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Christian Schools · Urbandale & Johnston

Des Moines Christian School

Christian school serving grades K-12 in Urbandale. On Iowa's accredited nonpublic list, so the Students First ESA can be used here. Funding fit, the state record and questions to ask are below.

Where this comes from. Accreditation and ESA eligibility: Iowa Department of Education 2025-26 Nonpublic School Building Directory (address file March 16, 2026), retrieved October 30, 2026; the ESA can only be used at schools on that list. Enrollment and religious affiliation: NCES Private School Survey 2023-24 (2021-22 for schools that did not respond). Tuition is not reported to either agency, so confirm it with the school.

Can the Iowa ESA be used at Des Moines Christian School?

Yes. Des Moines Christian School is on the Iowa Department of Education's 2025-26 list of accredited nonpublic schools (accredited by Cognia), so a K-12 student who attends full time can use the $8,148 Students First ESA here for 2026-27. Tuition and fees are paid from the account first, each semester, through Odyssey.

$8,148
Full-year 2026-27 Students First ESA per K-12 student ($4,074 for a half-year start)
STO
Need-based tuition grant through the school's STO, for incomes up to 400% of poverty
$500
Top Iowa tuition and textbook credit per child, on costs not paid by the ESA
PSEO
Juniors and seniors can add nonsectarian college courses

The school is represented by the Heart of Iowa STO for need-based tuition grants and lists itself as a member of the Iowa Scholarship Granting Organization for the federal credit that starts in 2027.

Whatever the family pays itself, beyond the ESA, can count toward the Iowa tuition and textbook credit: 25 percent of the first $2,000 per child. Juniors and seniors can also take nonsectarian college courses the school does not offer through Iowa's PSEO program.

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Campuses on the state record

  • Des Moines Christian Elementary School: 13007 Douglas Parkway, Urbandale (Polk County), grades K-5, accredited by Cognia
  • Des Moines Christian Secondary School: 13007 Douglas Parkway, Urbandale (Polk County), grades 6-12, accredited by Cognia

Questions to ask Des Moines Christian School

  1. What will we owe for our child's grade after the $8,148 ESA is applied, and which fees do you bill through Odyssey?
  2. Which school tuition organization do you use, and when is its grant application due?
  3. Do you offer church-member, parish or sibling rates, or your own need-based aid?
  4. If we apply in the half-year window, by what date do you need our enrollment confirmed?
  5. Which college courses do students take through PSEO, and how is high school credit granted?

Dates that apply now

  • Oct 15 – Nov 15, 2026Half-year Students First ESA application window for 2026-27 (closes 11:59 p.m. Nov 15); worth $4,074 for the spring semester
  • Dec 1, 2026Spring-semester ESA deposits, including first half-year awards, become available in Odyssey
  • Jan 1, 2027Federal scholarship tax credit starts; Iowa opted in on January 5, 2026
  • Jan 14, 2027Half-year ESA enrollment and tuition-payment deadline in the Odyssey portal (11:59 p.m.); eligibility is finalized January 15

Other private schools in Urbandale & Johnston

3 private schools in our data are in Urbandale & Johnston; 3 are on the accredited list. See all of them →

Christian Schools

Gospel Assembly Christian Academy

Urbandale · Grades K-12

ESA-eligible (accredited)13 students
Funding fit →Catholic Schools

St. Pius X Catholic School

Urbandale · Grades PK-8

ESA-eligible (accredited)349 students
Funding fit →

Related questions

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