Enrollment
284
High
DISTRICT 304 · STATE 468
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH CENTRAL CALHOUN COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190002400961
South Central Calhoun High School
709 W Main St, Lake City, IA 51449 · (712) 464-7211 · Calhoun County
GRADES 09–12HIGH43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL284 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 61% 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.
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
10.4:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.0:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
40%
115 students
DISTRICT 43% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 51 | 18% |
| Grade 9 | 63 | 22% |
| Grade 10 | 69 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 47 | 17% |
| Grade 12 | 54 | 19% |
Student demographics
15%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 12% · 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 South Central Calhoun Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at South Central Calhoun High School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
77.1%
IA avg 73.6% . -0.8pp since 2023
Math
67.0%
IA avg 70.9% . -3.1pp 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 67 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are down about 3 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 77.1% | 67.0% |
| 2023-24 | 77.9% | 70.1% |
% 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
74.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
71.7%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 74% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 72% 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 South Central Calhoun High School
South Central Calhoun High School's state test result (74.1% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Central Calhoun High School this school | 284 | 40.5% | 74.1% |
| Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove High School Ida Grove | 326 | 39.9% | 76.3% |
| Davis County Community High School Bloomfield | 358 | 39.7% | 64.4% |
| Pekin Community Junior/ Senior High School Packwood | 258 | 42.2% | 71.8% |
| Missouri Valley High School Missouri Valley | 228 | 39.0% | 72.5% |
| Belle Plaine Jr/Sr High School Belle Plaine | 205 | 39.0% | 69.6% |
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 South Central Calhoun High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 74.1% | #148 of 313 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 67.0% | #204 of 314 ▼ 44 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 77.1% | #171 of 314 ▼ 15 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 284 | #187 of 340 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.4:1 | #8 of 259 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 14.7% | #205 of 260 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 40.5% | #110 of 320 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -10.1% | #56 of 125 |
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
284
-4 (-1%) vs 2020
+25% since 2000-01, when it was 228
Student : Teacher
10.4:1
was 11.5:1
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 | 284 | 27.2 | 10.4:1 | 40% (115) |
| 2023-24 | 281 | 27 | 10.4:1 | 46% (128) |
| 2022-23 | 278 | 27.1 | 10.2:1 | 45% (125) |
| 2020-21 | 288 | 25 | 11.5:1 | 41% (118) |
| 2017-18 | 316 | 28.6 | 11.1:1 | 35% (111) |
| 2015-16 | 305 | 27 | 11.3:1 | 38% (116) |
| 2010-11 | 226 | 23 | 9.8:1 | 32% (72) |
| 2000-01 | 228 | 18 | 12.7:1 | 25% (56) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Central Calhoun High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 10% (316 to 284); teachers down 5% (28.6 to 27.2).
About South Central Calhoun High School
The public high school South Central Calhoun High School is located in Lake City, Iowa. Enrollment is 284 students in 2024-25, and the school serves grades 9 through 12. The typical figure for high schools in Iowa is about 468 students.
South Central Calhoun High School is one of 3 schools in South Central Calhoun Comm School District, which enrolls 912 students in total.
White students are the large majority at South Central Calhoun High School, with 92% of enrollment. Other groups make up 3% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. The county population is about 92% White, within a few points of the school. By the diversity index, South Central Calhoun High School comes in at 15%.
The school has about 10.4 students per teacher and 27.2 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average ratio among high schools in Iowa is 17.3:1, higher than at this school. About 40% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. That is close to the 41% average for public schools in Calhoun County.
allk12 grades South Central Calhoun High School a B. The grade compares the school only with Iowa public high schools, because each state gives its own test.
On BeatsExpectations, South Central Calhoun High School is 2.4 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Iowa schools.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Calhoun County show that median household income is about $64,964, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 22%, and about 5% of people live in poverty. South Central Calhoun High School is one of 6 public schools in Calhoun County, which together enroll about 1,472 students.
The closest public school to South Central Calhoun High School is South Central Calhoun Middle School, about 10.0 miles away. The school's 74.1% average proficiency ranks 2nd among 8 nearby schools.
The school is in rural territory far from an urban area, according to its NCES locale (Rural: Remote).
Enrollment has been fairly stable: 288 in 2020-21 and 284 in 2024-25. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio fell to 10.4:1, from 11.5:1.
Questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Calhoun County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,803
Census ACS
Median income
$64,964
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
6
1,472 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in South Central Calhoun Comm School District
- South Central Calhoun Middle SchoolMiddle · 329 students
- South Central Calhoun Elementary SchoolElementary · 299 students
Nearby schools
- South Central Calhoun Middle School10.0 mi · 329
- South Central Calhoun Elementary School10.7 mi · 299
- Carroll Middle School13.4 mi · 459
- Carroll High School13.6 mi · 483
- Glidden-Ralston Jr-Sr High School14.2 mi · 163
- Glidden-Ralston Elementary School14.2 mi · 227
Frequently asked questions
About South Central Calhoun High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at South Central Calhoun High School?
South Central Calhoun High School enrolls approximately 284 students in grades 09-12.
Is South Central Calhoun High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
South Central Calhoun High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at South Central Calhoun High School?
Approximately 10.4:1 students per teacher at South Central Calhoun High School.
How diverse is South Central Calhoun High School?
South Central Calhoun High School reports a student body of 92% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Is South Central Calhoun High School public or private?
South Central Calhoun High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by South Central Calhoun Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.