Hempstead High School

Hempstead High School is a sizable secondary school in Dubuque, Iowa, operated by Dubuque Comm School District. The school teaches 1,499 students in grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 468 students per school, that is 220% bigger than typical.

Dubuque Comm School District comprises 19 schools with combined enrollment of 9,843 students; Hempstead High School is among them.

On demographics, Hempstead High School shows that White students make up the majority at 77%. Other groups include 8% Black, 5% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 4% Pacific Islander. The wider county runs roughly 89% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully less White than the area baseline.

On the resource side, Hempstead High School reports 97 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.3:1, putting Hempstead High School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 42% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

With demographic context factored in, Hempstead High School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 70.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 64.1%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Dubuque County put the typical household earns roughly $77,630 per year, 33% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. In all, Dubuque County runs 26 public schools (combined enrollment of about 13,164 students), of which Hempstead High School is one.

Hoover Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Hempstead High School at 7th of 8; the average score across the group is 73.1%.

The campus sits in an urban setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 12%: 1,709 students in 2018 compared to 1,499 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 81% to 77%.

On allk12, members of the Hempstead High School community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.