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ENROLLMENT TRENDS · IOWA

Iowa schools on the rise

Iowa public schools with the largest enrollment growth from 2017-18 to 2024-25.

Schools in this report
50
top growth in state
Top growth
+150%
Pickwick Early Childhood Center
Range
+37% to +150%
2017-18 → 2024-25
TOP 50 IA PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY ENROLLMENT GROWTH · 2017-18 → 2024-25
SchoolCityDistrict2017-182024-25% change ↓
Pickwick Early Childhood CenterOTTUMWAOttumwa Comm School District224560150%
Early Childhood CenterFORT DODGEFort Dodge Comm School District154376144%
West Fork Elementary at RockwellROCKWELLWest Fork Comm School District162388140%
East Sac County ElementarySAC CITYEast Sac County Comm School District194433123%
United Community SchoolBOONEUnited Comm School District16632998.2%
Southeast Polk Middle SchoolALTOONASoutheast Polk Comm School District5771,11292.7%
Bryant Elementary SchoolSIOUX CITYSioux City Comm School District31960890.6%
Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton ElementaryEXIRAExira-Elk Horn-Kimballton Comm School District11320682.3%
Central Lyon Secondary SchoolROCK RAPIDSCentral Lyon Comm School District19835880.8%
Dallas Center-Grimes High SchoolGRIMESDallas Center-Grimes Comm School District5971,07379.7%
Clarinda High SchoolCLARINDAClarinda Comm School District28651178.7%
Clayton Ridge Elementary SchoolGARNAVILLOClayton Ridge Comm School District16729375.4%
Liberty High SchoolNORTH LIBERTYIowa City Comm School District7351,28675.0%
Lowell Elementary SchoolWATERLOOWaterloo Comm School District30853874.7%
Hinton High SchoolHINTONHinton Comm School District21237074.5%
Woodbine High SchoolWOODBINEWoodbine Comm School District17630372.2%
CAM Elementary SchoolMASSENACAM Comm School District12821668.8%
North Central Middle SchoolNORTH LIBERTYIowa City Comm School District55092568.2%
George-Little Rock Elementary SchoolLITTLE ROCKGeorge-Little Rock Comm School District13823268.1%
West Bend-Mallard Elementary SchoolWEST BENDWest Bend-Mallard Comm School District10317368.0%
Southeast Middle SchoolIOWA CITYIowa City Comm School District7571,26967.6%
Children's Village WestDAVENPORTDavenport Comm School District17929665.4%
Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Middle SchoolGARNERGarner-Hayfield-Ventura Comm School District15525564.5%
ExiraElk Horn-Kimballton High SchoolELK HORNExira-Elk Horn-Kimballton Comm School District11318462.8%
Lisbon Secondary SchoolLISBONLisbon Comm School District18530162.7%
Durant Junior/Senior High SchoolDURANTDurant Comm School District20934062.7%
Bondurant-Farrar High SchoolBONDURANTBondurant-Farrar Comm School District54084957.2%
Lincoln Elementary SchoolSPENCERSpencer Comm School District28744254.0%
Hawthorne Elementary SchoolKEOKUKKeokuk Comm School District29645453.4%
Central Lee Middle SchoolDONNELLSONCentral Lee Comm School District25739453.3%
Northwest Middle SchoolCORALVILLEIowa City Comm School District7301,11352.5%
MOC-Floyd Valley Elementary SchoolORANGE CITYMOC-Floyd Valley Comm School District44267252.0%
Prairie High SchoolCEDAR RAPIDSCollege Comm School District1,1751,76650.3%
Fort Madison Junior/Senior High SchoolFORT MADISONFort Madison Comm School District56785250.3%
Van Meter Elementary SchoolVAN METERVan Meter Comm School District38657849.7%
Riverside Middle/Senior High SchoolOAKLANDRiverside Comm School District24436549.6%
Central City High SchoolCENTRAL CITYCentral City Comm School District13520048.1%
Hunt Elementary SchoolSIOUX CITYSioux City Comm School District30845146.4%
Central ElementaryELKADERCentral Comm School District20029246.0%
Alburnett Senior High SchoolALBURNETTAlburnett Comm School District20129345.8%
Madison Elementary SchoolMUSCATINEMuscatine Comm School District25737244.7%
West Burlington Arnold Jr./Sr. High SchoolWEST BURLINGTONWest Burlington Ind School District27539644.0%
Henry A Wallace Elementary SchoolJOHNSTONJohnston Comm School District59384041.7%
Clear Creek Amana Middle SchoolTIFFINClear Creek Amana Comm School District49970240.7%
Mark Twain Elementary SchoolBETTENDORFBettendorf Comm School District29540938.6%
South Middle SchoolWAUKEEWaukee Comm School District7901,09238.2%
Nashua-Plainfield Elementary SchoolNASHUANashua-Plainfield Comm School District20528137.1%
North Polk High SchoolALLEMANNorth Polk Comm School District47164436.7%
Okoboji High SchoolMILFORDOkoboji Comm School District26836636.6%
Expo Alternative Learning CenterWATERLOOWaterloo Comm School District41156136.5%
50 of 50 rows · Brick-and-mortar only. Virtual, online, and cyber schools excluded. Schools must have had ≥100 students in 2017-18 and be open in both school years.↓ Download schools-on-the-rise-by-state-ia.csv

How this list was built

Every Iowa public school that reported total enrollment in both the NCES SY 2017-18 and SY 2024-25 vintages was scored on percent change in enrollment. Schools needed at least 100 students in 2017-18 to qualify, which filters out small specialty programs whose percentage swings are dominated by noise. Brick-and-mortar only: virtual academies, cyber charters, and online schools are excluded by name pattern and by NCES is_virtual flag. Those schools dominate raw growth numbers but rarely represent a school families are choosing for their neighborhood.

Enrollment growth is a leading indicator, not a quality measure. Schools grow because catchment areas shift, because districts consolidate, because a magnet program opens, or because reputation pulls in transfers. A school on this list is one that more Iowafamilies are sending their kids to in 2024-25 than in 2017-18, for whatever reason. Pair this with the school's page on allk12 for test scores, demographics, and discussion.

Source data

NCES Common Core of Data, EDGE_ADMINDATA_PUBLICSCH MapServer, vintages 2017-18 and 2024-25. Refreshed yearly when NCES publishes a new admin-data release. School names, slugs, and current district affiliation come from the 2024-25 snapshot.

HOW TO CITE THIS REPORT

Anyone is welcome to cite or republish these findings. Please credit allk12.com and link back to this page so readers can verify the underlying data.

allk12 (2026). "Iowa schools on the rise: enrollment growth 2017–2024." Retrieved from https://allk12.com/reports/on-the-rise/iowa
For interview requests or custom data pulls: [email protected]
DOWNLOAD THE DATA
↓ schools-on-the-rise-by-state-ia.csv
RELATED
Iowa schools in decline · All Iowa schools · Best Iowa schools · All states
DATA NOTICE

allk12 is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCES, the US Census Bureau, any state education agency or assessment program, or any other government agency. Source data is compiled from public records and provided "as is," without warranty of accuracy or completeness. You rely on it, and any analysis derived from it, at your own risk. See the full disclaimer.