ESA
The Students First Act established Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) which may be used toward tuition and fees at ACA for begindergarten (for those 5 by September 15) through 12th grade. The amount allocated for the 26-27 school year is $8,148 per student.
Parents must apply each school year for an ESA. These accounts are applied for, funded by, and administered through the State of Iowa Department of Education. The deadline to apply is June 30.
Needs-Based Tuition Assistance
The link to apply for needs-based tuition assistance is found here. ACA will begin accepting applications for the 2026-2027 school year in February. Begindergarten and preschool do not qualify.
Families who meet the household size and income limits as defined below are encouraged to apply. They are based on 400% of the current Federal Poverty Guidelines, updated annually, and are facilitated through the Heart of Iowa School Tuition Assistance Organization (STO).
Contact ACA’s Financial Director (diane.scott@acaeagles.net) for assistance in completing this process.
| Household Size |
Total Household Income |
| 2 |
$86,560 |
| 3 |
$109,280 |
| 4 |
$132,000 |
| 5 |
$154,720 |
| 6 |
$177,420 |
| 7 |
$200,160 |
| 8 |
$222,880 |
Tuition Reduction Incentive Program (TRIP):
The Tuition Reduction Incentive Program is available to ALL school families regardless of income. Your regular spending on groceries, gas, coffee, home improvement, clothing, dining out, and online shopping can earn you money back toward tuition or lunch costs. Put simply, your everyday expenses can help you save money!
Here’s how it works:
- Join ACA's RaiseRight program and earn by buying gift cards to use as payment for your everyday expenses, and by shopping online through RaiseRight.
- Brands automatically give up to 20% of every gift card or online shopping purchase back to the school.
- You will receive 75% of your earnings back as tuition or lunch account credit. The remaining 25% is kept to cover the cost of operating this program.
- Credits are distributed to family accounts in November and May.
- All orders must be placed online or in the RaiseRight app, check payments may be brought to the school office.
- Orders will be processed on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the school year, excluding school breaks. Cards can be picked up in the office the following Friday.
- Summer orders will only be processed on the 1st Monday of the month.
With the mobile app available for instant access to eGift cards and reload purchases, you can buy gift cards and shop online through RaiseRight anytime, anywhere.
Learn more about this program at raiseright.com and request ACA’s enrollment code to join, from Jill Hugen at hugenjill@gmail.com.
Transportation Credit:
If you live more than two miles from school with elementary students (K-8), or more than three miles with high school students (9-12), the public school district in which you reside currently reimburses part of your transportation expenses. Requests for reimbursement must be completed by the family and returned to your resident public school district (not ACA) by December 1 and May 1. Please check your public school districts' website for how to submit for this reimbursement.
Iowa Tuition and Textbook Credit:
You can claim a credit of up to $250 for tuition and textbook payments on your State of Iowa income tax return. Use your tuition statement as proof of payment. (See Iowa Dept. of Revenue website for specific information.)