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Ames High School

Q: Is Ames High School a good school?

Ames High School ranks 144 th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

144^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 58% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Ames High School is a public high school serving 1,427 students in grades 9-12 in Ames, Iowa, which is part of the Ames Community School District. The school consistently outperforms the state average in academic measures, with 77.6% of 10th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts and 73.5% proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to state averages of 74.7% and 68%, respectively. Ames High School maintains a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 86.3% to 90.2% in recent years, which is on par with or slightly above the state average.

However, the school faces some challenges, including higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state average, ranging from 21.6% to 41.4% in recent years. Additionally, Ames High School has a relatively higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 26.07% to 30.34%, which is higher than the state average. When compared to nearby high-performing schools, such as South Hamilton Middle And High School, North Polk High School, and Gilbert High School, Ames High School's academic metrics and student-teacher ratio are not as strong, suggesting areas for potential improvement.

Ames High School's statewide ranking has seen significant fluctuations over the years, ranging from a high of 28th in 2018-2019 to a low of 132nd in 2021-2022, indicating that the school's performance may be influenced by various factors. Addressing the high chronic absenteeism rates could be a priority for the school and district to help improve overall academic performance.

1,440

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,820

Per pupil spending ?

29.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1801 Ridgewood Drive
Ames, IA 50010

(515) 817-0600

District: Ames Community School District

Feeder schools for Ames High School:

Elementary:	Edwards Elementary School
	Fellows Elementary School
	Meeker Elementary School
	Mitchell Elementary School
	More...
	Sawyer Elementary School
Middle:	Ames Middle School
Prekindergarten:	Northwood Pre-School

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.8%

Hispanic:

11.9%

African American:

10.1%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Ames High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 74th percentile in 2015 → 58th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (75% vs 69% meeting standards)

✓Above the Iowa median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (41% vs 22% Iowa)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school75%

District avg75%

Iowa avg69%

144^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 26% (2015) to top 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

145^th of 313Ames Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	61.9	144 of 340	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.6	132 of 338	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.5	103 of 336	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.9	132 of 332	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.6	82 of 327	74.9%	★★★★☆
2019	81.4	28 of 327	91.4%	★★★★★
2018	80.0	26 of 320	91.9%	★★★★★
2017	66.9	111 of 325	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	88.3	17 of 320	94.7%	★★★★★
2015	71.9	85 of 324	73.8%	★★★★☆
2014	70.6	98 of 322	69.6%	★★★★☆
2013	78.1	35 of 351	90.0%	★★★★★
2012	72.3	79 of 351	77.5%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts77%+3 vs state

Mathematics74%+8 vs state

Science73%+6 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, March 19, 2010

The Ames school district is one that I will never put my child back in. The way they deal with harassment is horrible, especially of the Junior high and Senior High level. My daughter was bullied so much, which the school did nothing about, that the only option left was to transfer her. AHS is NOT the place to be! Close Quote

by a citizen
Friday, January 30, 2009

ames high school is a great school
in fact it is a national best high school
as declared by us news and world magazine
go ahs!

go little cyclones!
little cyclones ames high nickname
and finally the ames high motto
ames high aims high!
ames high is the place to be! Close Quote

Schools Near Ames High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)							ISASP Mathematics (2025)							ISASP Science (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ames High School	Public	9-12	1801 Ridgewood Drive	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 817-0600	1,440	82	17.5	29.9%	919 (63.8%)	145 (10.1%)	171 (11.9%)	113 (7.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (5.3%)	61.9	144^th of 340 public high schools	57.6%		62.6	132^nd of 338 public high schools	60.9%	12					77.7	77.6	74.8					73.0	73.5	75.4			72.9	$11,820	$335	$11,486
Gilbert High School	Public	9-12	312 Gretten	Gilbert	50105	Story County	Gilbert Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 232-3738	509	33	15.2	5.7%	440 (86.4%)	10 (2.0%)	28 (5.5%)	18 (3.5%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.6%)	91.1	4^th of 340 public high schools	98.8%		94.3	3^rd of 338 public high schools	99.1%	1					94.4	94.6	93.0					83.2	90.0	86.8			92.3	$13,554	$195	$13,359
Ballard High School	Public	9-12	701 Ballard Drive	Huxley	50124	Story County	Ballard Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 597-2971	586	37	15.8	15.4%	544 (92.8%)	10 (1.7%)	24 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	73.1	68^th of 340 public high schools	80.0%		75.5	57^th of 338 public high schools	83.1%	11					85.9	82.2	76.4					79.6	80.9	82.9			71.7	$13,456	$266	$13,189
Nevada High School	Public	9-12	1001 15th St	Nevada	50201	Story County	Nevada Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 382-3521	498	32	15.5	36.5%	402 (80.7%)	4 (0.8%)	60 (12.0%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.0%)	56	172^nd of 340 public high schools	49.4%		48.1	206^th of 338 public high schools	39.1%	34					85.1	72.2	74.0					70.2	66.1	70.7			68.4	$17,734	$550	$17,184
Roland-Story High School	Public	9-12	1009 Story St	Story City	50248	Story County	Roland-Story Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 733-4329	317	21	15.2	18.0%	291 (91.8%)	5 (1.6%)	13 (4.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	84.8	15^th of 340 public high schools	95.6%		84.8	15^th of 338 public high schools	95.6%						89.4	90.5	83.1					83.3	84.5	84.5			84.5	$12,856	$97	$12,759
Boone High School	Public	9-12	400 7th St	Boone	50036	Boone County	Boone Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 433-0890	704	51	13.9	30.7%	601 (85.4%)	10 (1.4%)	57 (8.1%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	29 (4.1%)	56.5	168^th of 340 public high schools	50.6%		44.3	224^th of 338 public high schools	33.7%	56					86.2	82.5	58.1					70.4	71.9	57.5			77.8	$15,367	$528	$14,838
Madrid High School	Public	9-12	599 N Kennedy	Madrid	50156	Boone County	Madrid Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 795-3240	195	20	9.7	18.5%	183 (93.8%)	1 (0.5%)	6 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.6%)	73	69^th of 340 public high schools	79.7%		75.2	61^st of 338 public high schools	82.0%	8					82.7	92.0	84.1					65.4	80.4	65.9			92.2	$15,049	$71	$14,978
North Polk High School	Public	9-12	13930 NE 6th St	Alleman	50007	Polk County	North Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 984-3400	644	37	17.2	10.2%	590 (91.6%)	8 (1.2%)	26 (4.0%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.3%)	80.1	31^st of 340 public high schools	90.9%		87.2	12^th of 338 public high schools	96.4%	19					87.6	85.8	85.5					75.9	85.8	85.5			76.6	$14,567	$255	$14,312
Collins-Maxwell Middle/High School	Public	6-12	400 Metcalf St.	Maxwell	50161	Story County	Collins-Maxwell Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 387-1115	190	18	10.5	35.3%	173 (91.1%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (5.3%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	55.8	174^th of 340 public high schools	48.8%		46	216^th of 338 public high schools	36.1%	42		87.5	77.1	78.6	83.3	86.4	80.0		79.2	62.9	71.4	75.0	72.7	53.3		67.9	50.0	$17,207	$223	$16,984
Colo-NESCO Middle/High School	Public	5-12	919 West St	Colo	50056	Story County	Colo-NESCO Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 377-2282	216	20	10.8	42.6%	194 (89.8%)	1 (0.5%)	11 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	51.9	191^st of 340 public high schools	43.8%		71.8	81^st of 338 public high schools	76.0%	110	64.3	91.7	72.7	71.4	77.3	78.3	76.7	78.6	79.2	81.8	62.9	50.0	69.6	70.0	60.7	57.1	68.2	$15,098	$523	$14,575

Frequently Asked Questions about Ames High School

What district is Ames High School in?

Ames Community School District

How many students attend Ames High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,440 students attended Ames High School.

What is the racial makeup of Ames High School?

Students at Ames High School are 64% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% African American, 8% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 1% Not Specified.

What schools feed into Ames High School?

Ames High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Edwards Elementary School
Elementary : Fellows Elementary School
Elementary : Meeker Elementary School
Elementary : Mitchell Elementary School
Elementary : Sawyer Elementary School
Middle : Ames Middle School
Prekindergarten : Northwood Pre-School

Is Ames High School a good school?

Ames High School ranks 144^th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Ames High School!

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Schools in Ames, IA

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.