Iowa City School District

Listed by NCES as Iowa City Comm School District (district ID 1914700)

Public school district · Johnson County · Iowa · NCES district ID 1914700

Iowa City School District spent $14,290 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 91% of the other Iowa districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $12,583). Its 28 schools enrolled 14,960 students in 2024-25; 42.2% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,052 per student, down 1.7% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 92% (Iowa: 87.5%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Iowa's largest districts

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Iowa City ranks 4.

Current spending per student, largest Iowa districts, FY23Des Moines Independent Comm $15,286; Waterloo Community Schools $14,490; Cedar Rapids Community Schools $14,365; Iowa City $14,290; Davenport Community $13,995; West Des Moines Community Schools $13,914; Dubuque Comm $13,808; Sioux City Community Schools $12,880; Ankeny Comm $12,127; Waukee Community $11,927; State median, 1,000+ students $12,583.10k12k14k16kDes Moines Independent Comm$15,286Waterloo Community Schools$14,490Cedar Rapids Community Schools$14,365Iowa City$14,290Davenport Community$13,995West Des Moines Community Scho…$13,914Dubuque Comm$13,808Sioux City Community Schools$12,880Ankeny Comm$12,127Waukee Community$11,927State median, 1,000+ students $12,583
Current spending per student, largest Iowa districts, FY23Des Moines Independent Comm $15,286; Waterloo Community Schools $14,490; Cedar Rapids Community Schools $14,365; Iowa City $14,290; Davenport Community $13,995; West Des Moines Community Schools $13,914; Dubuque Comm $13,808; Sioux City Community Schools $12,880; Ankeny Comm $12,127; Waukee Community $11,927; State median, 1,000+ students $12,583.10k12k14k16kDes Moines Independent Comm$15,286Waterloo Community Schools$14,490Cedar Rapids Community Schools$14,365Iowa City$14,290Davenport Community$13,995West Des Moines Community Schools$13,914Dubuque Comm$13,808Sioux City Community Schools$12,880Ankeny Comm$12,127Waukee Community$11,927State median, 1,000+ students $12,583
Current spending per student, largest Iowa districts, FY23Des Moines Independent Comm $15,286; Waterloo Community Schools $14,490; Cedar Rapids Community Schools $14,365; Iowa City $14,290; Davenport Community $13,995; West Des Moines Community Schools $13,914; Dubuque Comm $13,808; Sioux City Community Schools $12,880; Ankeny Comm $12,127; Waukee Community $11,927; State median, 1,000+ students $12,583.10k12k14k16kDes Moines Independent Comm$15,286Waterloo Community Schools$14,490Cedar Rapids Community Schools$14,365Iowa City$14,290Davenport Community$13,995West Des Moines Community Schools$13,914Dubuque Comm$13,808Sioux City Community Schools$12,880Ankeny Comm$12,127Waukee Community$11,927State median, 1,000+ students $12,583
Current spending per student, largest Iowa districts, FY23Des Moines Independent Comm $15,286; Waterloo Community Schools $14,490; Cedar Rapids Community Schools $14,365; Iowa City $14,290; Davenport Community $13,995; West Des Moines Community Schools $13,914; Dubuque Comm $13,808; Sioux City Community Schools $12,880; Ankeny Comm $12,127; Waukee Community $11,927; State median, 1,000+ students $12,583.10k12k14k16kDes Moines Independent Comm$15,286Waterloo Community Schools$14,490Cedar Rapids Community Schools$14,365Iowa City$14,290Davenport Community$13,995West Des Moines Community Schools$13,914Dubuque Comm$13,808Sioux City Community Schools$12,880Ankeny Comm$12,127Waukee Community$11,927State median, 1,000+ students $12,583

Where the money came from

$272,619,000 in revenue: 42.2% state, 46.1% local and 11.7% federal. Total spending including $48,371,000 of capital outlay was $274,185,000, or $18,520 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Iowa City School District revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $115,174,000; Local $125,583,000; Federal $31,862,000; total $272,619,000.
  • State$115,174,000 42%
  • Local$125,583,000 46%
  • Federal$31,862,000 12%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 125 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25

14,701 students in 2022-23, 14,712 students in 2023-24, 14,960 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Iowa City School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 14,701, 2023-24: 14,712, 2024-25: 14,96005k10k15k2022-2314,7012023-2414,7122024-2514,960
Iowa City School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 14,701, 2023-24: 14,712, 2024-25: 14,96005k10k15k2022-2314,7012023-2414,7122024-2514,960
Iowa City School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 14,701, 2023-24: 14,712, 2024-25: 14,96005k10k15k2022-2314,7012023-2414,7122024-2514,960
Iowa City School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 14,701, 2023-24: 14,712, 2024-25: 14,96005k10k15k2022-2314,7012023-2414,7122024-2514,960

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2314,7011071.413.7
2023-2414,7121026.614.3
2024-2514,9601071.614.0

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$86,674,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $5,854 per student

Iowa City School District booked $86,674,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,081 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $80,168 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 99 in 100 Iowa districts with a figure (state median $63,361, 318 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Iowa teacher salary at $59,262 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$56,824,00065.6%
Special education$12,730,00014.7%
Vocational$1,472,0001.7%
Other programs$15,648,00018.1%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $5,036 in 2018-19, $4,874 in 2019-20, $5,215 in 2020-21, $5,829 in 2021-22, $5,854 in 2022-23.

Iowa City School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,036, 2019-20: $4,874, 2020-21: $5,215, 2021-22: $5,829, 2022-23: $5,85402k4k6k2018-19$5,0362019-20$4,8742020-21$5,2152021-22$5,8292022-23$5,854
Iowa City School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,036, 2019-20: $4,874, 2020-21: $5,215, 2021-22: $5,829, 2022-23: $5,85402k4k6k2018-19$5,0362019-20$4,8742020-21$5,2152021-22$5,8292022-23$5,854
Iowa City School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,036, 2019-20: $4,874, 2020-21: $5,215, 2021-22: $5,829, 2022-23: $5,85402k4k6k2018-19$5,0362019-20$4,8742020-21$5,2152021-22$5,8292022-23$5,854
Iowa City School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,036, 2019-20: $4,874, 2020-21: $5,215, 2021-22: $5,829, 2022-23: $5,85402k4k6k2018-19$5,0362019-20$4,8742020-21$5,2152021-22$5,8292022-23$5,854

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Iowa City School District scored proficient or above: 72% in reading and 66% in math, against 69.7% in reading and 63.8% in math across Iowa. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Iowa, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtIowaStudents tested
Reading and language arts72%69.7%9,605
Math66%63.8%9,634

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

92% of the 1,038 students in Iowa City School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 87.5% across Iowa. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtIowa
Four-year graduation rate92%87.5%
Students in the class1,03838,026

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

20 elementary schools, 6,834 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Penn Elementary School51215.410.9%Not Title I
Herbert Hoover Elementary School46412.939.2%Schoolwide program
Weber Elementary45610.851.5%Targeted program
Ernest Horn Elementary School45313.651.9%Targeted program
Alexander Elementary43611.466.3%Schoolwide program
Christine Grant Elementary42613.317.1%Not Title I
Norman Borlaug Elementary School40512.840.2%Targeted program
James Van Allen Elementary School37614.727.7%Not Title I
Buford Garner Elementary34413.527.0%Not Title I
Central Elementary School34311.442.3%Schoolwide program
Helen Lemme Elementary School34013.832.9%Not Title I
Longfellow Elementary School32510.948.9%Schoolwide program
The other 8 elementary schools
SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Wickham Elementary31515.316.5%Not Title I
Grant Wood Elementary School30610.956.9%Schoolwide program
Kirkwood Elementary School27010.062.2%Schoolwide program
Robert Lucas Elementary School24513.544.5%Schoolwide program
Lincoln Elementary School21714.433.6%Not Title I
Mark Twain Elementary2139.658.7%Schoolwide program
Horace Mann Elementary School20711.429.5%Not Title I
Bohumil Shimek Elementary School18111.315.5%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

3 middle schools, 3,307 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Southeast Junior High School1,26915.342.2%Eligible, no program
Northwest Junior High School1,11314.439.4%Eligible, no program
North Central Junior High School92514.623.6%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

4 high schools, 4,646 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Iowa City High School1,66616.436.2%Eligible, no program
West Senior High School1,51416.032.5%Not Title I
Liberty High School1,28616.720.7%Not Title I
Elizabeth Tate Alt. High School1809.563.9%Eligible, no program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 other school, 173 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
ICCSD PK-12 Online Learning Program17321.845.1%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

One more school on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory

These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.

Hills Elementary School

School in Hills; last listed in the 2024-25 NCES directory (closed); 141 students; 8.6 students per teacher.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.

Contact Iowa City School District

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Iowa City School District

  1. Iowa districts by spending per studentIowa City School District ranks 12 of 125 Iowa districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($14,290).#12 of 125
  2. Every school district in IowaIowa City School District is the number 4 by size of 328 Iowa districts, with 14,805 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#4 of 328
  3. Sioux City Community SchoolsThe next larger Iowa district: 14,989 students in fall 2022, $12,880 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,880
  4. Davenport Community School DistrictThe next smaller Iowa district: 14,135 students in fall 2022, $13,995 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,995
  5. Compare Iowa City School District with Sioux City Community SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Iowa City High School, its largest high school1,666 students in 2024-25, 16.4 per teacher.1,666
  7. Teacher salary spending across IowaIowa City School District spent $80,168 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $63,361); spending, not a salary.$80,168
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Iowa City School District

  1. How many schools and students are in Iowa City School District?
    28 schools were open in 2024-25 (20 elementary, 3 middle, 4 high, 1 other), enrolling 14,960 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Iowa City School District spend per student?
    $14,290 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Iowa median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $12,583 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,052 per student, down 1.7% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Iowa City School District's money come from?
    $272,619,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 42.2% state, 46.1% local and 11.7% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Iowa City School District live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 1,918 of the 16,233 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 11.8%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Iowa City School District spend on teacher salaries?
    $86,674,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $5,854 per student. Divided by the 1,081 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $80,168 per teacher, more than 99 in 100 Iowa districts (state median $63,361). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Iowa teacher salary at $59,262 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Iowa City School District do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Iowa City School District scored proficient or above: 72% in reading and 66% in math, against 69.7% in reading and 63.8% in math across Iowa. Iowa's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Iowa City School District?
    92% of the 1,038 students in Iowa City School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 87.5% across Iowa. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Iowa City School District's NCES district ID?
    1914700. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .