For years, critics of school choice have argued that programs like Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) primarily benefit families in urban and suburban areas. But data from the Iowa Department of Education tells a very different story. A comparison of certified nonpublic school enrollment by resident district from 2022–23 (pre-ESA) to 2025–26 reveals a clear and […]

Iowa has made historic progress in expanding educational freedom for families—but the work is not done yet. Two important bills currently before the Iowa Legislature—HF 2713 and SF 2425—represent the next step in strengthening and sustaining school choice across our state. These bills don’t reinvent the system—they refine it, improve it, and ensure it works […]

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand has made the ESA program a centerpiece of his criticism of Governor Reynolds’ administration—and a recurring theme in what is widely expected to be his 2026 gubernatorial campaign. His core claim: that the administration has blocked his office from auditing $100 million in ESA spending, leaving taxpayer dollars unaccountable. It’s […]

When a family in Iowa chooses a private school that fits their child’s needs, the last thing they should have to worry about is whether the program funding that choice is well-run. Iowa’s Education Savings Account (ESA) program, created under the Students First Act, was built with that assurance in mind. Critics sometimes suggest that […]

Community Lutheran School in Readlyn, Iowa surveyed their parents including asking about the impact education savings accounts have had on their families. Here are some of the responses they shared that was passed on to me by Lydia Quick of Iowa Association of Christian Schools: “School choice shouldn’t be something a family is forced to […]