St. Theresa Catholic School
5810 Carpenter Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311Open, per Google (checked Sep 20, 2026)
Key facts
- Tuition
- On the school’s website
- Grades
- PreK-8
- Students (K-12)
- 221
- Students per teacher
- 13.3
- Affiliation
- Roman Catholic
- From Des Moines center
- 5.0 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
- 18
- Student body
- Coeducational
- Diocese
- Diocese of Des Moines, IA
- Boys and girls
- 52% boys, 48% girls
- Setting
- City
- Member of
- National Catholic Educational Association
- 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
- 241 to 221, down 20 (8%)
- Path
- Fell in each survey (230 in 2021-22)
Students by grade, 2023-24 (pre-K is not in the K-12 count)
- Largest grade
- Grade 2 (29)
- Smallest grade
- Grade 6 (21)
- Average a grade
- About 25
The school year
- Days in the school year
- 171
- Length of the school day
- 7 hours 15 minutes
- Hours of school a year
- about 1,240
- Kindergarten
- Full day, 5 days a week
- Classes, 2023-24
- In person
- Library or media center
- Yes
- Year, against Iowa
- 6 days shorter than the 177-day median of 180 schools we list
- School day, against Iowa
- 15 minutes longer than the median of 7 hours (180 schools we list)
How it compares
- Students per teacher
- 13.3 here; median 10.9 at 108 IA elementary schools
- Size in Polk County
- Larger than 9 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.
St. Theresa Catholic School tuition, and what Students First ESA pays
- Published tuition
- On the school’s own tuition page (found October 11, 2026)
- Nearby schools’ prices
- $16,272 to $16,950 a year, published by 2 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 St. Theresa Catholic 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
Tuition at nearby private schools
| School | Published tuition | Year | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dowling Catholic High School | $16,272 | 2026-27 | 1.3 |
| Bergman Academy | $16,950 | 2026-27 | 2.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt Olive Lutheran School ✓ | PreK-8 | 191 | <1 |
| Empigo Academy ✓ | On the state list; not in the federal survey | 1 | |
| Airazi Academy ✓ | PreK-5 | 58 | 1 |
| Dowling Catholic High School ✓ | 9-12 | 1,354 | 1 |
| St. Augustin School ✓ | On the state list; not in the federal survey | 2 | |
| St. Pius X Catholic School ✓ | On the state list; not in the federal survey | 2 | |
| Holy Trinity ✓ | PreK-8 | 358 | 2 |
| Bergman Academy ✓ | PreK-8 | 281 | 2 |
On the program’s official list Other private schools
Keep looking
- All private schools near Des Moines
- Catholic schools in Iowa
- Private elementary schools in Iowa
- Private middle schools in Iowa
- Private schools with kindergarten in Iowa
- Private schools with pre-K 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).
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