Joshua Christian Academy
1740 Garfield Ave, Des Moines, IA 50316Open, per Google (checked Sep 20, 2026)
Key facts
- Tuition
- On the school’s website
- Grades
- K-12
- Students (K-12)
- 199
- Students per teacher
- 8.3
- Affiliation
- Christian (nondenominational)
- From Des Moines center
- 2.4 miles
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
- 29
- Student body
- Coeducational
- Boys and girls
- 48% boys, 52% girls
- Go on to a 4-year college
- 25%
- Setting
- City
- Accreditation, state list
- Accredited by Christian Schools International (CSI), 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
- 122 to 199, up 77 (63%)
- Path
- Grew in each survey (175 in 2021-22)
Students by grade, 2023-24
- Largest grade
- Kindergarten (40)
- Smallest grade
- Grade 10 (5)
- Across the grades
- Classes thin out toward the upper grades
- High school grades
- Average 6; lower grades 19
The school year
- Days in the school year
- 161
- Length of the school day
- 7 hours 45 minutes
- Hours of school a year
- about 1,250
- Kindergarten
- Full day, 5 days a week
- Classes, 2023-24
- In person
- Library or media center
- Yes
- Year, against Iowa
- 16 days shorter than the 177-day median of 180 schools we list
- School day, against Iowa
- 45 minutes longer than the median of 7 hours (180 schools we list)
How it compares
- Students per teacher
- 8.3 here; median 9.2 at 52 IA combined schools
- Size in Polk County
- Larger than 7 of 17 other schools we list
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.
Joshua Christian Academy tuition, and what Students First ESA pays
- Published tuition
- On the school’s own tuition page (found September 29, 2026)
- Nearby schools’ prices
- $8,148 to $8,600 a year, published by 3 private schools nearby. School by school
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 Joshua Christian Academy?
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
Tuition at nearby private schools
| School | Published tuition | Year | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. W. Reed Christian Academy | $8,148 | 2026-27 | 0.3 |
| Holy Family School | $8,600 | 2026-27 | 0.8 |
| St. Anthony Elementary School | $8,250 | 2026-27 | 2.5 |
Each figure was read on that school's own website. Ranges run from the lowest to the highest grade band.
Other private schools nearby
| School | Grades | Students | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. W. Reed Christian Academy ✓ | K-12 | 74 | <1 |
| Holy Family School ✓ | On the state list; not in the federal survey | <1 | |
| St. Joseph Elementary School ✓ | PreK-8 | 201 | 2 |
| One School Global Des Moines Campus ✓ | 3-12 | 23 | 2 |
| St. Anthony Elementary School ✓ | PreK-8 | 345 | 3 |
| Grand View Christian School ✓ | PreK-5 | 458 | 3 |
| Joshua Christian Academy (West) ✓ | On the state list; not in the federal survey | 3 | |
| Holy Trinity ✓ | PreK-8 | 358 | 5 |
On the program’s official list Other private schools
Keep looking
- All private schools near Des Moines
- Christian schools in Iowa
- Private high schools in Iowa
- Private elementary schools in Iowa
- Private middle schools in Iowa
- Private schools with kindergarten in Iowa
- Private schools in Polk 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).
Run this school? Update this listing for free. School staff: add the official list badge to your website.