Waterloo Community Schools
Listed by NCES as Waterloo Comm School District (district ID 1930480)
Public school district · Black Hawk County · Iowa · NCES district ID 1930480
Waterloo Community Schools spent $14,490 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 94% of the other Iowa districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $12,583). Its 18 schools enrolled 10,484 students in 2024-25; 57.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,351 per student, up 5.9% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 72% (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, Waterloo Community Schools ranks 2.
Where the money came from
$189,888,000 in revenue: 57.8% state, 22.7% local and 19.4% federal. Total spending including $23,362,000 of capital outlay was $186,344,000, or $17,505 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$109,825,000 58%
- Local$43,160,000 23%
- Federal$36,903,000 19%
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 held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25
10,527 students in 2022-23, 10,488 students in 2023-24, 10,484 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 10,527 | 748.0 | 14.1 |
| 2023-24 | 10,488 | 716.4 | 14.6 |
| 2024-25 | 10,484 | 765.2 | 13.7 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$52,216,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,905 per student
Waterloo Community Schools booked $52,216,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 770 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 $67,821 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 75 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).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $33,701,000 | 64.5% |
| Special education | $9,791,000 | 18.8% |
| Vocational | $1,958,000 | 3.7% |
| Other programs | $6,766,000 | 13.0% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,339 in 2018-19, $4,385 in 2019-20, $4,674 in 2020-21, $5,011 in 2021-22, $4,905 in 2022-23.
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 Waterloo Community Schools scored proficient or above: 57% in reading and 53% 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.
| Subject | This district | Iowa | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 57% | 69.7% | 6,575 |
| Math | 53% | 63.8% | 6,608 |
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
72% of the 763 students in Waterloo Community Schools' 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.
| This district | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 72% | 87.5% |
| Students in the class | 763 | 38,026 |
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.
11 elementary schools, 4,999 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kittrell Elementary School | 576 | 12.4 | 53.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Lowell Elementary School | 538 | 12.8 | 61.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Orange Elementary School | 518 | 13.7 | 35.7% | Schoolwide program |
| Fred Becker Elementary School | 501 | 13.1 | 64.7% | Schoolwide program |
| Lincoln Elementary School | 463 | 12.1 | 68.3% | Schoolwide program |
| Lou Henry Elementary School | 460 | 12.1 | 48.7% | Schoolwide program |
| Highland Elementary School | 448 | 11.9 | 75.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Cunningham School | 443 | 12.7 | 80.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Poyner Elementary | 362 | 11.5 | 45.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Irving Elementary School | 353 | 10.5 | 78.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Kingsley Elementary School | 337 | 11.6 | 35.3% | Schoolwide 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.
4 middle schools, 2,212 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoover Middle School | 848 | 14.9 | 38.4% | Eligible, no program |
| Central Middle School | 469 | 13.4 | 73.6% | Schoolwide program |
| George Washington Carver Academy | 455 | 13.7 | 76.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Bunger Middle School | 440 | 12.5 | 56.4% | 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.
3 high schools, 3,273 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West High School | 1,696 | 16.8 | 44.0% | Eligible, no program |
| East High School | 1,016 | 16.4 | 55.1% | Eligible, no program |
| Expo Alternative Learning Center | 561 | 16.0 | 69.0% | 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.
Contact Waterloo Community Schools
- Website: waterlooschools.org
- Phone: (319) 433-1800
- Office: 1516 Washington St, Waterloo, IA 50702
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 Waterloo Community Schools
- Iowa districts by spending per studentWaterloo Community Schools ranks 9 of 125 Iowa districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($14,490).#9 of 125
- Every school district in IowaWaterloo Community Schools is the number 8 by size of 328 Iowa districts, with 10,645 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#8 of 328
- Ankeny Comm School DistrictThe next larger Iowa district: 12,750 students in fall 2022, $12,127 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,127
- Dubuque Comm School DistrictThe next smaller Iowa district: 10,518 students in fall 2022, $13,808 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,808
- Compare Waterloo Community Schools with Ankeny Comm School DistrictEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- West High School, its largest high school1,696 students in 2024-25, 16.8 per teacher.1,696
- Teacher salary spending across IowaWaterloo Community Schools spent $67,821 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $63,361); spending, not a salary.$67,821
- 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 Waterloo Community Schools
How many schools and students are in Waterloo Community Schools?
18 schools were open in 2024-25 (11 elementary, 4 middle, 3 high), enrolling 10,484 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Waterloo Community Schools spend per student?
$14,490 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 $15,351 per student, up 5.9% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Waterloo Community Schools' money come from?
$189,888,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 57.8% state, 22.7% local and 19.4% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Waterloo Community Schools live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 2,499 of the 12,435 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 20.1%, 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.How much does Waterloo Community Schools spend on teacher salaries?
$52,216,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,905 per student. Divided by the 770 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $67,821 per teacher, more than 75 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).How do students in Waterloo Community Schools do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Waterloo Community Schools scored proficient or above: 57% in reading and 53% 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.What is the graduation rate in Waterloo Community Schools?
72% of the 763 students in Waterloo Community Schools' 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.What is Waterloo Community Schools' NCES district ID?
1930480. 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