Best Public Schools in Ankeny, IA

The Ankeny Community School District in Ankeny, Iowa, consists of 17 schools, including 11 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 2 alternative schools, serving students from preschool through 12th grade.

Several schools in the district stand out as top performers, including Prairie Trail Elementary, which consistently ranks among the best elementary schools in the state with exceptional test scores, and Parkview Middle School, which is one of the top-ranked middle schools in Iowa. At the high school level, Ankeny Centennial High School is a standout, ranking in the top 30 high schools in the state and boasting impressive test scores.

While the district overall performs well, with both high schools having graduation rates above the state average, there are some areas of concern. The chronic absenteeism rate across all schools is higher than the state average, and there are significant disparities in performance and student demographics between the highest and lowest-performing schools. Schools with higher rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, such as East Elementary and Southeast Elementary, tend to have lower test scores and rankings. Additionally, there are variations in per-student spending across the district, which may contribute to these inequities.