Enrollment
91
High
DISTRICT 357 · STATE 468
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MASON CITY COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 191878001099
Alternative School
19 N. Illinois Ave., Mason City, IA 50401 · (641) 421-4426 · Cerro Gordo County
GRADES 09–12HIGH33-TOWNTITLE IALTERNATIVE EDUCATION SCHOOL91 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
Schools serving specialized populations are not graded, because state test results are not a fair comparison for them. How grades work
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
6 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 30.2:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
51%
46 students
DISTRICT 49% · 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 10 | 12 | 13% |
| Grade 11 | 33 | 36% |
| Grade 12 | 46 | 51% |
Student demographics
46%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 50% · 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
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
60.5%
own-school result
Math
23.2%
own-school result
State assessment results for this school reflect a specialized student population. The figures above are the school's own reported scores; they are not directly comparable to state averages or to general-enrollment schools, so the usual state-average comparison line is suppressed here.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 60.5% | 23.2% |
| 2023-24 | 63.6% | 31.8% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Not computed for this schoolBeatsExpectations is not computed for specialized-population schools (schools for the deaf or blind, therapeutic and behavioral-health placements, juvenile-justice and alternative-education settings, and similar). State ELA/Math proficiency rates are not a comparable metric for these populations, so a demographically-adjusted residual against general-enrollment peers would be misleading. About the methodology →
Where Alternative School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 91 | #324 of 340 |
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. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
91
-2 (-2%) vs 2020
+78% since 1990-91, when it was 51
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
was 18.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 91 | 5.9 | 15.4:1 | 51% (46) |
| 2023-24 | 92 | 5.9 | 15.6:1 | 63% (58) |
| 2022-23 | 94 | 5.9 | 15.9:1 | 62% (58) |
| 2020-21 | 93 | 5 | 18.6:1 | 77% (72) |
| 2017-18 | 84 | 6.2 | 13.6:1 | 68% (57) |
| 2015-16 | 85 | 5 | 17.0:1 | 64% (54) |
| 2010-11 | 111 | 6 | 18.5:1 | 62% (69) |
| 2000-01 | 74 | 6 | 12.3:1 | 47% (35) |
| 1990-91 | 51 | 5 | 10.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Alternative School.
Since 2017-18: students up 8% (84 to 91); teachers down 5% (6.2 to 5.9).
About Alternative School
Students in Mason City, Iowa, attend Alternative School, a small high school. Enrollment is 91 students in 2024-25, and the school serves grades 9 through 12. Against the 468-student average for high schools in Iowa, enrollment here is 81% lower.
Mason City Comm School District is responsible for 9 schools, Alternative School included, with 3,406 students in all.
Alternative School's enrollment is 71% White. The next largest groups are 11% Hispanic, 9% Black, and 4% Pacific Islander. In Cerro Gordo County overall, about 90% of residents are White. Alternative School has a diversity index of 46%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Alternative School's 5.9 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 15.4:1. That ratio is under the 17.3:1 average for high schools in Iowa. The school's rate of free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 51%. Among public schools in Cerro Gordo County, the average eligibility rate is 43%.
In Cerro Gordo County (population about 42,632), median household income is about $68,189, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 24%, and about 6% of people live in poverty. A total of 13 public schools operate in Cerro Gordo County, serving about 5,248 students.
Mason City Virtual Academy is the public school closest to Alternative School, less than a tenth of a mile away. Alternative School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
NCES assigns Alternative School the locale Town: Remote, meaning in a town far from an urbanized area.
Alternative School had 93 students in 2020-21 and 91 in 2024-25, nearly the same. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 18.6:1 in 2020-21 to 15.4:1 in 2024-25.
Discussions about Alternative School may include school safety, transportation, and start times. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Cerro Gordo County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
42,632
Census ACS
Median income
$68,189
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
13
5,248 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Mason City Comm School District
- Mason City High SchoolHigh · 891 students
- Lincoln IntermediateMiddle · 485 students
- John Adams Middle SchoolMiddle · 463 students
- Harding Elementary SchoolElementary · 387 students
- Hoover Elementary SchoolElementary · 361 students
- Roosevelt Elementary SchoolElementary · 348 students
Other schools in Mason City
- Mason City High SchoolHigh · 891 students
- Lincoln IntermediateMiddle · 485 students
- John Adams Middle SchoolMiddle · 463 students
- Harding Elementary SchoolElementary · 387 students
- Hoover Elementary SchoolElementary · 361 students
- Roosevelt Elementary SchoolElementary · 348 students
Other Alternative schools
3 other US public schools in 3 states are named Alternative. Alternative School is the largest of the 4.
- Alternative SchoolSAN ANTONIO, TX · 62 students
- ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLLesterville, MO · 35 students
- Alternative SchoolMONT BELVIEU, TX · 29 students
Nearby schools
- Mason City Virtual Academy0.0 mi · 88
- John Adams Middle School0.1 mi · 463
- Mason City High School0.1 mi · 891
- Jefferson Elementary School0.4 mi · 292
- Harding Elementary School1.2 mi · 387
- Roosevelt Elementary School1.8 mi · 348
Frequently asked questions
About Alternative SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Alternative School?
Alternative School enrolls approximately 91 students in grades 09-12.
Is Alternative School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Alternative School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alternative School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Alternative School is approximately 15.4:1 (6 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Alternative School?
Alternative School reports a student body of 71% White, 11% Hispanic, 9% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is Alternative School public or private?
Alternative School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Mason City Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.