dowling Catholic High School is the only Catholic high school in our data, but twelve accredited schools run through grade 12, including Des Moines Christian, Grand View Christian, Ankeny Christian Academy, Two Rivers Classical Academy, Main Street School in Norwalk and Providence Christian School. High schoolers receive the same $8,148 ESA as younger students, and juniors and seniors at accredited schools can add college courses through Iowa's PSEO program.
Statewide, 41,044 students were using an ESA at an accredited nonpublic school on the October 1, 2025 count, out of 41,892 students enrolled in those schools. Around Des Moines, the accredited list is long enough that most families can find an eligible school within their part of the metro. See the high school list for grades and accreditors, and remember that seats in the upper grades can be limited at smaller schools, so ask early.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the accredited list decide where an Iowa ESA can be used?
Iowa requires full-time attendance at an Iowa accredited nonpublic school, and the Department of Education's directory is the list of those schools.
Which communities have the most ESA-eligible schools?
Des Moines proper, with 16 accredited schools across its north-west, east and south sides, followed by West Des Moines with five.
Which schools are not on the list, and what does that mean?
Five small schools and preschools in Ankeny, West Des Moines, Norwalk and Dallas Center; ESA money cannot be used at them as of the 2025-26 directory.
Are there ESA-eligible high schools outside the Catholic system?
Yes, eleven accredited non-Catholic schools in our data run through grade 12.
Related questions
- Which school is accredited near me?
- Which Christian schools take the ESA?
- Does Iowa have school vouchers?
- How does a school become accredited?
Sources
- Iowa Department of Education: 2025-26 Iowa Nonpublic School Building Directory (Final)
- Iowa Department of Education: Students First Education Savings Accounts
- NCES Private School Universe Survey
- Iowa Department of Education: certified enrollment 2025-26 press release
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