Dubuque County Schools & Education
Dubuque County, Iowa
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
55/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
89.4%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
89.4%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 92.3%
Per-Pupil Spending
$8,024
National avg $13,239
State avg $7,591
School Score
55/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 61/100
State Score Position
#72
of 99 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Dubuque County
Measured School Summary
Dubuque County performs at an average level with a school score of 55/100 and a solid graduation rate of 89.4%.
Funding Context
Dubuque County spends $8,024 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 10% below the Iowa average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 2.9 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 6% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Dubuque 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
25 public schools and 2 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
55/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #72 of 99 Iowa counties with school score data.
Completion
89.4%
2.9 pts below the state average
Funding context
$8,024
$433 above the state average
School coverage
25
2 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Dubuque County has 25 public schools across 2 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.
What Dubuque 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.
Dominant-district county
Dubuque Comm School District carries most of the listed public-school system, with 18 of 25 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.
State position
#72
of 99 Iowa counties with school score data. The county score is 6 points below 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.
Dubuque Comm School District
Elementary to high school visible
10,024 students
18 listed schools in this county slice.
Western Dubuque Comm School District
Elementary to high school visible
3,295 students
7 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Dubuque Comm School District is the largest listed district slice, with 18 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 Dubuque County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Dubuque County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Dubuque Community School District Manages Ten Thousand Student Enrollment
Education data brief for Dubuque County, Iowa.
Dubuque County features a concentrated district structure where the Dubuque Community School District manages 10,024 students, representing the vast majority of the county's 13,319 total public school enrollment. The district operates 18 schools, including Hempstead High School and Dubuque Senior High School, which serve 1,584 and 1,435 students respectively. The county graduation rate of 89.4% is higher than the national average of 87.0% but lower than the Iowa state average of 92.3%. Per-pupil expenditure is $8,024, which is higher than the state average of $7,591 but roughly $5,000 lower than the national average of $13,000. The composite school score for the county is 55.1, below the state average of 61.3 but above the national median of 50.0. The school mix includes 17 city locales and 8 rural locales, with no charter schools reported in the directory. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
25
in Dubuque County
Reported Enrollment
13,319
25 schools reporting
School Districts
2
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
25 Public Schools in Dubuque County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 3 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 20 of 25 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hempstead High School | Profile | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52002City: Small | 9–12 | High | 1,584 |
| Dubuque Senior High School | Profile | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52001City: Small | 9–12 | High | 1,435 |
| Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School | Profile | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52002City: Small | 6–8 | Middle | 1,093 |
| Western Dubuque High School | Record | Western Dubuque Comm School District | Epworth, 52045Rural: Distant | 9–12 | High | 920 |
| Drexler Middle School | Record | Western Dubuque Comm School District | Farley, 52046Rural: Distant | 6–8 | Middle | 655 |
| George Washington Middle School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52001City: Small | 6–8 | Middle | 624 |
| Eisenhower Elementary School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52001City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 566 |
| John Kennedy Elementary School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52002City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 541 |
| Carver Elementary School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52002City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 535 |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52001City: Small | 6–8 | Middle | 459 |
| Irving Elementary School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52001City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 418 |
| Table Mound Elementary School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52003City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 415 |
| Cascade Junior-Senior High School | Record | Western Dubuque Comm School District | Cascade, 52033Rural: Distant | 6–12 | High | 395 |
| Peosta Elementary School | Record | Western Dubuque Comm School District | Peosta, 52068Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 389 |
| Epworth Elementary School | Record | Western Dubuque Comm School District | Epworth, 52045Rural: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 388 |
| Prescott Elementary School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52001City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 370 |
| Marshall Elementary School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52001City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 330 |
| Bryant Elementary School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52003City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 314 |
| Hoover Elementary School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52001City: Small | PK–5 | Primary | 303 |
| Sageville Elementary School | Record | Dubuque Comm School District | Dubuque, 52002Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 293 |
Hempstead High School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52002 / City: Small
Dubuque Senior High School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52001 / City: Small
Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52002 / City: Small
Western Dubuque High School
Western Dubuque Comm School District
Epworth, 52045 / Rural: Distant
Drexler Middle School
Western Dubuque Comm School District
Farley, 52046 / Rural: Distant
George Washington Middle School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52001 / City: Small
Eisenhower Elementary School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52001 / City: Small
John Kennedy Elementary School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52002 / City: Small
Carver Elementary School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52002 / City: Small
Thomas Jefferson Middle School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52001 / City: Small
Irving Elementary School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52001 / City: Small
Table Mound Elementary School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52003 / City: Small
Cascade Junior-Senior High School
Western Dubuque Comm School District
Cascade, 52033 / Rural: Distant
Peosta Elementary School
Western Dubuque Comm School District
Peosta, 52068 / Rural: Fringe
Epworth Elementary School
Western Dubuque Comm School District
Epworth, 52045 / Rural: Distant
Prescott Elementary School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52001 / City: Small
Marshall Elementary School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52001 / City: Small
Bryant Elementary School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52003 / City: Small
Hoover Elementary School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52001 / City: Small
Sageville Elementary School
Dubuque Comm School District
Dubuque, 52002 / Rural: Fringe
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$8,024
State avg $7,591
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Dubuque County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
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What is the graduation rate in Dubuque County?
How much does Dubuque County spend per student?
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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.