

By Samantha Hernandez, Des Moines Register
Iowa-Iowa Catholic schools saw an enrollment increase of about 4% for the 2024-25 school year, according to an Iowa Catholic Conference announcement.
“As of October 2024, there were 25,265 students enrolled in Catholic schools,” according to a four-part post by the group on X.
The organization “is the official public policy voice of the Catholic bishops,” according to its website.
The numbers were gathered from Iowa’s four Catholic dioceses, Tom Chapman, Iowa Catholic Conference executive director, told the Des Moines Register.
In all, 16,714 Catholic school students used Iowa’s taxpayer-funded education savings accounts to cover the cost of their education, according to the statement.
There was also an increase in English language learners, students with individualized education programs and those who qualify for free and reduced meals.
“To be honest, it’s what we expected after they passed the ESA program,” Chapman said of the increase in students. “We did expect a relatively small, but consistent, increase in enrollment, which I think we saw this fall.”
How many Catholic students used ESA funds?
About two-thirds of Catholic school students received an education savings account or ESA, the announcement goes on to state.
The education savings accounts were signed into law, House File 68, by Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2023. The accounts are funded using public money that otherwise would have gone to public schools.
Parents and caregivers can apply for approximately $7,600 from the state to cover private school costs, including tuition.
ESAs and a law expanding who can open a public charter school were part of Republicans’ multi-year push to increase school choice options in Iowa.
During the 2023-24 school year, 36,195 students attended private schools statewide, according to the Iowa Department of Education. Nearly 17,000 private school students used ESAs to help cover the cost.
Chapman expects another enrollment bump for the 2025-26 school year when ESAs — which currently have income restrictions — become open to all Iowa families.
Catholic school enrollment numbers show growing diversity
Catholic schools saw an increase of 4.5% for students whose family income is low enough to qualify for free and reduced lunches, the statement says. That brings the total to 5,182 students who qualify for free and reduced lunch.
The number of students who identify as “non-white” was 5,835, an increase of 4.6% from 2023-24 school year. There was a 28% increase in students considered English language learners which brought the total number to 1,580.
Additionally, students with an individualized education program or IEPs increased by 15% to 834 students.
“(A)lthough this number may drop in the future,” the post states.
A goal of Iowa Catholic schools has been to serve more students who may have an IEP or may be considered vulnerable or lower income, Chapman said. Students with learning or physical disabilities may be placed on an IEP to aid their education.
“Every student brings different challenges … And so those trends are, from our perspective, would be good trends,” said Chapman of the increases.
Waiting lists for Catholic schools grow
Iowa Catholic Conference also reported that there was a “77% increase in the number of Catholic school grade levels with waiting lists to 96 statewide.”
Catholic school enrollment is not indicating a mass exodus from public schools, Chapman said. That had been a concern before the law was passed.
“Obviously people who go to Catholic schools have a certain thing that they’re looking for,” he said. “… And so we expected this would open the
chance for more people to be able to afford it and, I think, that’s what we’ve seen, is that it’s become more affordable for some people, and so they were able to make a choice that maybe they weren’t able to make before.”