Sacred Heart School
1 mi ✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-8 497 students 15.7 students per teacher Roman Catholic
Private schools in West Des Moines, IA
30 schools within 12 miles. 26 of them are on the state’s Students First ESA list. Students First ESA pays $8,148 per student for 2026-27.
Schools near West Des Moines
Schools on the official Students First ESA list are first, then it goes by distance. No school pays to appear here or to move up.
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades 9-12 1,354 students 14.6 students per teacher Roman Catholic
Airazi Academy
2 mi ✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-5 58 students 7.4 students per teacher Islamic
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-8 191 students 13.5 students per teacher Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod)
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-8 680 students 15.5 students per teacher Roman Catholic
Bergman Academy
3 mi ✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-8 281 students 10.8 students per teacher Nonsectarian
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited)
Empigo Academy
4 mi ✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited)
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades K-11 13 students 3.2 students per teacher Christian (nondenominational)
Holy Trinity
4 mi ✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-8 358 students 12.6 students per teacher Roman Catholic
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited)
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-8 45 students 15 students per teacher Seventh-Day Adventist
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-8 345 students 13.9 students per teacher Roman Catholic
Holy Family School
7 mi ✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited)
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited)
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited)
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades K-12 74 students 8.9 students per teacher Other religious
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades K-12 199 students 8.3 students per teacher Christian (nondenominational)
Main Street School
8 mi ✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-12 12 students 2.9 students per teacher Nonsectarian
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited)
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited)
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-8 201 students 13 students per teacher Roman Catholic
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) Grades PreK-5 458 students 19.2 students per teacher Christian (nondenominational)
✓ Iowa ESA eligible (accredited)
On the state’s official list Other private schools
All 30 schools within 12 miles
What Iowa pays, and what that leaves you
Iowa Students First Education Savings Account Education savings account
$8,148 per student for 2026-27 Paid in two equal installments, fall and spring. Homeschooled students do not qualify.
Figures read from each program’s official pages, 2026-09-20. Sources and how to apply
What would you pay?
Tuition and fees Students First ESA pays You pay per year Spread over 10 months
We filled in the standard Students First ESA amount. Change it if your award letter says something different. An award can never be more than the school actually charges. This is arithmetic, not a quote.
Keep looking
Get one email when applications open
Most programs open once a year, and several ran out of money or seats in 2026. Pick your state (you are looking at West Des Moines) and we will email you the day the next window opens, with the official link. That is the only email you get.
One email per application window. No calls, no sharing your details.
Questions parents ask
How many private schools are there near West Des Moines?
We count 30 within 12 miles of downtown West Des Moines. Together they enrolled about 5,874 students in the last federal survey (2023-24). The largest is Dowling Catholic High School with 1,354 students.
Which West Des Moines private schools take Students First ESA?
26 of the 30 schools on this page are on the state’s official Students First ESA list. They are marked with a green check and listed first. In Iowa an ESA can be used only at an accredited nonpublic school. Schools marked here are on the Iowa Department of Education’s accredited nonpublic school directory for 2026-27, which makes them eligible. The state calls this year’s file preliminary until October.
Will Students First ESA cover the whole tuition bill?
Sometimes, but do not count on it. Students First ESA pays $8,148 per student for 2026-27, and schools set their own prices. Ask each school for tuition plus fees, then use the calculator on this page to see what is left for you to pay.