The state has approved nearly 19,000 applications from families seeking state money for private school expenses for the 2023-24 school year, Iowa officials reported Thursday.
A total of 18,893 Education Savings Accounts were approved this year, allowing families to use up to $7,635 per student in state funds for non-public school tuition and associated costs, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Education.
The number of approved applications exceeded the state鈥檚 estimations. When the private school scholarship program was approved during the 2023 legislative session, the Legislative Services Agency estimated 14,068 students would use the program, costing the state $106.9 million in its first year.
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