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.[1] The state's graduation rate was 92 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.[2]
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 | |||||||
Academic performance
The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.
| Education terms |
|---|
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| For more information on education policy terms, see this article. |
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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
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.[3][4][5]
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.[6]
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.[7]
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.[8][9][10]
Developments
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)
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.[11]
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.[12]
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
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.[13][14]
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
According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.[14]
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
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.[15]
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
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.[17]
The mission statement of the Iowa Department of Education reads:[17]
| “ | 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.[18] | ” |
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.[19]
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.[20]
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.[21]
Government sector lobbying
- See also: Iowa government sector lobbying
The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Iowa Association of School Boards.[22]
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:
- Chance for success
- K-12 achievement
- Standards, assessments and accountability
- The teaching profession
- School finance
- 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.[23]
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
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."[24]
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.[25]
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.[26]
Term limits
Iowa does not impose statewide term limits on school board members.[27]
Elections
- See also: Iowa school board elections, 2024
No Iowa school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2024.
Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what school board elections we are covering in your area.
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.[28]
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.
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.
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
Footnotes
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020," May 18, 2022
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates," accessed September 28, 2022
- ↑ United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
- ↑ StudyPoints, "What's a good SAT score or ACT score?" accessed June 7, 2015
- ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, "The ABCs of School Choice," 2014
- ↑ A2Z Home's Cool, "Number of Homeschoolers in the USA," updated February 2, 2014," accessed May 22, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Private School Universe Survey (PSS)", 2011-12; "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey", 2011-12 v.1a; "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey", 2011-12 v.1a.," accessed May 12, 2014
- ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue: "Petition for a writ of certiorari," accessed July 3, 2019
- ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, decided June 30, 2020
- ↑ National Association of State Budget Officers , "State Expenditure Report," accessed July 2, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports," accessed July 2, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)," accessed July 2, 2015
- ↑ Maciver Institute, "REPORT: How much are teachers really paid?" accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Iowa Department of Education, "About," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Iowa Department of Education, "About the Iowa State Board of Education," accessed February 20, 2014
- ↑ Thomas E Fordham Institute, " How Strong Are U.S. Teacher Unions? A State-By-State Comparison," October 29, 2012
- ↑ Center for Union Facts, "Iowa State Education Association," accessed February 20, 2010
- ↑ Iowa Association of School Boards, "Home," accessed August 14, 2015
- ↑ Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014," accessed February 19, 2015
- ↑ Friedman Foundation, "The ABCs of School Choice," accessed May 22, 2014
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Iowa," accessed July 11, 2014
- ↑ Iowa State University, "Women and the 2013 Iowa School Board Elections," accessed July 11, 2014
- ↑ Electronic School, "Survey of the State School Boards Associations on Term Limits for Local Board Members," accessed July 9, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Association of School Boards, "School Board Elections - Frequently Asked Questions," accessed July 11, 2014
