Alternative School

Located at 19 N. Illinois Ave., in Mason City, Iowa, Alternative School is a rural-scale high school that works with 91 students (grades 9 through 12), run under Mason City Comm School District. Enrollment runs roughly 81% smaller than the state mean of about 468.

Mason City Comm School District comprises 9 schools with combined enrollment of 3,406 students; Alternative School is among them.

Looking at the student body, Alternative School reports that the largest single group is White, at 71% of enrollment. The remainder comes out to 11% Hispanic, 9% Black, 4% Pacific Islander. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 90%.

In terms of school funding signals, The school employs 6 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.3:1, putting Alternative School tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 51% of students at Alternative School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Cerro Gordo County (around 43%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

Across the wider county, Cerro Gordo County reports that the typical household earns roughly $68,189 per year, about 24% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. In all, Cerro Gordo County runs 13 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,248 students), of which Alternative School is one.

Mason City Virtual Academy is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a town-based area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Alternative School's enrollment has expanded 8% since 2018, when it stood at 84 (now 91). Over the same period, the White share contracted from 76% to 71%. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 13.6:1 in 2018 to 15.4:1 today.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.