Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives

Iowa

1,318 Schools328 Districts502K Students
$17,386
Avg Per-Pupil Spend
+21% nat'l
41.9%
Free Lunch Rate
-10.3pp vs nat'l
91.0%
Graduation Rate
+4.5pp vs nat'l
53/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate
⇄ Compare Iowa with another state
About Iowa Public Schools

Iowa has a long-standing reputation for academic excellence, consistently placing near the top of national ACT score comparisons — a reflection of its relatively homogeneous, high-engagement student population rather than uniquely superior schooling. The state's 327 school districts are governed by locally elected boards, and many rural districts have faced severe enrollment loss over the past 30 years as Iowa's farm economy has consolidated. Iowa recently introduced a universal Education Savings Account program, making it one of a growing number of states offering broad school choice. The state's Iowa Assessment suite has been a widely-used benchmark instrument nationally; Iowa also participates in NAEP. Teacher pay has historically been a concern, with Iowa's average teacher salary ranking below several neighboring states.

State Snapshot
State BoardIowa State Board of Education
AssessmentIowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP)
Compulsory Ages6–16
School CalendarSchool year typically begins after Labor Day, though many districts now start in mid-August
Total Enrollment502,463
Public Schools1,318
Largest District
Des Moines Independent Comm School District
30K students
Highest Per-Pupil
LuVerne Comm School District
$60,561/student
Top Graduation Rate
Waukee Comm School District
99.5% grad rate
School Districts (328)
Per-pupil spending in Iowa ranges from $9,855 to $60,561 across districts with available data. State avg: $17,386.
DistrictSchoolsStudentsPer-PupilGrad RateFree LunchOpp.
Large Districts — 10,000+ Students
Des Moines Independent Comm School District5930K$16,52585.9%↓6%77.1%↑84%42
Cedar Rapids Comm School District3215K$18,19283.7%↓8%52.4%↑25%50
Sioux City Comm School District2215K$13,834↓20%85.2%↓6%66.1%↑58%48
Iowa City Comm School District2915K$16,54090.4%40.5%48
Davenport Comm School District3014K$14,841↓15%83.3%↓8%54.0%↑29%45
Ankeny Comm School District1713K$14,014↓19%95.6%18.6%↓56%50
Waukee Comm School District1612K$18,19099.5%↑9%18.3%↓56%50
Waterloo Comm School District1811K$16,99883.2%↓9%72.4%↑73%41
Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students
Dubuque Comm School District179,816$16,74188.5%41.3%58
West Des Moines Comm School District149,120$18,15794.4%37.6%↓10%50
Council Bluffs Comm School District158,733$16,86286.6%59.5%↑42%39
Linn-Mar Comm School District127,611$14,857↓15%96.0%↑5%23.4%↓44%50
Johnston Comm School District87,431$13,296↓24%97.0%↑7%25.6%↓39%—
Southeast Polk Comm School District117,397$17,12195.0%36.2%↓14%46
Cedar Falls Comm School District115,884$18,542↑7%96.0%↑5%27.3%↓35%—
College Comm School District105,709$22,195↑28%93.0%34.5%↓18%47
Pleasant Valley Comm School District85,651$11,902↓32%97.0%↑7%11.2%↓73%47
Marshalltown Comm School District105,078$14,967↓14%86.0%↓6%68.8%↑64%41
Ottumwa Comm School District104,772$15,573↓10%87.0%43.8%52
Ames Comm School District84,645$22,342↑29%96.0%↑5%32.2%↓23%50
Muscatine Comm School District94,580$13,851↓20%82.0%↓10%52.3%↑25%50
Bettendorf Comm School District74,432$13,697↓21%95.0%34.5%↓18%47
Urbandale Comm School District74,258$18,527↑7%98.0%↑8%39.2%↓7%47
Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District73,747$14,832↓15%97.5%↑7%17.4%↓58%46
Indianola Comm School District63,665$13,142↓24%97.0%↑7%29.4%↓30%53
Western Dubuque Comm School District83,629$12,927↓26%96.3%↑6%25.1%↓40%61
Fort Dodge Comm School District73,527$16,228↓7%82.0%↓10%60.7%↑45%57
Mason City Comm School District93,526$20,985↑21%95.0%54.0%↑29%51
Norwalk Comm School District53,508$17,38599.5%↑9%20.2%↓52%51
North Scott Comm School District73,389$13,663↓21%97.0%↑7%25.0%↓40%44
Burlington Comm School District83,334$16,73878.0%↓14%62.6%↑49%54
Clinton Comm School District63,286$20,873↑20%86.0%↓6%56.8%↑35%53
Lewis Central Comm School District43,022$17,03296.0%↑5%37.8%↓10%42
Clear Creek Amana Comm School District73,014$16,274↓6%92.0%26.1%↓38%50
Newton Comm School District72,809$14,507↓17%95.2%54.6%↑30%48
Storm Lake Comm School District52,549$16,359↓6%50.3%↓45%67.6%↑61%58
Pella Comm School District52,491$14,628↓16%97.5%↑7%17.6%↓58%—
Carlisle Comm School District42,369$12,198↓30%97.5%↑7%29.9%↓29%46
Waverly-Shell Rock Comm School District72,304$15,522↓11%94.7%23.1%↓45%56
Bondurant-Farrar Comm School District42,291$18,298↑5%97.5%↑7%18.9%↓55%50
Adel DeSoto Minburn Comm School District52,254$14,398↓17%97.5%↑7%18.8%↓55%50
Denison Comm School District42,245$14,377↓17%92.0%61.7%↑47%59
Le Mars Comm School District62,236$12,664↓27%95.7%↑5%37.4%↓11%53
Spencer Comm School District52,230$14,365↓17%92.0%45.1%↑8%57
Marion Independent School District62,229$18,20997.5%↑7%37.5%↓11%50
Oskaloosa Comm School District52,081$17,91197.5%↑7%45.4%↑8%49
Glenwood Comm School District42,071$13,939↓20%97.5%↑7%37.5%↓10%51
Boone Comm School District51,976$19,893↑14%92.0%38.5%↓8%50
Ballard Comm School District41,871$14,450↓17%97.5%↑7%16.5%↓61%54
North Polk Comm School District41,870$20,199↑16%97.5%↑7%9.6%↓77%54
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Frequently Asked Questions
Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and Opportunity Atlas. Figures reflect the most recent available federal dataset (2021-22 / 2022-23). Learn more about our data sources.