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Iowa City High School

Q: Is Iowa City High School a good school?

Iowa City High School ranks 241 st of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

241^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 29% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Iowa City High School is a public high school serving 1,606 students in grades 9-12 within the Iowa City Community School District. Over the past few years, the school's statewide ranking has fluctuated, ranging from 128th out of 332 Iowa high schools in 2021-2022 to 241st out of 340 in the current 2024-2025 school year, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The data shows that Iowa City High School faces some challenges compared to nearby schools. The school's four-year graduation rate has declined from 96.3% in 2023-2024 to 87.5% in 2022-2023, which is lower than the state average of around 90%. Additionally, the school has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 19.9% to 32.7% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. While the school performs well in some subject areas on the ISASP tests, it lags behind in others, particularly in Mathematics.

When comparing Iowa City High School to other nearby high schools in the same district, such as Liberty High School and West Senior High School, the data shows that these schools generally outperform Iowa City High School on key metrics like test scores and graduation rates. Additionally, Iowa City High School has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 39.46% to 42.9% over the past few years, suggesting it serves a more economically disadvantaged population compared to some of the other nearby schools.

1,666

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,356

Per pupil spending ?

42%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1900 Morningside Dr
Iowa City, IA 52245

(319) 688-1040

District: Iowa City Community School District

Feeder schools for Iowa City High School:

Elementary:	Bohumil Shimek Elementary School
	Grant Wood Elementary School
	Helen Lemme Elementary School
	Horace Mann Elementary School
	More...
	Lincoln Elementary School
	Longfellow Elementary School
	Mark Twain Elementary
	Robert Lucas Elementary School
Middle:	Southeast Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.0%

African American:

20.3%

Hispanic:

20.1%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Iowa City High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 32nd percentile in 2015 → 29th in 2025

Strengths

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

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 22% Iowa)

!Near the bottom of Iowa City Community School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school67%

District avg71%

Iowa avg69%

241^st of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4High Schools in the Iowa City Community School District

241^st of 313Iowa City 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	40.6	241 of 340	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.7	230 of 338	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.5	190 of 336	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.2	128 of 332	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.4	161 of 327	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.4	157 of 327	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.3	216 of 320	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.4	249 of 325	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	54.3	161 of 320	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	44.7	220 of 324	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	54.6	168 of 322	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	66.8	108 of 351	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.4	130 of 351	63.0%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Science70%+3 vs state

English Language Arts69%-4 vs state

Mathematics63%-3 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, February 6, 2015

The current (2015) principal's priorities are (1) be #1 and (2) be popular with students. "Do what is right" is not a priority. This administrative style has had a devastating effect on education, discipline, respect for teachers, and the ability of teachers to control classrooms at City High. Hopefully we'll see a new principal soon, and hopefully it will be someone who cares about education more than he cares about being loved by a bunch of teenagers. Close Quote

Schools Near Iowa City 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
Iowa City High School	Public	9-12	1900 Morningside Dr	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1040	1,666	102	16.4	42.0%	817 (49.0%)	339 (20.3%)	335 (20.1%)	40 (2.4%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	104 (6.2%)	40.6	241^st of 340 public high schools	29.1%		43.7	230^th of 338 public high schools	32.0%	11				73.1	66.9	67.2				59.8	64.2	65.7		70.2	$15,356	$511	$14,845
Elizabeth Tate Alternative High School	Public	9-12	1528 Mall Drive	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1080	180	19	9.4	68.9%	48 (26.7%)	74 (41.1%)	37 (20.6%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.8%)	0	339^th of 340 public high schools	0.3%		0.2	333^rd of 338 public high schools	1.5%	6					18.8	11.1					5.9	7.1		18.8	$18,143	$196	$17,947
West Senior High School	Public	9-12	2901 Melrose Ave	Iowa City	52246	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1050	1,514	95	16.0	37.8%	681 (45.0%)	423 (27.9%)	173 (11.4%)	151 (10.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	76 (5.0%)	63.8	131^st of 340 public high schools	61.5%		57.6	157^th of 338 public high schools	53.6%	26				81.9	81.1	70.8				71.6	77.8	72.7		73.1	$14,737	$345	$14,391
Liberty High School	Public	9-12	1400 S. Dubuque Street	North Liberty	52317	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1210	1,286	77	16.6	24.3%	864 (67.2%)	168 (13.1%)	124 (9.6%)	37 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	80 (6.2%)	62.6	139^th of 340 public high schools	59.1%		69.1	97^th of 338 public high schools	71.3%	42				76.7	82.3	72.8				70.1	78.1	75.2		72.6	$16,180	$374	$15,807
West Branch High School	Public	9-12	900 W Main	West Branch	52358	Cedar County	West Branch Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 643-7216	273	22	12.6	19.8%	244 (89.4%)	4 (1.5%)	22 (8.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	57.1	166^th of 340 public high schools	51.2%		56.2	167^th of 338 public high schools	50.6%	1				74.6	81.9	78.6				63.5	70.8	64.3		75.3	$18,875	$99	$18,775
Clear Creek Amana High School	Public	9-12	551 W Marengo Rd	Tiffin	52340	Johnson County	Clear Creek Amana Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 545-2361	800	55	14.6	28.3%	608 (76.0%)	63 (7.9%)	73 (9.1%)	10 (1.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.1%)	67.3	105^th of 340 public high schools	69.1%		63.7	125^th of 338 public high schools	63.0%	20				77.5	82.3	77.3				69.6	76.4	79.5		81.3	$30,158	$269	$29,889
Solon High School	Public	9-12	600 W. 5th Street	Solon	52333	Johnson County	Solon Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 624-3401	471	31	15.3	7.2%	441 (93.6%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.9%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.0%)	87.8	8^th of 340 public high schools	97.6%		87.7	10^th of 338 public high schools	97.0%	2				94.0	91.2	79.5				86.3	92.0	86.9		88.7	$13,687	$243	$13,443
Lone Tree Middle-Senior High School	Public	6-12	303 S Devoe St	Lone Tree	52755	Johnson County	Lone Tree Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 629-4610	205	16	12.9	29.8%	186 (90.7%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	34.6	261^st of 340 public high schools	23.2%		37.1	249^th of 338 public high schools	26.3%	12	80.0	69.6	84.4	52.4	88.9	60.0	74.3	69.6	81.3	28.6	83.3	45.7	68.8	77.8	$13,078	$319	$12,759
West Liberty High School	Public	9-12	310 West Maxson Ave.	West Liberty	52776	Muscatine County	West Liberty Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 627-2115	397	27	14.9	42.8%	164 (41.3%)	1 (0.3%)	224 (56.4%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	23.6	288^th of 340 public high schools	15.3%		22.6	289^th of 338 public high schools	14.5%	1				59.4	72.8	57.8				34.4	58.8	54.2		61.4	$14,944	$401	$14,543
Highland High School	Public	9-12	1715 Vine Avenue	Riverside	52327	Washington County	Highland Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 648-2891	149	14	10.3	21.5%	127 (85.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	66.4	112^th of 340 public high schools	67.1%		56	168^th of 338 public high schools	50.3%	56				82.1	84.2	70.3				75.0	76.3	78.4		71.1	$15,774	$112	$15,662

Frequently Asked Questions about Iowa City High School

Is Iowa City High School a good school?

Iowa City High School ranks 241^st of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Iowa City High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,666 students attended Iowa City High School.

What is the racial makeup of Iowa City High School?

Students at Iowa City High School are 49% White, 20% African American, 20% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% Not Specified.

What schools feed into Iowa City High School?

Iowa City High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bohumil Shimek Elementary School
Elementary : Grant Wood Elementary School
Elementary : Helen Lemme Elementary School
Elementary : Horace Mann Elementary School
Elementary : Lincoln Elementary School
Elementary : Longfellow Elementary School
Elementary : Mark Twain Elementary
Elementary : Robert Lucas Elementary School
Middle : Southeast Middle School

What district is Iowa City High School in?

Iowa City Community School District

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Schools in Iowa City, 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.