Enrollment
221
High
DISTRICT 207 · STATE 468
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ALTA-AURELIA COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190348000046
Alta-Aurelia High School
1009 South Main Street, Alta, IA 51002 · (712) 200-1331 · Buena Vista County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL221 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
18 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
34%
76 students
DISTRICT 33% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 70 | 32% |
| Grade 10 | 49 | 22% |
| Grade 11 | 52 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 50 | 23% |
Student demographics
32%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 48% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Alta-Aurelia Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
70.6%
IA avg 73.6% . -2.8pp since 2023
Math
74.2%
IA avg 70.9% . +6.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 71 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 74 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are down about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 6 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 70.6% | 74.2% |
| 2023-24 | 73.4% | 67.8% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
67.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
74.7%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 68% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 75% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Iowa's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Where Alta-Aurelia High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 67.5% | #220 of 313 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 74.2% | #124 of 314 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 70.6% | #242 of 314 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 221 | #235 of 340 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.4:1 | #54 of 259 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 32.4% | #89 of 260 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.4% | #125 of 133 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list.
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
221
+3 (+1%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
was 11.6:1
% White
81%
was 79%
% Hispanic
16%
was 17%
% Black
0%
was 2%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free or reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 221 | 17.9 | 12.4:1 | 34% (76) |
| 2023-24 | 199 | 18 | 11.1:1 | 40% (79) |
| 2022-23 | 206 | 15.7 | 13.1:1 | 41% (85) |
| 2017-18 | 218 | 18.9 | 11.6:1 | 36% (79) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Alta-Aurelia High School.
About Alta-Aurelia High School
Alta-Aurelia High School is a low-enrollment high school in Alta, Iowa, (ZIP code 51002). A federal count lists 221 students at the school, in grades 9 through 12. Average enrollment for high schools in Iowa is about 468, so this school runs 53% smaller than that.
Alta-Aurelia Comm School District runs Alta-Aurelia High School along with 3 other schools, enrolling 829 students in total.
White students make up 81% of enrollment at Alta-Aurelia High School. Next come 16% Hispanic. That compares with about 60% White among all Buena Vista County residents. Alta-Aurelia High School's diversity index is 32%, against a US figure of 70%.
Teacher staffing is 17.9 full-time equivalents, or about 12.4 students per teacher. This ratio sits 4.9 below the 17.3:1 average for high schools in Iowa. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 34%. By comparison, the figure for public schools in Buena Vista County is 60%.
Alta-Aurelia High School's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (67.5%) and its predicted rate (74.7%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Iowa schools.
According to the American Community Survey, in Buena Vista County, the median household income is $71,719, roughly 22% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. There are 15 public schools in Buena Vista County, enrolling about 4,691 students in all.
The next-closest public school is Alta Elementary School, less than a tenth of a mile away. The count of other public schools within five miles is 4. In a group of 5 nearby schools with scores, Alta-Aurelia High School ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
NCES lists the school's locale as Rural: Distant. That means it sits in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
The school's size has been steady, with 218 students in 2017-18 and 221 in 2024-25.
The discussion area below is open to posts about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Buena Vista County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
20,753
Census ACS
Median income
$71,719
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
15
4,691 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Alta-Aurelia Comm School District
- Alta Elementary SchoolElementary · 256 students
- Alta-Aurelia Middle SchoolMiddle · 228 students
- Aurelia Elementary SchoolElementary · 124 students
Nearby schools
- Alta Elementary School0.0 mi · 256
- Storm Lake Early Elementary School3.9 mi · 437
- Storm Lake Middle School4.1 mi · 651
- Storm Lake Elementary4.1 mi · 822
- St Lake/IA Cntrl/Buena Vista Early College HS5.8 mi · 50
- Storm Lake High School5.8 mi · 851
Frequently asked questions
About Alta-Aurelia High SchoolHow large is Alta-Aurelia High School?
Alta-Aurelia High School enrolls approximately 221 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Alta-Aurelia High School serve?
Alta-Aurelia High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Alta-Aurelia High School?
Approximately 12.4:1 students per teacher at Alta-Aurelia High School.
What is the student diversity at Alta-Aurelia High School?
Student demographics at Alta-Aurelia High School are roughly 81% White, 16% Hispanic, 0% Black, 1% Two or more.
What district is Alta-Aurelia High School in?
Alta-Aurelia High School is part of Alta-Aurelia Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.