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Colo-NESCO Middle/High School

Q: Is Colo-NESCO Middle/High School a good school?

Colo-NESCO Middle/High School ranks 191 st of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-12

191^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 44% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Colo-NESCO Middle/High School is a public school serving grades 5-12 in the Colo-NESCO Community School District in Colo, Iowa, with 219 students. The school has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger and its performance has fluctuated over the years, ranking as high as 78 out of 324 Iowa high schools in 2014-2015 and as low as 230 out of 320 in 2017-2018.

Colo-NESCO Middle/High School has relatively strong graduation rates, ranging from 87.5% to 93.1% over the past few years, which is generally higher than the state average. The school's students also perform well on the ISASP tests, with many grade levels scoring above the state average in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. However, the school has experienced higher-than-average chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.2% to 23.4% over the past few years, which is an area of concern. Colo-NESCO Middle/High School also has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 37.5% to 43.38% in recent years.

When compared to nearby high schools, such as Gilbert High School and West Marshall High School, Colo-NESCO Middle/High School generally performs well on test scores, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics. However, it lags behind some of the higher-performing schools in terms of overall state rankings and test score proficiency rates. The school's spending per student of $15,098 in 2018-2019 is higher than the state average, and its student-teacher ratio of around 10:1 is lower than many of the nearby schools, which may contribute to its relatively strong academic performance.

216

Students ?

10.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,098

Per pupil spending ?

42.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

919 West St
Colo, IA 50056

(641) 377-2282

District: Colo-NESCO Community School District

Feeder schools for Colo-NESCO Middle/High School:

Elementary:

Colo-Nesco Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.8%

Hispanic:

5.1%

Two or more races:

4.2%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Colo-NESCO Middle/High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2015 → 44th in 2025

Strengths

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the Iowa average (88%)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 32 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school71%

District avg71%

Iowa avg71%

Middle school

245^th of 344

Iowa public middle schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 49% (2015) to bottom 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

191^st of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 32 pts since 2015

From top 24% (2015) to bottom 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

252^nd of 313Colo-NESCO 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	41.5	245 of 344	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.6	251 of 337	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.1	199 of 334	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	68.5	92 of 337	72.7%	★★★★☆
2021	73.1	64 of 324	80.2%	★★★★☆
2019	77.7	44 of 342	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	36.1	236 of 318	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	38.7	238 of 327	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	70.5	81 of 343	76.4%	★★★★☆
2015	54.0	178 of 349	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	55.5	164 of 337	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	60.7	139 of 350	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	44.8	220 of 349	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	51.9	191 of 340	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	71.8	81 of 338	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	58.5	146 of 336	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.1	130 of 332	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.0	189 of 327	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.0	170 of 327	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.2	230 of 320	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	63.7	126 of 325	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.7	184 of 320	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	73.2	78 of 324	75.9%	★★★★☆
2014	62.4	138 of 322	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	32.2	291 of 351	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	36.9	270 of 351	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts76%~ state avg

Mathematics70%~ state avg

Science61%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Colo-NESCO Middle/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
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
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
West Marshall High School	Public	9-12	601 3rd Street NW	State Center	50247	Marshall County	West Marshall Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 483-2136	292	18	16.5	25.0%	269 (92.1%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (6.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	79.9	33^rd of 340 public high schools	90.3%		73.3	71^st of 338 public high schools	79.0%	38					87.0	92.3	84.3					85.5	75.4	78.6			78.5	$12,821	$116	$12,706
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
Baxter High School	Public	6-12	202 E State	Baxter	50028	Jasper County	Baxter Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 227-3103	262	10	26.2	32.8%	242 (92.4%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.5%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.2%)	47.4	208^th of 340 public high schools	38.8%		50.6	190^th of 338 public high schools	43.8%	18		72.5	81.0	87.5	73.8	85.7	61.1		60.0	78.0	78.1	71.4	67.9	50.0		75.0	75.0	$19,126	$217	$18,909
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Colo-NESCO Middle/High School

What is the racial makeup of Colo-NESCO Middle/High School?

Students at Colo-NESCO Middle/High School are 90% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Colo-NESCO Middle/High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 216 students attended Colo-NESCO Middle/High School.

What district is Colo-NESCO Middle/High School in?

Colo-NESCO Community School District

What schools feed into Colo-NESCO Middle/High School?

Colo-NESCO Middle/High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Colo-Nesco Elementary School

Is Colo-NESCO Middle/High School a good school?

Colo-NESCO Middle/High School ranks 191^st of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Colo-NESCO Middle/High School!

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IAIowa High School Rankings

IAIowa District Rankings

Schools in Colo, 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.