ESA Info
What are ESAs?
The Students First Act was signed into law on Jan. 24, 2023, and its purpose was to make state funding available to support the success of every K-12 Iowa student. The bill sets up a system and provides money for education savings accounts (ESAs). These accounts can be used by eligible families to help pay for things like tuition and fees at private schools in Iowa.
How do ESAs work?
Parents who choose to enroll their eligible children in one of Iowa’s accredited nonpublic schools will receive an amount equal to the per pupil funding allocated to public school districts for the same budget school year. For the 2024-25 school year, the amount was $7,826. Funds are held in an education savings account (ESA) to be used for tuition, fees, and other eligible qualified education expenses.
The state contracted with Odyssey for ESA program administration, including applications, financial transactions, compliance, fraud prevention and customer service. Odyssey securely administers funds and provides families with direct customer service and support.
The Step-by-Step Application Process
If you're applying for the first time: The application process is not available currently. We will provide the link once it is available. We are anticipating in April of 2025. Parents/guardians will first be directed to sign up with an email and password. Parents/guardians will receive a message from Odyssey asking them to confirm their email address. After the email is confirmed, the parent/guardian can sign into the Odyssey portal to begin their application.
For returning applicants: Parents/Guardians with an existing Odyssey portal account will log in to the existing account to begin the application for the 2025-26 school year. All BHCS families must apply annually.
Applications are REQUIRED to be completed ANNUALLY to verify student eligibility through confirmation of Iowa residency.
Benefits of an ESA
ESAs provide increased choice in education, access to faith filled curriculum, strong academic programs and smaller class sizes. The true benefit is savings on tuition costs.
“We find that families who transfer to Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools tell us that the discipline is much stronger. There's less fighting. There's less cheating. There's less conflict. Our classes are smaller, and new students say they really like their teachers! We get excellent reports coming back from our parents. Overall, new families tell us they're a lot happier because they have a choice as to where their child is going to go to school.”
-Laurie dougherty, bhcs director of enrollment
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Laurie Dougherty
Director of Enrollment
712.226.0416 | office
712.301.5089 | cell
laurie.dougherty@bishopheelan.org
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