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Carlisle High School

Q: Is Carlisle High School a good school?

Carlisle High School ranks 113 th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

113^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 67% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Carlisle High School is a public high school serving 730 students in grades 9-12 in Carlisle, Iowa, which is part of the Carlisle Community School District. The school consistently outperforms the state average in academic metrics, including ISASP test scores and graduation rates, but has experienced higher-than-average chronic absenteeism rates in recent years.

Carlisle High School's academic performance is a standout, with 83% of 10th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts in the 2024-2025 school year, compared to the state average of 74.7%. The school also maintains high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 87.5% to 99.4% over the past few years, which are above the state average. However, the school's chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.6% to 23.7%, are higher than the state average, which could be an area for improvement.

Compared to nearby schools, Saydel High School has significantly lower proficiency rates in ELA and Math than Carlisle High School. Additionally, Carlisle High School's spending per student in the 2018-2019 school year was $11,863, which is lower than some of the nearby schools, such as Norwalk Senior High School ($17,567) and Walnut Creek Campus ($18,513). The school's statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years, ranging from 54th to 264th out of Iowa high schools, suggesting variable performance.

754

Students ?

20.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,863

Per pupil spending ?

23.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

430 School St
Carlisle, IA 50047

(515) 989-0831

District: Carlisle Community School District

Feeder schools for Carlisle High School:

Elementary:	Carlisle Elementary School
	Hartford Upper Elementary
Middle:	Carlisle Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.6%

Hispanic:

10.5%

Two or more races:

3.8%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Carlisle High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 60th percentile in 2015 → 67th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (76% vs 69% meeting standards)

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the Iowa average (89%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school76%

District avg76%

Iowa avg69%

113^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Top 33%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to top 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

131^st of 313Carlisle 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	66.3	113 of 340	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.8	75 of 338	77.8%	★★★★☆
2023	33.6	255 of 336	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.9	222 of 332	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.4	264 of 327	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.7	149 of 327	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.9	167 of 320	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	74.0	68 of 325	79.1%	★★★★☆
2016	78.5	54 of 320	83.1%	★★★★☆
2015	64.6	130 of 324	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	68.7	107 of 322	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	72.2	76 of 351	78.3%	★★★★☆
2012	73.4	68 of 351	80.6%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts81%+8 vs state

Science73%+6 vs state

Mathematics72%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Carlisle 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 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Carlisle High School	Public	9-12	430 School St	Carlisle	50047	Warren County	Carlisle Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 989-0831	754	36	20.8	23.3%	615 (81.6%)	9 (1.2%)	79 (10.5%)	19 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (3.8%)	66.3	113^th of 340 public high schools	66.8%		72.8	75^th of 338 public high schools	77.8%	38	84.9	83.0	76.5	74.1	73.2	69.5	73.1	$11,863	$126	$11,737
Southeast Polk High School	Public	10-12	7945 NE University Ave.	Pleasant Hill	50327	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 967-6631	1,722	99	17.3	33.4%	1,243 (72.2%)	159 (9.2%)	190 (11.0%)	33 (1.9%)	4 (0.2%)	5 (0.3%)	88 (5.1%)	58.1	163^rd of 340 public high schools	52.1%		36.2	251^st of 338 public high schools	25.7%	88		74.6	74.4		69.2	70.3	75.6	$14,031	$366	$13,665
Lincoln High School	Public	9-12	2600 SW 9th St	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7500	2,364	94	25.1	74.9%	717 (30.3%)	402 (17.0%)	903 (38.2%)	195 (8.2%)	10 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	130 (5.5%)	4.1	322^nd of 340 public high schools	5.3%		2.7	324^th of 338 public high schools	4.1%	2	54.5	47.9	43.5	40.5	42.1	37.9	38.9	$14,888	$697	$14,190
East High School	Public	9-12	815 E 13th St	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7788	1,952	89	21.8	78.4%	484 (24.8%)	334 (17.1%)	890 (45.6%)	130 (6.7%)	12 (0.6%)	5 (0.3%)	94 (4.8%)	2.6	328^th of 340 public high schools	3.5%		2.1	326^th of 338 public high schools	3.6%	2	45.1	48.6	42.5	36.0	41.2	29.7	37.6	$14,908	$672	$14,236
Norwalk Senior High School	Public	9-12	1201 North Ave	Norwalk	50211	Warren County	Norwalk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 981-4201	1,035	62	16.6	15.1%	907 (87.6%)	18 (1.7%)	64 (6.2%)	10 (1.0%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (3.2%)	71.4	79^th of 340 public high schools	76.8%		59.5	152^nd of 338 public high schools	55.0%	73	86.6	82.8	72.2	79.8	80.1	78.7	72.3	$17,567	$242	$17,325
Virtual Campus	Public, Virtual	9-12	1800 Grand Avenue	Des Moines	50309	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(515) 242-8502	380	16	23.9	69.5%	178 (46.8%)	51 (13.4%)	103 (27.1%)	11 (2.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.9%)	2.8	327^th of 340 public high schools	3.8%		8.9	314^th of 338 public high schools	7.1%	13	51.4	53.9	45.7	21.6	27.0	28.4	37.9
Indianola High School	Public	9-12	1304 E 1st	Indianola	50125	Warren County	Indianola Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 961-9510	1,165	64	18.2	24.0%	1,038 (89.1%)	8 (0.7%)	58 (5.0%)	9 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (4.3%)	78.1	44^th of 340 public high schools	87.1%		54.4	173^rd of 338 public high schools	48.8%	129	85.3	87.8	82.0	73.9	80.8	81.1	84.1	$12,807	$292	$12,516
North High School	Public	9-12	501 Holcomb Ave	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-7200	1,428	66	21.4	84.0%	278 (19.5%)	342 (23.9%)	553 (38.7%)	155 (10.9%)	12 (0.8%)	4 (0.3%)	84 (5.9%)	2.8	326^th of 340 public high schools	4.1%		2.2	325^th of 338 public high schools	3.8%	1	48.0	48.8	38.5	33.5	39.2	34.8	42.1	$15,636	$747	$14,889
Great Oaks High School and Career Center	Public, Charter	9-12	100 East Euclid	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Charter Organization: Oakmont Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(319) 321-9976	72	3	24.1	4.2%	23 (31.9%)	27 (37.5%)	21 (29.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)			25.0			14.3
Roosevelt High School	Public	9-12	4419 Center St	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7272	2,051	66	31.2	55.2%	850 (41.4%)	562 (27.4%)	364 (17.7%)	64 (3.1%)	9 (0.4%)	7 (0.3%)	178 (8.7%)	31.5	269^th of 340 public high schools	20.9%		22.5	290^th of 338 public high schools	14.2%	21	71.0	67.5	61.6	58.8	65.4	54.1	60.7	$14,829	$690	$14,140

Frequently Asked Questions about Carlisle High School

Is Carlisle High School a good school?

Carlisle High School ranks 113^th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Carlisle High School in?

Carlisle Community School District

How many students attend Carlisle High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 754 students attended Carlisle High School.

What schools feed into Carlisle High School?

Carlisle High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Carlisle Elementary School
Elementary : Hartford Upper Elementary
Middle : Carlisle Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Carlisle High School?

Students at Carlisle High School are 82% White, 10% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

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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.