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Harlan High School

Q: Is Harlan High School a good school?

Harlan High School ranks 97 th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

97^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 71% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Harlan High School is a public high school in Harlan, Iowa, serving 477 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Harlan Community School District, which is ranked 125 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Harlan High School consistently outperforms the state average in academic metrics. In the 2024-2025 school year, 78.1% of 10th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 74.7%. In Mathematics, 77.2% of 10th-graders were proficient or better, compared to the state average of 68%. The school also maintains high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 87.5% to 96.3% in recent years, consistently exceeding the state average. While Harlan High School's chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.0% to 30.0%, are lower than the state average, they still present an area for potential improvement.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Woodbine High School and Boyer Valley Middle/High School, Harlan High School generally outperforms them in academic metrics. For example, Harlan High School's 10th-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate of 78.1% in 2024-2025 is significantly higher than Woodbine High School's 62.2% and Boyer Valley Middle/High School's 69.4% for the same grade and year. This consistent academic excellence is a testament to Harlan High School's commitment to providing a high-quality education.

486

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,572

Per pupil spending ?

28.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2102 Durant
Harlan, IA 51537

(712) 755-3101

District: Harlan Community School District

Feeder schools for Harlan High School:

Elementary:	Harlan Intermediate School
	Harlan Primary
Middle:	Harlan Community Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.8%

Hispanic:

9.5%

Two or more races:

2.5%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Harlan High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 98th percentile in 2015 → 71st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (78% vs 69% meeting standards)

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the Iowa average (88%)

✓Above the Iowa median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 22% Iowa)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg78%

Iowa avg69%

97^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 27 pts since 2015

From top 2% (2015) to top 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

125^th of 313Harlan 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	68.8	97 of 340	71.5%	★★★★☆
2024	68.8	98 of 338	71.0%	★★★★☆
2023	73.8	63 of 336	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.7	32 of 332	90.4%	★★★★★
2021	78.1	45 of 327	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	86.7	16 of 327	95.1%	★★★★★
2018	78.2	39 of 320	87.8%	★★★★☆
2017	80.7	34 of 325	89.5%	★★★★☆
2016	82.8	38 of 320	88.1%	★★★★☆
2015	87.6	6 of 324	98.1%	★★★★★
2014	84.4	24 of 322	92.5%	★★★★★
2013	77.1	46 of 351	86.9%	★★★★☆
2012	82.2	17 of 351	95.2%	★★★★★

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts81%+8 vs state

Mathematics76%+10 vs state

Science72%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Harlan 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
Harlan High School	Public	9-12	2102 Durant	Harlan	51537	Shelby County	Harlan Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 755-3101	486	35	13.8	28.6%	422 (86.8%)	5 (1.0%)	46 (9.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.5%)	68.8	97^th of 340 public high schools	71.5%		68.8	98^th of 338 public high schools	71.0%	1					83.6	78.1	82.7					72.4	77.2	79.1			71.9	$15,572	$187	$15,385
AHSTW High School	Public	9-12	768 S Maple	Avoca	51521	Pottawattamie County	AHSTW Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 343-6364	205	19	10.6	32.7%	192 (93.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.9%)	71	80^th of 340 public high schools	76.5%		77.2	45^th of 338 public high schools	86.7%	35					77.6	81.0	87.0					75.5	76.2	76.6			81.0	$16,444	$184	$16,260
ExiraElk Horn-Kimballton High School	Public	6-12	4114 Madison St	Elk Horn	51531	Shelby County	Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 764-4616	184	18	10.1	39.7%	172 (93.5%)	1 (0.5%)	7 (3.8%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	63.7	132^nd of 340 public high schools	61.2%		66.8	107^th of 338 public high schools	68.3%	25		68.0	72.7	68.0	81.0	88.0	81.0		64.0	81.8	68.0	76.2	68.0	61.9		48.0	72.0	$15,108	$422	$14,686
Tri-Center High School	Public	9-12	33980 310th St	Neola	51559	Pottawattamie County	Tri-Center Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 485-2211	225	16	13.7	30.2%	205 (91.1%)	3 (1.3%)	12 (5.3%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	59.6	157^th of 340 public high schools	53.8%		56.7	164^th of 338 public high schools	51.5%	7					72.9	82.1	81.7					60.4	66.1	75.0			78.6	$14,772	$296	$14,476
Boyer Valley Middle/High School	Public	6-12	1102 Iowa Ave	Dunlap	51529	Harrison County	Boyer Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 643-2258	219	18	12.5	42.9%	200 (91.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	50.5	197^th of 340 public high schools	42.1%		59.7	148^th of 338 public high schools	56.2%	49		76.9	85.7	88.0	79.4	69.4	81.8		69.2	82.1	84.0	58.8	70.3	66.7		76.0	66.7	$14,318	$543	$13,775
Woodbine High School	Public	5-12	501 Weare St	Woodbine	51579	Harrison County	Woodbine Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 647-2227	303	21	14.7	32.3%	285 (94.1%)	2 (0.7%)	13 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	28	281^st of 340 public high schools	17.4%		37.6	247^th of 338 public high schools	26.9%	34	71.0	64.5	83.9	75.0	60.5	62.2	51.1	67.7	77.4	61.3	81.3	65.8	68.9	44.4	67.7	62.5	66.7	$15,588	$209	$15,379

Frequently Asked Questions about Harlan High School

What district is Harlan High School in?

Harlan Community School District

What schools feed into Harlan High School?

Harlan High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Harlan Intermediate School
Elementary : Harlan Primary
Middle : Harlan Community Middle School

How many students attend Harlan High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 486 students attended Harlan High School.

What is the racial makeup of Harlan High School?

Students at Harlan High School are 87% White, 9% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Is Harlan High School a good school?

Harlan High School ranks 97^th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Harlan High School!

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Schools in Harlan, 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.