Iowa Great Lakes Lutheran School
1311 E 18th St., Spencer, IA 51301Open, per Google (checked Sep 20, 2026)
Key facts
- Tuition
- On the school’s website
- Grades
- K-7
- Students (K-12)
- 119
- Students per teacher
- 13.5
- Affiliation
- Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod)
Can you use Students First ESA here?
✓ On the official Iowa ESA eligible (accredited) list
- State list
- Includes this school
- Applying
- The full-year window for 2026-27 ran April 16 to June 30, 2026. A second, half-year window (House File 2754, 2026) runs from 8:00 a.m. October 15 to 11:59 p.m. November 15, 2026, for a $4,074 spring ESA. A student whose full-year application was denied or not completed may apply; a student who received a full-year ESA may not.
Source: the official list, read October 26, 2026.
What you would pay here
- Net cost
- Not worked out: no verified 2026-27 tuition yet. See the school’s tuition page
School facts
- Teachers
- 10
- Student body
- Coeducational
- Boys and girls
- 46% boys, 54% girls
- Setting
- Rural
- Accreditation, state list
- Accredited by National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA), an independent accrediting agency approved by the Iowa State Board of Education, per the Iowa Department of Education 2026-27 nonpublic school building directory, address file of September 30, 2026.
- Accreditation: the state’s list.
- School facts, kindergarten to grade 12: U.S. Department of Education, NCES Private School Survey 2023-24, read September 20, 2026.
Where this comes from. Something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.
Students and school year
Enrollment over time
- 2019-20 to 2023-24
- 95 to 119, up 24 (25%)
- Path
- Dipped to 92 in 2021-22, then passed its earlier level
Students by grade, 2023-24
- Largest grade
- Grade 2 (21)
- Smallest grade
- Grade 6 and grade 7 (9 each)
- Across the grades
- Classes thin out toward the upper grades
The school year
- Days in the school year
- 165
- Length of the school day
- 6 hours 45 minutes
- Hours of school a year
- about 1,110
- Kindergarten
- Full day, 5 days a week
- Classes, 2023-24
- In person
- Library or media center
- No
- Year, against Iowa
- 12 days shorter than the 177-day median of 180 schools we list
- School day, against Iowa
- 15 minutes shorter than the median of 7 hours (180 schools we list)
How it compares
- Students per teacher
- 13.5 here; median 10.9 at 108 IA elementary schools
Student body, 2023-24
Shares of K-12 students by race and ethnicity, as NCES reports them.
- Grades, school year and student body: U.S. Department of Education, NCES Private School Survey 2023-24, read September 20, 2026.
- Earlier counts: NCES Private School Survey 2019-20 and 2021-22, read October 14, 2026.
- Comparisons: the private schools ChoiceFunded lists, as of this page’s last update.
Iowa Great Lakes Lutheran School tuition, and what Students First ESA pays
- Published tuition
- On the school’s own tuition page (found October 11, 2026)
Iowa Students First Education Savings Account Education savings account
- Award
- $8,148 per student for 2026-27
- How it varies
- Paid in two equal installments, fall and spring. New for 2026-27: a half-year ESA of $4,074 for the spring semester. Homeschooled students do not qualify.
Figures read from each program’s official pages, October 11, 2026. Sources and how to apply
What would you pay at Iowa Great Lakes Lutheran School?
Use $0 or more.
Tuition and fees Students First ESA pays You pay per year Spread over 10 months
- Ask the school
- Its full-year tuition and required fees; whether it still takes Students First ESA for 2026-27; its application deadline. More questions to ask
Other private schools nearby
| School | Grades | Students | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacred Heart School ✓ | K-6 | 179 | 1 |
| Emmetsburg Catholic School ✓ | PreK-8 | 78 | 23 |
| Sanborn Christian School ✓ | PreK-8 | 103 | 27 |
| Zion-St. John Lutheran School ✓ | PreK-8 | 66 | 31 |
| Von Der Becke Academy | 1-5 | 3 | 36 |
| St. Mary's School ✓ | 6-12 | 103 | 36 |
| Sheldon Christian School ✓ | PreK-8 | 96 | 36 |
| St. Patrick Elementary School | PreK-8 | 46 | 37 |
On the program’s official list Other private schools
Keep looking
- Christian schools in Iowa
- Private elementary schools in Iowa
- Private middle schools in Iowa
- Private schools with kindergarten in Iowa
- Lutheran schools in Iowa
- Private schools in Clay County
- Iowa Students First Education Savings Account: amount and eligibility
- All Iowa Students First Education Savings Account schools
Next Students First ESA date: Open now, until November 15, 2026 (2026-27 half-year ESA application window).
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