Enrollment
356
High
DISTRICT 295 · STATE 468
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SHELDON COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 192598001474
Sheldon High School
1700 East Fourth Street, Sheldon, IA 51201 · (712) 324-2501 · O'Brien County
GRADES 09–12HIGH33-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL356 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 70% 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.
- B+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
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.5:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
33%
117 students
DISTRICT 30% · 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 9 | 94 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 104 | 29% |
| Grade 11 | 73 | 21% |
| Grade 12 | 85 | 24% |
Student demographics
48%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 48% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Sheldon Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
77.5%
IA avg 73.6% . -4.1pp since 2023
Math
73.6%
IA avg 70.9% . +1.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 78 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 4 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 1 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 77.5% | 73.6% |
| 2023-24 | 81.6% | 72.4% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
77.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
75.5%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 77% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 76% 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 Sheldon High School
Sheldon High School's state test result (77.2% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheldon High School this school | 356 | 32.9% | 77.2% |
| Washington High School Washington | 452 | 38.3% | 53.1% |
| Le Mars High School Le Mars | 662 | 27.8% | 74.3% |
| Alta-Aurelia High School Alta | 221 | 34.4% | 67.5% |
| Ridge View High School Holstein | 242 | 36.4% | 67.5% |
| Webster City High School Webster City | 505 | 40.0% | 65.3% |
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 Sheldon High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 77.2% | #99 of 313 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 73.6% | #135 of 314 ▼ 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 77.5% | #162 of 314 ▼ 53 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 356 | #140 of 340 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.5:1 | #96 of 259 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 48.4% | #52 of 260 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 32.9% | #178 of 320 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.2% | #113 of 133 |
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
356
-12 (-3%) vs 2020
-3% since 1990-91, when it was 366
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
was 16.0:1
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 | 356 | 26.3 | 13.5:1 | 33% (117) |
| 2023-24 | 345 | 27.3 | 12.6:1 | 39% (133) |
| 2022-23 | 342 | 25.3 | 13.5:1 | 39% (134) |
| 2020-21 | 368 | 23 | 16.0:1 | 35% (127) |
| 2017-18 | 345 | 22.7 | 15.2:1 | 37% (126) |
| 2015-16 | 354 | 22 | 16.1:1 | 33% (118) |
| 2010-11 | 326 | 22 | 14.8:1 | 25% (80) |
| 2000-01 | 404 | 26 | 15.5:1 | 18% (73) |
| 1990-91 | 366 | 27 | 13.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sheldon High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (345 to 356); teachers up 16% (22.7 to 26.3).
About Sheldon High School
A low-enrollment high school in Sheldon, Iowa, Sheldon High School is part of Sheldon Comm School District. Total enrollment is 356 students, and the grades served are 9 through 12. That is 24% below the average of about 468 students for high schools in Iowa.
Sheldon Comm School District has 1,179 students in 4 schools, and Sheldon High School is one of those schools.
Federal enrollment data show Sheldon High School is 65% White. Other groups make up 29% Hispanic. O'Brien County as a whole is about 88% White, so the school's share is lower. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 48, compared with 70 nationally.
There are about 13.5 students for every full-time-equivalent teacher at Sheldon High School, which has 26.3. High schools in Iowa have an average ratio of 17.3:1. Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch stands at 33%.
Sheldon High School holds a B+ allk12 Grade, placing it above 70% of Iowa public high schools.
In Iowa, Sheldon High School is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 77.2% actual against a predicted 75.5%.
Five-year Census Bureau estimates for O'Brien County show that the median household earns about $68,356 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 22%, and roughly 9% of residents are in poverty. Across O'Brien County, 9 public schools serve about 2,377 students.
Little Orabs Preschool is the nearest public school to Sheldon High School, about 0.2 miles away. Sheldon High School is one of several public schools in the area, with 3 others within five miles. The school's 77.2% average proficiency ranks 4th among 8 nearby schools.
NCES describes the area around Sheldon High School as Town: Remote, meaning in a town far from an urbanized area.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 356, down from 368 in 2020-21. By 2024-25, the school had 13.5 students per teacher, compared with 16.0 in 2020-21.
On allk12, people connected to Sheldon High School can post about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.
O'Brien County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
14,126
Census ACS
Median income
$68,356
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
9
2,377 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Sheldon Comm School District
- East Elementary SchoolElementary · 468 students
- Sheldon Middle SchoolMiddle · 312 students
- Little Orabs PreschoolElementary · 43 students
Other schools in Sheldon
- East Elementary SchoolElementary · 468 students
- Sheldon Middle SchoolMiddle · 312 students
- Little Orabs PreschoolElementary · 43 students
Other Sheldon High schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Sheldon High. Sheldon High School is the 3rd largest of the 4.
- Sheldon HighSacramento, CA · 2,368 students
- Sheldon High SchoolEugene, OR · 1,462 students
- SHELDON HIGHSHELDON, MO · 89 students
Nearby schools
- Little Orabs Preschool0.2 mi · 43
- East Elementary School0.3 mi · 468
- Sheldon Middle School0.3 mi · 312
- Boyden-Hull Elementary School8.4 mi · 322
- Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle School9.0 mi · 165
- South O'Brien Elem School - Primghar Center12.3 mi · 328
Frequently asked questions
About Sheldon High SchoolHow many students attend Sheldon High School?
Sheldon High School enrolls approximately 356 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Sheldon High School serve?
Sheldon High School serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sheldon High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Sheldon High School is approximately 13.5:1 (26 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Sheldon High School?
Student demographics at Sheldon High School are roughly 65% White, 29% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Sheldon High School in?
Sheldon High School is part of Sheldon Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.