Iowa School Choice Program Cost State Taxpayers $258 Million in Fiscal Year 2026

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand's report indicates that the Education Savings Account (ESA) program, which funds K-12 private school tuition, cost taxpayers approximately $258.7 million in fiscal year 2026. The report noted that a significant majority of participating students were already attending private schools. The Iowa Department of Education, however, disputed the report's findings, arguing it failed to account for public school funding contributions from the ESA program.