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Alternative School

Public Grades 9-12

293^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 14% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Alternative School is a public high school located in Mason City, Iowa, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 92 students. It is part of the Mason City Community School District, which is ranked 273 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Alternative School consistently underperforms the state and district averages in ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) test scores across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 45.5% of 10th graders at Alternative School were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 59.4% in the Mason City Community School District and 68% statewide. The school's performance in English Language Arts is slightly better, with 72.7% of 10th graders being proficient or better, but still trails the district and state averages. Additionally, Alternative School has had relatively low four-year graduation rates, ranging from 76.3% to 88.3% over the past few years, compared to the 88.3% district-wide graduation rate. The school also has significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 51.7% in recent years, compared to the district-wide rate of 21.6%.

Interestingly, Alternative School's performance is significantly lower than that of nearby schools, such as St. Ansgar High School and West Fork High School, which consistently outperform the state and district averages in academic assessments. For instance, in 2024-2025, 85.3% of 10th graders at St. Ansgar High School were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to only 45.5% at Alternative School. Despite having a slightly higher spending per student ($15,600 in 2018-2019) than the district-wide average at Mason City High School ($16,496), and a relatively low student-teacher ratio, Alternative School's academic performance remains a concern.

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,600

Per pupil spending ?

50.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

19 N. Illinois Ave.
Mason City, IA 50401

(641) 421-4426

District: Mason City Community School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.4%

Hispanic:

11.0%

African American:

8.8%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2013 → 14th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (46% vs 69% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Iowa average (74% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg60%

Iowa avg69%

293^rd of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 21% (2015) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Mason City Community School District

273^rd of 313Mason 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	20.4	293 of 340	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.6	307 of 338	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.5	321 of 336	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.5	306 of 332	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	1.7	319 of 327	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.7	317 of 327	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.0	299 of 325	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	31.5	257 of 324	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	29.7	260 of 322	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	9.7	333 of 351	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	16.2	322 of 351	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Science82%+15 vs state

English Language Arts60%-12 vs state

Mathematics23%-44 vs state

★

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Schools Near Alternative School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 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 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
Alternative School	Public	9-12	19 N. Illinois Ave.	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 421-4426	91	6	15.4	50.5%	65 (71.4%)	8 (8.8%)	10 (11.0%)	1 (1.1%)	1 (1.1%)	4 (4.4%)	1 (1.1%)	20.4	293^rd of 340 public high schools	13.8%		14.6	307^th of 338 public high schools	9.2%	14				72.7	56.3				45.5	15.6		81.8	$15,600	$305	$15,294
Mason City Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	8-12	19 N. Illinois	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(641) 421-4426	88	2	58.6	43.2%	62 (70.5%)	3 (3.4%)	16 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.4%)	4 (4.5%)	5	320^th of 340 public high schools	5.9%		17.5	301^st of 338 public high schools	10.9%	19				64.3	42.9				42.9	14.3		21.4
Mason City High School	Public	9-12	1700 4th St. SE	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 421-4431	891	54	16.5	41.2%	629 (70.6%)	59 (6.6%)	121 (13.6%)	19 (2.1%)	7 (0.8%)	33 (3.7%)	19 (2.1%)	33.4	265^th of 340 public high schools	22.1%		17.7	298^th of 338 public high schools	11.8%	33			72.7	68.1	71.2			56.7	61.2	59.5		54.9	$16,496	$408	$16,086
Central Springs High School	Public	9-12	105 S East St	Manly	50456	Worth County	Central Springs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 454-2208	236	16	14.6	29.7%	213 (90.3%)	2 (0.8%)	11 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (3.0%)	63.9	129^th of 340 public high schools	62.1%		72.6	76^th of 338 public high schools	77.5%	53			96.5	83.1	76.3			80.7	62.7	71.2		62.7	$15,398	$174	$15,225
Clear Lake High School	Public	9-12	125 N 20th St	Clear Lake	50428	Cerro Gordo County	Clear Lake Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 357-5235	461	30	15.3	26.9%	395 (85.7%)	7 (1.5%)	32 (6.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.8%)	74.4	61^st of 340 public high schools	82.1%		65.9	114^th of 338 public high schools	66.3%	53			81.6	83.7	82.9			73.7	76.9	82.9		81.7	$16,404	$315	$16,089
Rockford Junior-Senior High School	Public	7-12	1460 210th Street	Rockford	50468	Floyd County	Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 756-3813	173	19	9.3	49.1%	159 (91.9%)	3 (1.7%)	3 (1.7%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.5%)	48.7	202^nd of 340 public high schools	40.6%		49.7	194^th of 338 public high schools	42.6%	8	34.5	88.5	63.2	94.1	73.0	72.4	88.5	47.4	64.7	62.2	65.4	88.2	$15,905	$659	$15,246
West Fork High School	Public	9-12	453 N. 5th St.	Sheffield	50475	Franklin County	West Fork Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 892-4461	191	18	10.7	31.4%	176 (92.1%)	2 (1.0%)	7 (3.7%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	44.9	220^th of 340 public high schools	35.3%					(n/a)			77.8	77.5	67.4			66.7	57.5	54.3		72.5	$15,359	$137	$15,222
St Ansgar High School	Public	9-12	206 East 8th Street	Saint Ansgar	50472	Mitchell County	St Ansgar Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 713-4720	166	18	9.1	23.5%	156 (94.0%)	1 (0.6%)	7 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	81.2	28^th of 340 public high schools	91.8%		81.7	27^th of 338 public high schools	92.0%	1			88.4	73.5	84.4			95.3	85.3	100.0		76.5	$18,983	$368	$18,616

Frequently Asked Questions about Alternative School

What district is Alternative School in?

Mason City Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Alternative School?

Students at Alternative School are 71% White, 11% Hispanic, 9% African American, 4% Pacific Islander, 1% Asian, 1% American Indian, 1% Two or more races, 1% Not Specified.

How many students attend Alternative School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 91 students attended Alternative School.

Is Alternative School a good school?

Alternative School ranks in the bottom 13.8% of Iowa high schools.

Rate Alternative School!

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Latest Iowa data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 ISASP test scoresAug 20, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesApr 1, 2025

2017–18 through 2023–24 attendance dataNov 15, 2024

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.