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Dubuque, Iowa - 18 schools
An equity score of 78/100 ranks Dubuque Comm School District #25 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,854 per pupil, Dubuque Comm School District ranks #60 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
10,518
Total Enrollment
18
Schools
$13,854
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Dubuque Comm School District operates 18 public schools serving 10,518 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 13 combined, 3 middle, 2 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Dubuque County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,854 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending. See how Iowa compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 35.2% local, 50.4% state, and 14.4% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 78/100, ranked #25 of 303 in Iowa against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 18 schools offering Advanced Placement (28 AP courses district-wide), a 340.5:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 34.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 70.0% White, 11.4% African American, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lincoln Elementary School, with a diversity index of 72.2/100.
Its largest campus is Hempstead High School, enrolling 1,499 students (15% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Audubon Elementary School, at 247 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Dubuque Comm School District school enrollment varies 6.1× across entities
Dubuque Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 247 students (lowest) to 1,499 students (highest), a spread of 1,252 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Dubuque Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 341:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Dubuque Comm School District is typically wider than the Dubuque Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Dubuque Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 34.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in Dubuque Comm School District?
Dubuque Comm School District has 18 schools, including 2 high, 3 middle, 13 combined. Total enrollment is 10,518 students.
How much does Dubuque Comm School District spend per student?
Dubuque Comm School District spends $13,854 per student. The district has an equity score of 78/100, ranking #25 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Dubuque Comm School District?
Dubuque Comm School District students are 70.0% White, 11.4% African American, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% Asian, averaged across 18 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dubuque Comm School District?
Dubuque Comm School District has an equity score of 78/100, ranking #25 out of 303 districts in Iowa.