Iowa Schools & Education

Public school metrics and education data for all 99 counties.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Avg Graduation Rate

92.3%

Avg Per-Pupil Spending

$7,591

Avg School Score

61/100

Total Schools

1,327

328 districts

State Overview

About Schools in Iowa

This summary is generated from the NCES metrics shown on this page and reviewed against the source data by the Data Editor. It is not school advice.

Significant Achievement Gaps Across 99 Counties

Educational outcomes vary across the state, with school scores ranging from a high of 59.4 down to 45.3. While Dallas County achieves a 97.3% graduation rate, Buena Vista County lags behind at just 72.2%. This 25-point gap in graduation rates reveals a stark disparity between the state's best and worst performing regions.

High Return on Every Education Dollar Spent

Iowa demonstrates exceptional return on investment by hitting a 92.3% graduation rate while spending $5,400 less per student than the national average. Even the state's highest spender, Kossuth County at $8,712, remains thousands of dollars below the national benchmark. This efficiency proves that Iowa's public schools prioritize outcomes over high-cost overhead.

Union and Winneshiek Counties Set the Bar

Union and Winneshiek counties lead the state with matching top scores of 59.4 and graduation rates exceeding 96%. Howard County follows closely with a 59.0 score and a 95.7% graduation rate. These three counties represent the peak of Iowa’s educational system, combining strong graduation figures with moderate spending.

State Score Context

How Iowa Counties Are Distributed

99 of 99 counties have enough NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data to receive a county school score. Use this distribution to understand whether the state has a concentrated cluster of high, midrange, or lower measured signals.

Scored county coverage

Counties with complete enough data for the composite score

100%

Higher measured signal

Score range 70-100

Midrange measured signal

Score range 40-69

Lower measured signal

Score range 0-39

Scores are comparative signals from available federal data, not ratings of individual schools.

Best school counties

Best Counties for Public School Research in Iowa

For a first-pass answer to parent searches about where the best schools are in Iowa, start with county-level evidence, then open individual school and district records. SchoolsByCounty ranks counties by public education signals, not by private opinions or paid school ratings.

Short answer for Iowa

Winneshiek County is the strongest county-level starting point in Iowa by the current SchoolsByCounty score, with a measured school signal of 80/100. This is a county comparison signal, not a promise that every school in the county is the best fit for every family.

Ranking methodology

99 of 99 counties have enough federal education data for a county school score. The ranking favors counties with stronger available graduation-rate and school-finance signals, then asks parents to verify individual school fit locally. The table below should help parents choose what to compare next; it should not replace attendance-boundary checks, program eligibility, commute, services, or direct district confirmation.

State average per-pupil spending in this dataset: $7,591.

Top measured county school signals

Ranked by the county school score where enough federal data is available.

1Winneshiek CountyGraduation 96.3% · Spending $8,20180/100 2Union CountyGraduation 96.5% · Spending $8,12280/100 3Howard CountyGraduation 95.7% · Spending $8,13379/100 4Shelby CountyGraduation 96.5% · Spending $7,76076/100 5Chickasaw CountyGraduation 96.4% · Spending $7,71776/100 6Delaware CountyGraduation 96.4% · Spending $7,69375/100 7Monona CountyGraduation 94.2% · Spending $8,21175/100

Graduation-focused starting point

Dallas County

97.3%

Dallas County has the strongest reported county graduation-rate signal in Iowa. Use this as a broad county context, then review individual high-school records.

Funding context to inspect

Kossuth County

$8,712

Kossuth County reports the highest per-pupil spending among counties with available data. Higher spending is context, not a guarantee of student fit.

Counties to research carefully

Buena Vista County

27/100

Buena Vista County has one of the lowest measured county school signals in Iowa. Review missing data, district context, and individual school records before drawing conclusions.

District research

Compare Iowa public school districts before narrowing by address

Iowa has 328 public school district records and 1,327 school records in the NCES file. Use the district hub to sort large district systems by enrollment, school count, county context, and generated district-guide coverage.

View District Rankings

All Iowa Counties

County-level school score, graduation rate, and per-pupil spending for Iowa.
County	School Score	Graduation Rate	Per-Pupil Spending
Winneshiek County Graduation 96.3% Per pupil $8,201	80/100	96.3%	$8,201
Union County Graduation 96.5% Per pupil $8,122	80/100	96.5%	$8,122
Howard County Graduation 95.7% Per pupil $8,133	79/100	95.7%	$8,133
Shelby County Graduation 96.5% Per pupil $7,760	76/100	96.5%	$7,760
Chickasaw County Graduation 96.4% Per pupil $7,717	76/100	96.4%	$7,717
Delaware County Graduation 96.4% Per pupil $7,693	75/100	96.4%	$7,693
Monona County Graduation 94.2% Per pupil $8,211	75/100	94.2%	$8,211
Washington County Graduation 93.6% Per pupil $8,306	74/100	93.6%	$8,306
Clay County Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $7,438	74/100	97.0%	$7,438
Emmet County Graduation 93.1% Per pupil $8,370	73/100	93.1%	$8,370
Mitchell County Graduation 96.3% Per pupil $7,532	73/100	96.3%	$7,532
Carroll County Graduation 94.8% Per pupil $7,831	72/100	94.8%	$7,831
Sac County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $7,702	72/100	95.0%	$7,702
Davis County Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $7,293	72/100	97.0%	$7,293
Bremer County Graduation 95.6% Per pupil $7,523	72/100	95.6%	$7,523
Ida County Graduation 96.4% Per pupil $7,352	71/100	96.4%	$7,352
Kossuth County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $8,712	71/100	92.0%	$8,712
O'Brien County Graduation 95.8% Per pupil $7,424	71/100	95.8%	$7,424
Grundy County Graduation 95.8% Per pupil $7,417	71/100	95.8%	$7,417
Boone County Graduation 96.2% Per pupil $7,341	71/100	96.2%	$7,341
Franklin County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $8,627	70/100	92.0%	$8,627
Keokuk County Graduation 92.5% Per pupil $8,210	70/100	92.5%	$8,210
Story County Graduation 95.2% Per pupil $7,393	70/100	95.2%	$7,393
Marion County Graduation 94.7% Per pupil $7,589	69/100	94.7%	$7,589
Jackson County Graduation 92.5% Per pupil $8,139	69/100	92.5%	$8,139
Fremont County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $7,438	69/100	95.0%	$7,438
Plymouth County Graduation 95.7% Per pupil $7,289	69/100	95.7%	$7,289
Johnson County Graduation 93.5% Per pupil $7,780	69/100	93.5%	$7,780
Allamakee County Graduation 92.8% Per pupil $7,959	68/100	92.8%	$7,959
Guthrie County Graduation 95.7% Per pupil $7,252	68/100	95.7%	$7,252
Buchanan County Graduation 96.6% Per pupil $7,108	68/100	96.6%	$7,108
Iowa County Graduation 94.5% Per pupil $7,503	68/100	94.5%	$7,503
Monroe County Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $7,004	68/100	97.0%	$7,004
Dallas County Graduation 97.3% Per pupil $6,920	68/100	97.3%	$6,920
Hamilton County Graduation 93.0% Per pupil $7,796	67/100	93.0%	$7,796
Lyon County Graduation 94.0% Per pupil $7,510	67/100	94.0%	$7,510
Dickinson County Graduation 96.2% Per pupil $7,036	67/100	96.2%	$7,036
Pocahontas County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $8,122	66/100	92.0%	$8,122
Jefferson County Graduation 92.9% Per pupil $7,722	66/100	92.9%	$7,722
Worth County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $7,213	66/100	95.0%	$7,213
Ringgold County Graduation 92.5% Per pupil $7,793	66/100	92.5%	$7,793
Harrison County Graduation 92.9% Per pupil $7,662	65/100	92.9%	$7,662
Lucas County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,971	65/100	92.0%	$7,971
Wayne County Graduation 91.1% Per pupil $8,388	65/100	91.1%	$8,388
Clarke County Graduation 91.7% Per pupil $8,153	65/100	91.7%	$8,153
Hardin County Graduation 92.6% Per pupil $7,675	65/100	92.6%	$7,675
Poweshiek County Graduation 93.1% Per pupil $7,459	64/100	93.1%	$7,459
Winnebago County Graduation 92.8% Per pupil $7,558	64/100	92.8%	$7,558
Louisa County Graduation 91.2% Per pupil $8,189	63/100	91.2%	$8,189
Fayette County Graduation 90.8% Per pupil $8,386	63/100	90.8%	$8,386
Calhoun County Graduation 96.1% Per pupil $6,797	63/100	96.1%	$6,797
Linn County Graduation 92.8% Per pupil $7,511	63/100	92.8%	$7,511
Montgomery County Graduation 93.5% Per pupil $7,277	63/100	93.5%	$7,277
Appanoose County Graduation 94.0% Per pupil $7,166	62/100	94.0%	$7,166
Madison County Graduation 95.4% Per pupil $6,844	62/100	95.4%	$6,844
Humboldt County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,706	62/100	92.0%	$7,706
Cherokee County Graduation 93.1% Per pupil $7,295	62/100	93.1%	$7,295
Hancock County Graduation 96.2% Per pupil $6,697	62/100	96.2%	$6,697
Taylor County Graduation 92.8% Per pupil $7,416	62/100	92.8%	$7,416
Tama County Graduation 92.8% Per pupil $7,361	61/100	92.8%	$7,361
Page County Graduation 92.4% Per pupil $7,439	61/100	92.4%	$7,439
Osceola County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $6,867	61/100	95.0%	$6,867
Jasper County Graduation 93.8% Per pupil $6,997	59/100	93.8%	$6,997
Warren County Graduation 95.7% Per pupil $6,503	59/100	95.7%	$6,503
Henry County Graduation 90.7% Per pupil $7,864	58/100	90.7%	$7,864
Adair County Graduation 91.0% Per pupil $7,757	58/100	91.0%	$7,757
Black Hawk County Graduation 90.3% Per pupil $7,868	57/100	90.3%	$7,868
Mahaska County Graduation 92.7% Per pupil $7,113	57/100	92.7%	$7,113
Pottawattamie County Graduation 90.5% Per pupil $7,834	57/100	90.5%	$7,834
Jones County Graduation 94.7% Per pupil $6,608	56/100	94.7%	$6,608
Cerro Gordo County Graduation 87.7% Per pupil $8,682	56/100	87.7%	$8,682
Dubuque County Graduation 89.4% Per pupil $8,024	55/100	89.4%	$8,024
Lee County Graduation 91.1% Per pupil $7,384	54/100	91.1%	$7,384
Wright County Graduation 88.1% Per pupil $8,242	54/100	88.1%	$8,242
Palo Alto County Graduation 89.3% Per pupil $7,860	53/100	89.3%	$7,860
Crawford County Graduation 91.8% Per pupil $7,167	53/100	91.8%	$7,167
Greene County Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $7,610	53/100	90.0%	$7,610
Scott County Graduation 90.6% Per pupil $7,432	53/100	90.6%	$7,432
Woodbury County Graduation 91.3% Per pupil $7,238	53/100	91.3%	$7,238
Decatur County Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $7,565	52/100	90.0%	$7,565
Butler County Graduation 89.5% Per pupil $7,711	52/100	89.5%	$7,711
Marshall County Graduation 91.7% Per pupil $7,022	51/100	91.7%	$7,022
Cedar County Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $7,364	50/100	90.0%	$7,364
Clinton County Graduation 89.0% Per pupil $7,574	49/100	89.0%	$7,574
Sioux County Graduation 88.6% Per pupil $7,630	49/100	88.6%	$7,630
Benton County Graduation 90.3% Per pupil $7,158	49/100	90.3%	$7,158
Polk County Graduation 87.9% Per pupil $7,679	47/100	87.9%	$7,679
Webster County Graduation 88.6% Per pupil $7,499	47/100	88.6%	$7,499
Floyd County Graduation 87.5% Per pupil $7,704	47/100	87.5%	$7,704
Adams County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $8,507	46/100	84.0%	$8,507
Mills County Graduation 90.7% Per pupil $6,889	46/100	90.7%	$6,889
Wapello County Graduation 91.5% Per pupil $6,577	45/100	91.5%	$6,577
Clayton County Graduation 88.5% Per pupil $7,275	44/100	88.5%	$7,275
Audubon County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $8,098	43/100	84.0%	$8,098
Cass County Graduation 88.2% Per pupil $7,223	43/100	88.2%	$7,223
Van Buren County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $8,001	42/100	84.0%	$8,001
Des Moines County Graduation 82.9% Per pupil $7,821	38/100	82.9%	$7,821
Muscatine County Graduation 83.9% Per pupil $7,199	32/100	83.9%	$7,199
Buena Vista County Graduation 72.2% Per pupil $7,516	27/100	72.2%	$7,516

— = data not available for this county.

Compare county school profiles in Iowa

Use the comparison tool to review school scores, graduation rates, and spending side by side.

Compare Counties

Frequently Asked Questions About Iowa Schools

Which Iowa counties have the highest graduation rates?

Dallas County (97.3%), Clay County (97.0%), and Davis County (97.0%) currently lead Iowa among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Iowa?

Across Iowa counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,591. The highest current county values are Kossuth County ($8,712), Cerro Gordo County ($8,682), and Franklin County ($8,627). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

What are the best school counties in Iowa?

Winneshiek County, Union County, Howard County have the strongest measured county-level school signals in Iowa, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data. These are county context rankings, not individual school ratings.

Which Iowa county has the strongest measured school score?

Winneshiek County has the highest school score in Iowa with a score of 80/100, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data.

What is the average graduation rate in Iowa?

The average high school graduation rate across Iowa counties is 92.3%, based on NCES data.

Which county in Iowa has the lowest school score?

Buena Vista County has the lowest school score in Iowa with a score of 27/100. School scores reflect available graduation-rate and per-pupil spending signals.

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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