All rankings · Iowa
Best Iowa public schools
Eight rankings of Iowa's public schools from the latest NCES + state-assessment data. Unlike most school rankings, this list leads with BeatsExpectations: a demographics-adjusted score that asks how a school performs relative to what its student population would predict, not just in absolute terms.
Iowa schools outperforming demographics
Top schools by BeatsExpectations score. Demographically-adjusted; a +20 here means the school posts 20 more proficiency points than its FRL profile predicts.| # | School | City | Beats by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Kossuth Elementary School | Swea City | +25.4pp |
| 2 | Bedford Elementary School | Bedford | +23.7pp |
| 3 | East Elementary School | Sheldon | +22.9pp |
| 4 | George-Little Rock Elementary School | Little Rock | +22.5pp |
| 5 | Rock Valley High School | Rock Valley | +21.9pp |
| 6 | Westside Junior-Senior High School | Westside | +20.3pp |
| 7 | Denison Middle School | Denison | +20.0pp |
| 8 | Rock Valley Elementary School | Rock Valley | +19.5pp |
| 9 | Whiting Senior High School | Whiting | +19.2pp |
| 10 | Schaller-Crestland Elementary | Schaller | +19.1pp |
| 11 | Bedford High School | Bedford | +18.9pp |
| 12 | North Middle School | Sioux City | +18.3pp |
| 13 | North Union Middle School | Swea City | +18.2pp |
| 14 | Salem Elementary School | Salem | +17.7pp |
| 15 | Rock Valley Middle School | Rock Valley | +17.2pp |
Iowa Title I schools beating the odds
High-poverty schools (60%+ FRL) ranking in the top quartile of their state's proficiency.| # | School | City | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rock Valley High School | Rock Valley | 82.2% |
| 2 | Rock Valley Middle School | Rock Valley | 77.9% |
| 3 | Rock Valley Elementary School | Rock Valley | 77.1% |
| 4 | Denison Middle School | Denison | 76.8% |
| 5 | Van Buren County Community Middle & High School | Keosauqua | 74.5% |
| 6 | Marnie Simons Elementary School | Hamburg | 73.5% |
| 7 | Richardson Elementary School | Fort Madison | 73.3% |
| 8 | North Elementary School | Leon | 73.3% |
| 9 | Hawarden Elementary School | Hawarden | 73.2% |
| 10 | Denison High School | Denison | 72.3% |
| 11 | East Middle School | Sioux City | 71.6% |
| 12 | Cardinal Junior High | Eldon | 70.9% |
| 13 | Broadway Elementary School | Denison | 70.7% |
| 14 | South Tama County Elementary School | Tama | 70.5% |
| 15 | Franklin Elementary School | Marshalltown | 69.7% |
Iowa schools by raw proficiency
The traditional ranking: highest combined math + reading proficiency on the state assessment.| # | School | City | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hopewell Elementary | Bettendorf | 96.2% |
| 2 | Treynor High School | Treynor | 93.9% |
| 3 | Denver Senior High School | Denver | 93.7% |
| 4 | East Elementary School | Sheldon | 93.7% |
| 5 | Gilbert Middle School | Gilbert | 93.4% |
| 6 | Denver Elementary School - Lincoln Street Building | Denver | 93.1% |
| 7 | Denver Middle School | Denver | 92.7% |
| 8 | Wickham Elementary | Coralville | 92.1% |
| 9 | Gilbert High School | Gilbert | 92.0% |
| 10 | Van Meter Middle School | Van Meter | 91.8% |
| 11 | Gilbert Intermediate School | Gilbert | 91.6% |
| 12 | Echo Hill Elementary | Marion | 91.5% |
| 13 | Walnut Hills Elementary School | Urbandale | 91.1% |
| 14 | Treynor Middle School | Treynor | 90.8% |
| 15 | Bess Streeter Aldrich Elementary | Cedar Falls | 90.7% |
Iowa schools with the lowest student-teacher ratios
Schools with 200+ students reporting the fewest students per teacher. Excludes virtual.| # | School | City | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meskwaki Settlement School | Tama | 7.0:1 |
| 2 | Riverside Elementary School | Sioux City | 7.9:1 |
| 3 | Prescott Elementary School | Dubuque | 8.3:1 |
| 4 | Audubon Elementary School | Dubuque | 8.5:1 |
| 5 | Lincoln Elementary School | Dubuque | 9.0:1 |
| 6 | Edmunds Elementary School | Des Moines | 9.1:1 |
| 7 | Thomas Jefferson Middle School | Dubuque | 9.2:1 |
| 8 | Mark Twain Elementary | Iowa City | 9.6:1 |
| 9 | Wings Park Elementary School | Oelwein | 9.6:1 |
| 10 | East Mills Elementary School | Malvern | 9.8:1 |
| 11 | George Washington Elementary School | Keokuk | 9.8:1 |
| 12 | Kirkwood Elementary School | Coralville | 10.0:1 |
| 13 | Central City High School | Central City | 10.0:1 |
| 14 | Missouri Valley High School | Missouri Valley | 10.1:1 |
| 15 | Columbus Community High School | Columbus Junction | 10.1:1 |
Fastest-growing Iowa public schools, 2017-2024
Schools open in both years with 200+ enrollment in 2017, ranked by % change.| # | School | City | Enrollment Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa Virtual Academy | Guttenberg | +347% |
| 2 | Iowa Connections Academy High School | Anita | +192% |
| 3 | Pickwick Early Childhood Center | Ottumwa | +150% |
| 4 | Southeast Polk Middle School | Altoona | +93% |
| 5 | Bryant Elementary School | Sioux City | +91% |
| 6 | Dallas Center-Grimes High School | Grimes | +80% |
| 7 | Clarinda High School | Clarinda | +79% |
| 8 | Liberty High School | North Liberty | +75% |
| 9 | Lowell Elementary School | Waterloo | +75% |
| 10 | Hinton High School | Hinton | +75% |
| 11 | North Central Middle School | North Liberty | +68% |
| 12 | Southeast Middle School | Iowa City | +68% |
| 13 | Durant Junior/Senior High School | Durant | +63% |
| 14 | Bondurant-Farrar High School | Bondurant | +57% |
| 15 | Lincoln Elementary School | Spencer | +54% |
Most racially diverse Iowa public schools
Schools with 200+ students ranked by diversity index: the chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.| # | School | City | Diversity index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodlawn Early Childhood Center | Des Moines | 79.4% |
| 2 | Lowell Elementary School | Waterloo | 77.9% |
| 3 | Meredith Middle School | Des Moines | 77.5% |
| 4 | Findley Elementary School | Des Moines | 77.5% |
| 5 | Central Middle School | Waterloo | 77.0% |
| 6 | Samuelson Elementary School | Des Moines | 76.9% |
| 7 | Irving Elementary School | Waterloo | 76.7% |
| 8 | Kittrell Elementary School | Waterloo | 76.3% |
| 9 | Moore Elementary School | Des Moines | 76.3% |
| 10 | Wilson Elementary School | Ottumwa | 75.8% |
| 11 | South Union Elementary School | Des Moines | 75.8% |
| 12 | Cattell Elementary School | Des Moines | 75.8% |
| 13 | James Elementary School | Ottumwa | 75.5% |
| 14 | Oak Park | Des Moines | 75.2% |
| 15 | Highland Elementary School | Waterloo | 75.1% |
Largest Iowa public schools
Brick-and-mortar schools ranked by total enrollment. Virtual schools excluded.| # | School | City | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lincoln High School | Des Moines | 2,364 |
| 2 | Linn-Mar High School | Marion | 2,229 |
| 3 | Valley High School | West Des Moines | 2,178 |
| 4 | Roosevelt High School | Des Moines | 2,051 |
| 5 | East High School | Des Moines | 1,952 |
| 6 | Johnston Senior High School | Johnston | 1,820 |
| 7 | Prairie High School | Cedar Rapids | 1,766 |
| 8 | Pleasant Valley High School | Bettendorf | 1,731 |
| 9 | Southeast Polk High School | Pleasant Hill | 1,722 |
| 10 | West High School | Waterloo | 1,696 |
| 11 | Iowa City High School | Iowa City | 1,666 |
| 12 | John F Kennedy High School | Cedar Rapids | 1,648 |
| 13 | Marshalltown High School | Marshalltown | 1,629 |
| 14 | Northwest High School | Waukee | 1,574 |
| 15 | North High School | Sioux City | 1,529 |
Iowa schools underperforming demographics
Bottom 10% within state by BeatsExpectations. Not a verdict, a starting question. A school may be in leadership transition or recovering from a demographic shift.| # | School | City | Beats by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Oaks High School and Career Center | Des Moines | -70.2pp |
| 2 | Gateway High School | Ottumwa | -37.0pp |
| 3 | Jefferson Elementary School | Davenport | -32.2pp |
| 4 | Monroe Elementary School | Monroe | -29.3pp |
| 5 | Laurens-Marathon Elementary School | Laurens | -29.0pp |
| 6 | Frank L Smart Middle School | Davenport | -26.6pp |
| 7 | West High School | Davenport | -26.1pp |
| 8 | Essex Elementary School | Essex | -25.6pp |
| 9 | Cooper Elementary School | Fort Dodge | -24.6pp |
| 10 | Madison Elementary School | Davenport | -23.8pp |
| 11 | Highland Elementary School | Riverside | -22.4pp |
| 12 | United Community School | Boone | -21.2pp |
| 13 | Wapello Elementary School | Wapello | -19.8pp |
| 14 | Washington High School | Washington | -19.7pp |
| 15 | Williams Middle School | Davenport | -19.6pp |
About these rankings
These tables use the most recent NCES Common Core of Data (2024-25) for enrollment, demographics, and staffing, and state-native assessment data (typically 2023-24 or 2024-25) for proficiency. BeatsExpectations is computed via per-state ordinary-least-squares regression of composite proficiency on free-and-reduced-lunch share. Full methodology.
License: CC-BY 4.0. Reproduce these rankings anywhere with attribution to allk12.com. Press contact: [email protected].
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