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Schools›Iowa›Ames
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·AMES COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190354000050

Ames High School

1801 Ridgewood Drive, Ames, IA 50010 · (515) 817-0600 · Story County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL1,440 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 50% of Iowa public high schools
  • B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Iowa public high schools

Enrollment
1,440
High
DISTRICT 586 · STATE 468
Student : Teacher
17.6:1
82 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.4:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
30%
430 students
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 41%
Community
5
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

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 934324%
Grade 1036325%
Grade 1137026%
Grade 1236425%
Student demographics
55%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · STATE 48% · US 70%
White
91964%
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 70% · US 43%
Hispanic
17112%
DISTRICT 13% · STATE 14% · US 30%
Black
14510%
DISTRICT 10% · STATE 7% · US 15%
Asian
1138%
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 2% · US 6%
Two+
765%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
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
Male
71450%
Female
71149%

School pathway

Feeds from
Ames Middle School06–08
Based on grade levels within Ames Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

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Test scores

ISASP 2024-25 . % Proficient
English Language Arts
76.7%
IA avg 73.6% . -2.1pp since 2023
Math
74.0%
IA avg 70.9% . +2.9pp since 2023

What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 77 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 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 3 points.

ISASP results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2576.7%74.0%
2023-2478.8%71.1%
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
74.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
77.0%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.9pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 74% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 77% 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 →

Schools most like Ames High School

Ames High School's state test result (74.2% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Ames High School this school1,44029.9%74.2%
Johnston Middle School
Johnston
1,16127.0%81.0%
Urbandale High School
Urbandale
1,30136.4%68.0%
Waukee High School
Waukee
1,37523.0%70.1%
Johnston Senior High School
Johnston
1,82022.4%79.9%
Southview Middle School
Ankeny
91327.5%83.7%
Matched among Iowa high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Ames High School ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn IowaIn Story County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
74.2%#146 of 313#4 of 7
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
74.0%#127 of 314
▲ 22
#4 of 7
▲ 1
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
76.7%#180 of 314
▼ 38
#6 of 7
▼ 1
Enrollment
ranked largest first
1,440#22 of 340#1 of 7
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
17.6:1#234 of 259#6 of 6
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
55.0%#36 of 260#1 of 6
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
29.9%#207 of 320#4 of 7
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+8.4%#84 of 133N/A
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 2024-25
Enrollment
1,440
+70 (+5%) vs 2020
+11% since 1990-91, when it was 1,301
Student : Teacher
17.6:1
was 16.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-251,4408217.6:130% (430)
2023-241,4278217.4:130% (433)
2022-231,40383.216.9:130% (421)
2020-211,3708116.9:131% (422)
2017-181,3287517.7:125% (334)
2015-161,2707816.3:124% (311)
2010-111,4067518.8:120% (281)
2000-011,5919616.6:110% (156)
1990-911,3018215.9:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ames High School.

Since 2017-18: students up 8% (1,328 to 1,440); teachers up 9% (75 to 82).

About Ames High School

Ames High School runs as a large high school in Ames, Iowa. The school covers grades 9 through 12 and reported 1,440 students in 2024-25. On average, high schools in Iowa enroll around 468, and this school is 208% larger than that mark.

Besides Ames High School, Ames Comm School District runs 7 other schools. The district enrolls 4,688 students.

About 64% of the student body at Ames High School is White. Other groups include 12% Hispanic, 10% Black, 8% Asian, and 5% multiracial. By comparison, Story County residents are about 82% White. A diversity index of 55% means there is a 55% chance two randomly chosen students at Ames High School are from different groups.

The school's 82 full-time-equivalent teachers translate to a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.6:1. The ratio is within a point of the 17.3:1 average for high schools in Iowa. At Ames High School, 30% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. That is in line with the 28% average for public schools in Story County.

Ames High School earns a B- on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 50% of Iowa public high schools.

Ames High School scores 74.2% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 77.0%.

Census data for Story County show the median household earns about $69,685 a year, 55% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Story County number 26, with about 11,665 students.

Of the public schools around it, Ames High School is closest to Fellows Elementary School, about 0.3 miles away. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. On average proficiency, Ames High School is 5th of 8 nearby schools with test data.

NCES lists the school's locale as City: Small. That means it sits inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.

Over the 4 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment rose 5%.

This community page is for conversations about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.

Story County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
100,466
Census ACS
Median income
$69,685
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
55%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
26
11,665 students

Quick facts

School name
Ames High School
District
Ames Comm School District
Address
1801 Ridgewood Drive, Ames, IA 50010
Phone
(515) 817-0600
County
Story County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
1,440
Teachers (FTE)
82
Student–teacher ratio
17.6:1
Free and reduced lunch
430 (30%)
Locale
13-City: Small
NCES ID
190354000050
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Ames Comm School District
Other schools in Ames
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Ames High School
How large is Ames High School?
Ames High School enrolls approximately 1,440 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Ames High School serve?
Ames High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many teachers does Ames High School have?
Ames High School employs 82 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.6:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Ames High School?
At Ames High School, the student body is approximately 64% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% Black, 8% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Ames High School in?
Ames High School is part of Ames Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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