Howar Middle School

Howar Middle School is a public middle school in Centerville, Iowa, serving 306 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Centerville Community School District, which is ranked 274 out of 313 school districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Howar Middle School's performance on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) is generally below the state average across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts ranged from 68.2% (6th grade) to 68.5% (8th grade), compared to the state averages of 72.8% (6th grade) and 80.2% (8th grade). Similarly, in Mathematics, the school's proficiency rates ranged from 56.5% (6th grade) to 72.2% (7th grade), while the state averages were 71.8% (6th grade) and 74.4% (8th grade). The school's performance in Science for 8th grade was also below the state average, with 57.6% proficient or better compared to the state's 70.5%.

Howar Middle School also faces challenges with high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 21.6% to 36.4% in recent years, significantly higher than the state's average of 10-15%. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 45.42% to 53.54% in recent years, indicating a relatively high proportion of students from low-income families. While the school's spending per student is higher than the state average, the declining academic performance suggests that the resources may not be effectively utilized or targeted to the right areas.