Central Middle School/High School

Central Middle School/High School, an one-room-style four-year high school in Elkader, Iowa, run under Central Comm School District, caters to 182 students, covering grades 7 through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 61% smaller than the state mean of about 468.

Central Middle School/High School is one of 2 schools operated by Central Comm School District, a district that serves 474 students overall.

Demographically, Central Middle School/High School lists that the student body is overwhelmingly White (94%). Other groups include 4% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with Clayton County as a whole.

On the resource side, The school currently runs with 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.3:1, putting Central Middle School/High School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 38% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Central Middle School/High School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 72.7%; this one delivers 66.0%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Clayton County shows median household income runs about $67,242, 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Central Middle School/High School is one of 11 public schools in Clayton County (combined enrollment of about 3,625 students).

Nearest neighbor: Central Elementary, around 0.0 miles off. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Central Middle School/High School ranks 9th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 74.8%.

The school occupies a low-density site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Central Middle School/High School has contracted 22%, going from 234 students in 2018 to 182 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 13.4:1 in 2018 to 11.5:1 today.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.