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Ballard High School

Q: Is Ballard High School a good school?

Ballard High School ranks 68 th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

68^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 80% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Ballard High School is a public high school located in Huxley, Iowa, serving 553 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Ballard Community School District, which is ranked 57 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ballard High School consistently outperforms the state average in ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 82.2% of 10th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 74.7%. The school also maintains high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 87.5% to 97.5% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Ballard High School's chronic absenteeism rates, while still higher than desired, are generally lower than the state average, ranging from 15.9% to 24.4% in recent years.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Woodward Academy, Bondurant-Farrar High School, and Gilbert High School, Ballard High School consistently outperforms these schools in test scores, graduation rates, and other key metrics. The school's strong academic performance, coupled with its relatively low free and reduced lunch rates and student-teacher ratio, suggest that it is providing a quality education to its students.

586

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,456

Per pupil spending ?

15.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

701 Ballard Drive
Huxley, IA 50124-9416

(515) 597-2971

District: Ballard Community School District

Feeder schools for Ballard High School:

Elementary:	Ballard East Elementary
	Ballard West Elementary
Middle:	Ballard Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.8%

Hispanic:

4.1%

African American:

1.7%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Ballard High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2015 → 80th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (80% vs 69% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of Iowa high schools

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the Iowa average (88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school80%

District avg80%

Iowa avg69%

68^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 53 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to top 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

57^th of 313Ballard 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	73.1	68 of 340	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	75.5	57 of 338	83.1%	★★★★☆
2023	78.9	40 of 336	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	77.5	53 of 332	84.0%	★★★★☆
2021	67.8	92 of 327	71.9%	★★★★☆
2019	81.3	31 of 327	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	77.0	53 of 320	83.4%	★★★★☆
2017	49.5	200 of 325	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	62.6	120 of 320	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	38.4	237 of 324	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	64.8	129 of 322	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	64.5	130 of 351	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.7	107 of 351	69.5%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts82%+8 vs state

Mathematics81%+15 vs state

Science72%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ballard 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 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 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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
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
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
Ankeny Centennial High School	Public	10-12	2220 NW State St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9610	1,470	88	16.6	16.5%	1,156 (78.6%)	75 (5.1%)	120 (8.2%)	38 (2.6%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	75 (5.1%)	81.5	27^th of 340 public high schools	92.1%		76.5	50^th of 338 public high schools	85.2%	23					89.4	80.7					84.6	79.5		82.7	$14,519	$200	$14,319
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
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
Ankeny High School	Public	10-12	1155 SW Cherry St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9630	1,375	77	17.7	23.0%	1,051 (76.4%)	53 (3.9%)	131 (9.5%)	44 (3.2%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	89 (6.5%)	73.2	67^th of 340 public high schools	80.3%		77.9	42^nd of 338 public high schools	87.6%	25					85.0	77.7					80.5	73.6		78.7	$15,157	$246	$14,911
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
Bondurant-Farrar High School	Public	9-12	1000 Grant St. North	Bondurant	50035	Polk County	Bondurant-Farrar Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 957-8191	849	51	16.6	20.4%	711 (83.7%)	20 (2.4%)	74 (8.7%)	11 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	27 (3.2%)	50.5	196^th of 340 public high schools	42.4%		59	153^rd of 338 public high schools	54.7%	43				81.7	73.5	64.4				74.9	72.6	67.5		55.6	$12,930	$241	$12,689

Frequently Asked Questions about Ballard High School

How many students attend Ballard High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 586 students attended Ballard High School.

What is the racial makeup of Ballard High School?

Students at Ballard High School are 93% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% African American.

What schools feed into Ballard High School?

Ballard High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ballard East Elementary
Elementary : Ballard West Elementary
Middle : Ballard Middle School

Is Ballard High School a good school?

Ballard High School ranks 68^th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Ballard High School in?

Ballard Community School District

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Schools in Huxley, 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.