1
Enrollment
688
High
DISTRICT 419 · STATE 468
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SPENCER COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 192691001582
Spencer High School
800 E 3rd St, Spencer, IA 51301 · (712) 262-1700 · Clay County
GRADES 09–12HIGH33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL688 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 89% of Iowa public high schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+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
17.0:1
41 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
45%
312 students
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 41%
Community
6
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 | 159 | 23% |
| Grade 10 | 191 | 28% |
| Grade 11 | 169 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 169 | 25% |
Student demographics
24%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 29% · 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 Spencer Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
84.4%
IA avg 73.6% . -0.6pp since 2023
Math
80.9%
IA avg 70.9% . +4.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 84 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 81 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 up about 4 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 84.4% | 80.9% |
| 2023-24 | 85.0% | 76.6% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of IA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
79.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.3%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 79% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 69% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 10 points, placing it in Iowa's top 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 Spencer High School
Spencer High School's state test result (79.1% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer High School this school | 688 | 45.3% | 79.1% |
| Creston High School Creston | 486 | 44.2% | 76.1% |
| Newton Senior High School Newton | 806 | 42.6% | 65.1% |
| Red Oak Junior/Senior High School Red Oak | 420 | 48.8% | 66.7% |
| Crestwood High School Cresco | 346 | 44.2% | 76.2% |
| Fort Madison Junior/Senior High School Fort Madison | 852 | 51.8% | 63.6% |
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 Spencer High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 79.1% | #77 of 313 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 80.9% | #47 of 314 ▲ 29 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 84.4% | #66 of 314 ▼ 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 688 | #67 of 340 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.0:1 | #222 of 259 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 23.6% | #124 of 260 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 45.3% | #73 of 320 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +16.8% | #50 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
688
-21 (-3%) vs 2020
+6% since 1990-91, when it was 647
Student : Teacher
17.0:1
was 17.3:1
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 | 688 | 40.6 | 17.0:1 | 45% (312) |
| 2023-24 | 718 | 40.1 | 17.9:1 | 37% (269) |
| 2022-23 | 712 | 40.7 | 17.5:1 | 40% (285) |
| 2020-21 | 709 | 41 | 17.3:1 | 38% (268) |
| 2017-18 | 589 | 39.3 | 15.0:1 | 32% (190) |
| 2015-16 | 605 | 39 | 15.5:1 | 36% (216) |
| 2010-11 | 654 | 40 | 16.4:1 | 27% (179) |
| 2000-01 | 768 | 56 | 13.7:1 | 10% (80) |
| 1990-91 | 647 | 41 | 15.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Spencer High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 17% (589 to 688); teachers up 3% (39.3 to 40.6).
About Spencer High School
Spencer High School is a medium-sized high school. Its address is in Spencer, Iowa. The school's 688 students are in grades 9 through 12. Enrollment is 47% higher than the average for high schools in Iowa, which is about 468.
Spencer High School is a school in Spencer Comm School District. The district has 5 schools and 2,094 students.
Federal enrollment data show Spencer High School is 87% White. Other groups make up 9% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. The school's diversity index is 24%, meaning two students picked at random have a 24% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Spencer High School counts 40.6 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 17.0 students for each one. That matches the 17.3:1 average for high schools in Iowa fairly closely. About 45% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch.
Measured against Iowa public high schools, Spencer High School receives an A. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Spencer High School ranks in the top 10% of Iowa schools after adjusting test results for student poverty. Actual: 79.1%. Predicted: 69.3%. Difference: 9.8 points.
Across Clay County, the median household income is $65,428, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 28%, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Clay County is home to 6 public schools and about 2,147 public school students.
The nearest other public school, Spencer Middle School, is about 0.8 miles away. There are 4 more public schools inside five miles. On state test proficiency, Spencer High School ranks 2nd in a group of 6 nearby schools.
By NCES locale, the school is Town: Remote, or in a town far from an urbanized area.
Spencer High School's enrollment dropped from 709 in 2020-21 to 688 in 2024-25.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss school safety, transportation, and start times at Spencer High School. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Clay County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
16,461
Census ACS
Median income
$65,428
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
28%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
6
2,147 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Spencer Comm School District
- Spencer Middle SchoolMiddle · 514 students
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolElementary · 442 students
- Fairview Park ElementaryElementary · 249 students
- Johnson ElementaryElementary · 201 students
Other schools in Spencer
- Spencer Middle SchoolMiddle · 514 students
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolElementary · 442 students
- Fairview Park ElementaryElementary · 249 students
- Johnson ElementaryElementary · 201 students
Other Spencer High schools
One other US public school is named Spencer High. Spencer High School is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Spencer High SchoolColumbus, GA · 1,016 students
Nearby schools
- Spencer Middle School0.8 mi · 514
- Fairview Park Elementary0.9 mi · 249
- Lincoln Elementary School1.1 mi · 442
- Johnson Elementary1.2 mi · 201
- Clay Central-Everly Elementary9.4 mi · 53
- Ruthven-Ayrshire High School11.7 mi · 58
Frequently asked questions
About Spencer High SchoolHow many students attend Spencer High School?
Spencer High School enrolls approximately 688 students in grades 09-12.
Is Spencer High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Spencer High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Spencer High School have?
Spencer High School employs 41 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.0:1.
What is the student diversity at Spencer High School?
Student demographics at Spencer High School are roughly 87% White, 9% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is Spencer High School in?
Spencer High School is part of Spencer Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.