Can I use Delaware County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Delaware County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Delaware County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Delaware County?

Start with the 10 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Delaware County Schools & Education

Name: Delaware County, Iowa Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Delaware County, Iowa

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

School Score

75/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Higher Signal

Graduation Rate

96.4%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

96.4%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 92.3%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,693

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,591

School Score

75/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 61/100

State Score Position

of 99 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Delaware County

Measured School Summary

Delaware County has a higher measured school signal with a school score of 75/100 and a graduation rate of 96.4%, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-score inputs.

Funding Context

At $7,693 per pupil, Delaware County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 23% above the Iowa average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 4.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 1% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Delaware County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

10 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

75/100

Higher measured signal. Ranks #6 of 99 Iowa counties with school score data.

Completion

96.4%

4.1 pts above the state average

Funding context

$7,693

$102 above the state average

School coverage

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county screens well on the combined school metrics available here. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Delaware County has 10 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Delaware County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Higher-signal county

Delaware County screens well on the measured county-level school signal. The next check is whether that strength is broad across districts or concentrated in a few school pathways.

State position

of 99 Iowa counties with school score data. The county score is 14 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

West Delaware County Comm School District

Elementary to high school visible

1,360 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

Maquoketa Valley Comm School District

Elementary to high school visible

705 students

Elementary 3Middle 1High 1Other 0

5 listed schools in this county slice.

Edgewood-Colesburg Comm School District

Elementary school only in this slice

309 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 0Other 0

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

Maquoketa Valley Comm School District is the largest listed district slice, with 5 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Delaware County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Delaware County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in Delaware County, Iowa

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Diverse Schooling Across Three Districts

Delaware County supports 2,708 students through 10 public schools and three distinct districts. The infrastructure is elementary-heavy, featuring six elementary buildings alongside two middle and two high schools.

West Delaware County District Hub

The West Delaware County Community School District is the largest, educating 1,360 students. Traditional public schools make up 100% of the county's offerings as no charter schools are present.

Small Towns and Rural Settings

The county features a mix of seven rural schools and three town-based schools, with an average size of 271 students. Lambert Elementary is the largest campus at 509 students, ensuring a manageable scale for younger learners.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Delaware County

Reported Enrollment

2,708

10 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary6

Middle2

High2

Other0

3 School Districts in Delaware County

West Delaware County Comm School District

3 schools

1,360 students

Maquoketa Valley Comm School District

5 schools

705 students

Edgewood-Colesburg Comm School District

2 schools

516 students

10 Public Schools in Delaware County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

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

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 10 of 10 matching schools

Public schools in Delaware County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Lambert Elementary School	Record	West Delaware County Comm School District	Manchester, 52057Town: Distant	PK–4	Primary	509
West Delaware High School	Record	West Delaware County Comm School District	Manchester, 52057Town: Distant	9–12	High	474
West Delaware Middle School	Record	West Delaware County Comm School District	Manchester, 52057Town: Distant	5–8	Middle	377
Dyersville Elementary School	Record	Western Dubuque Comm School District	Dyersville, 52040Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	334
Edgewood-Colesburg Elementary School	Record	Edgewood-Colesburg Comm School District	Edgewood, 52042Rural: Distant	PK–6	Primary	309
Maquoketa Valley Senior High School	Record	Maquoketa Valley Comm School District	Delhi, 52223Rural: Distant	9–12	High	191
Maquoketa Valley Middle School	Record	Maquoketa Valley Comm School District	Delhi, 52223Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	159
Delhi Elementary School	Record	Maquoketa Valley Comm School District	Delhi, 52223Rural: Distant	3–5	Primary	148
Johnston Elementary School	Record	Maquoketa Valley Comm School District	Hopkinton, 52237Rural: Distant	1–2	Primary	109
Earlville Elementary School	Record	Maquoketa Valley Comm School District	Earlville, 52041Rural: Distant	PK–KG	Primary	98

Lambert Elementary School

West Delaware County Comm School District

Manchester, 52057 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–4Primary509 students

West Delaware High School

West Delaware County Comm School District

Manchester, 52057 / Town: Distant

Record9–12High474 students

West Delaware Middle School

West Delaware County Comm School District

Manchester, 52057 / Town: Distant

Record5–8Middle377 students

Dyersville Elementary School

Western Dubuque Comm School District

Dyersville, 52040 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary334 students

Edgewood-Colesburg Elementary School

Edgewood-Colesburg Comm School District

Edgewood, 52042 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary309 students

Maquoketa Valley Senior High School

Maquoketa Valley Comm School District

Delhi, 52223 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High191 students

Maquoketa Valley Middle School

Maquoketa Valley Comm School District

Delhi, 52223 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle159 students

Delhi Elementary School

Maquoketa Valley Comm School District

Delhi, 52223 / Rural: Distant

Record3–5Primary148 students

Johnston Elementary School

Maquoketa Valley Comm School District

Hopkinton, 52237 / Rural: Distant

Record1–2Primary109 students

Earlville Elementary School

Maquoketa Valley Comm School District

Earlville, 52041 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–KGPrimary98 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,693

State avg $7,591

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Delaware County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

How should I read the school score in Delaware County?

Delaware County has a school score of 75/100, which is a higher measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Delaware County?

The high school graduation rate in Delaware County is 96.4%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Delaware County spend per student?

Delaware County spends $7,693 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Delaware County, Iowa — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Delaware County, Iowa?

What are the major school districts in Delaware County, Iowa?

The West Delaware County Community School District is the largest, educating 1,360 students. Traditional public schools make up 100% of the county's offerings as no charter schools are present.

What is the school experience like in Delaware County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Monona County

Iowa

-0 pts

75/100

School score

Chickasaw County

Iowa

+0 pts

76/100

School score

Shelby County

Iowa

+1 pts

76/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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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