Public education in Iowa

K-12 education in Iowa

Education facts

State superintendent: McKenzie Snow

Number of students: 517,444

Number of teachers: 35,535

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:14.5

Number of school districts: 328

Number of schools: 1,310

Graduation rate: 92%

Per-pupil spending: $11,958

See also

Iowa Department of Education • List of school districts in Iowa • Iowa • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Iowa Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.

The Iowa public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Iowa had 517,444 students enrolled in a total of 1,310 schools in 328 school districts. There were 35,535 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 14.5 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Iowa spent on average $11,958 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 92 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Iowa compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in Iowa
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
Iowa	1,310	328	517,444	35,535	1:14.5	$11,958
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state for a full comparison of all states.

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Minnesota, Missouri, and Illinois), Iowa students performed better or equal to those in Missouri and Illinois, but fell behind those in Minnesota. According to the Iowa "Annual Condition of Education Report for 2013," National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results remain unchanged. Iowa fourth and eighth grade NAEP results in mathematics and reading were also similar from the prior years, with no significant gains in either content area or grade level. See the table below for a full comparison.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Iowa	48%	36%	38%	37%
Illinois	39%	36%	34%	36%
Minnesota	59%	47%	41%	41%
Missouri	39%	33%	35%	36%
U.S. averages	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT comparisons

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Iowa and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

Iowa schools reported a graduation rate of 89.7 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, highest among its neighboring states.

In Iowa, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 22.1.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Iowa	89.7%	First	22.1	66%	1763	3%
Illinois	83.2%	Third	20.6	100%	1807	5%
Minnesota	79.8%	Fourth	23	74%	1780	6%
Missouri	85.7%	Second	21.6	74%	1773	4%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Iowa was slightly higher than the national average at 3.4 percent in the 2010-2011 school year. Iowa's event dropout rate was lower during the 2011-2012 school year though, at 3.2 percent.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Iowa

School choice options in Iowa include an inter-district open enrollment policy, an education expense credit, two state-led online programs, and a tax-credit scholarship program, which awarded an average scholarship amount of $1,086 to 10,446 students participating in 153 schools in the 2012-2013 school year. The state has only six out of the 20 charter schools approved by the legislature. In addition, in 2012-2013 approximately 14,047 students, or 2.67 percent of the total student-aged population, were homeschooled and about 42,058 students, or 8.67 percent of school-age children, were enrolled in 211 private schools.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Iowa is not one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Iowa state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

Iowa spent approximately 16.4 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from state funds. When compared to its neighboring states, Iowa spent the second lowest percentage of its total budget on public education.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Iowa	16.4%	$10,313	7.6%	51.7%	40.7%
Illinois	13.3%	$12,288	7.9%	35.4%	56.8%
Minnesota	29.2%	$11,089	6.1%	63.5%	30.5%
Missouri	22.8%	$9,597	8.9%	42.2%	48.9%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the United States

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In Iowa, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding, at $3.1 billion. Iowa reported the lowest total public education revenue when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Iowa	$459,132	$3,118,413	$2,452,461	$6,030,006
Illinois	$2,311,235	$10,392,455	$16,688,203	$29,391,893
Minnesota	$648,189	$6,792,258	$3,264,242	$10,704,689
Missouri	$894,168	$4,235,564	$4,900,767	$10,030,499
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in Iowa totaled approximately $6 billion in fiscal year 2012. This was the lowest reported total public education expenditures when compared to Iowa's neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
Iowa	$4,971,944	$905,979	$143,821	$6,021,744
Illinois	$25,012,915	$2,169,706	$1,014,430	$28,197,052
Minnesota	$9,053,021	$1,069,044	$815,947	$10,938,012
Missouri	$8,719,925	$894,459	$559,071	$10,173,456
U.S. totals	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012) (Table 5)"

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the Iowa Department of Education the average annual teacher salary for the 2012-2013 school year was $52,635 which ranked it 25th in the United States. The average principal salary of $91,509 was 24th highest in the United States. The chart below details the average teacher salaries for the 1999-2000, 2009-2010, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years, and shows the average percent of change.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Iowa	$48,757	$52,973	$51,076	$51,528	5.7%
Illinois	$63,527	$66,264	$58,595	$59,113	-6.9%
Minnesota	$54,393	$55,967	$55,874	$56,268	3.4%
Missouri	$48,727	$48,373	$47,178	$47,517	-2.5%
U.S. averages	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state." Source: NCES, "Table 211.60"

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Iowa Department of Education

The Iowa Department of Education oversees K-12 public education, non-public schools that receive state accreditation, area education agencies (AEAs), community colleges and teacher preparation programs in the state of Iowa. The department was created by the Iowa State Legislature in 1913 and was originally called the Department of Public Instruction. The current name was adopted in 1986. Ryan Wise was first appointed as Iowa Director of Education in 2015.

The mission statement of the Iowa Department of Education reads:

“

The Iowa Department of Education (DE) works with the Iowa State Board of Education (State Board) to provide support, supervision, and oversight for the state education system that includes public elementary and secondary schools, nonpublic schools that receive state accreditation, area education agencies (AEAs), community colleges, and teacher preparation programs.

”

The State Board of Education is composed of ten members that are appointed by the governor with the consent of the Iowa State Senate. Nine are voting members that serve six-year terms and one is a student member who serves a one-year term. The Board of Education is responsible for establishing, recommending, and overseeing the implementation of education policy in the state.

Unions

In 2012 the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Iowa ranked 27th overall for union power and influence, or "average," which was in the middle tier of five tiers.

The main union related to the Indiana school system is the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). ISEA is the largest education association in the state. For the 2008 tax period ISEA had $14,425,643 in total revenue.

Government sector lobbying

See also: Iowa government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Iowa Association of School Boards.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on the performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received by the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Iowa received a score of 84.2, or a B average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. The state's highest score was in "transitions and alignment" at 82.1, or a B- average. The lowest score was in "K-12 achievement" at 67.3, or a D+ average. Iowa had the 10th highest score in the "chance for success" category in the country. The chart below displays the scores of Iowa and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
Iowa	84.2 (B)	67.3 (D+)	74.5 (C)	78.7 (C+)	73.8 (C)	82.1 (B-)
Illinois	80.2 (B-)	69.6 (C-)	91.0 (A-)	67.9 (D+)	76.8 (C+)	75.0 (C)
Minnesota	87.3 (B+)	76.7 (C+)	71.2 (C-)	67.5 (D+)	74.6 (C)	71.4 (C-)
Missouri	77.3 (C+)	66.0 (D)	78.9 (C+)	69.3 (D+)	70.5 (C-)	75.0 (C)
United States	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

ABCs of School Choice

The Friedman Foundation for Education published a description and commentary on Iowa's school choice options in the 2014 study entitled The ABCs of School Choice. They concluded that "Iowa’s tax-credit scholarship program provides a somewhat generous eligibility window—families with incomes lower than 300 percent of federal poverty qualify—the tax credits are limited to $8.75 million per year, which restricts the size of the scholarships and the number of children who can claim them. The program fortunately does not have a per-student funding cap for scholarships, but, again, that is limited by the program’s overall cap of $8.75 million. As for participating schools, the regulatory restrictions are reasonable. Schools must be accredited and comply with nondiscrimination, health, and safety laws. The program could be one of the strongest nationwide, if its overall funding cap were increased significantly and if eligibility were open to all students."

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

School districts in Iowa are split into three categories: community school districts, consolidated school districts and independent school districts. The terms "school district" and "school corporation" are used interchangeably in the Iowa statutes.

School board composition

School board members are elected by residents of the school district. School boards in Iowa are generally composed of five or seven members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held on the second Tuesday in September of odd-numbered years.

Term limits

Iowa does not impose statewide term limits on school board members.

Elections

See also: Iowa school board elections, 2024

No Iowa school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2024.

Path to the ballot

To become a school board candidate in Iowa, a person must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older, a resident of the school district and eligible to be registered to vote may become a candidate for the school board.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Iowa state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Iowa ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. Iowa School Money, Amendment 2 (1984)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Iowa education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in Iowa - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in Iowa
• Iowa
• Iowa state budget and finances
• Iowa Department of Education
• List of school districts in Iowa
• School choice in Iowa
• Charter schools in Iowa
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• Iowa Department of Education
• Iowa State Board of Education
• Iowa Public School Ratings by PSK12
• Iowa Public School Ratings by Great Schools