Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

John Adams Middle School

Public Grades 7-8

295^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 344 Iowa Middle Schools

Better than 14% of Iowa middle schools

Summary

John Adams Middle School is a public middle school located in Mason City, Iowa, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 463 students. The school 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.

John Adams Middle School faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 30.0% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's test scores, as measured by the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), are generally below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are all lower than the state and district averages. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 51.8% to 55.72% over the past few years, suggesting a higher proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Lincoln Intermediate (within the same district) and West Fork Middle School (in a different district), John Adams Middle School generally performs worse on test scores and has higher chronic absenteeism rates. The school's statewide ranking has also steadily declined over the past several years, from 224 out of 349 Iowa middle schools in 2014-2015 to 295 out of 344 in 2024-2025, indicating that the school is struggling to keep pace with other middle schools in the state.

463

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,546

Per pupil spending ?

49%

Free/discounted lunch ?

29 S Illinois Ave
Mason City, IA 50401-4499

(641) 421-4420

District: Mason City Community School District

Students who attend John Adams Middle School usually attend:

High:

Mason City High School

Feeder schools for John Adams Middle School:

Elementary:	Harding Elementary School
	Hoover Elementary School
	Jefferson Elementary School
	Roosevelt Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.7%

Hispanic:

12.5%

African American:

9.1%

See top rated Iowa middle schools

Compare John Adams Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 5th percentile in 2022 → 14th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 14th (2025) from a 5th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (65% vs 74% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Science scores 12 pts below the Iowa average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school65%

District avg65%

Iowa avg74%

295^th of 344

Iowa public middle schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 22 pts since 2015

From bottom 36% (2015) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	22.7	295 of 344	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.0	263 of 337	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	275 of 334	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	319 of 337	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.2	298 of 324	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	272 of 342	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	293 of 318	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	39.6	234 of 327	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	40.7	235 of 343	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	43.9	224 of 349	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	49.4	189 of 337	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	30.8	285 of 350	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	41.0	242 of 349	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts68%-10 vs state

Mathematics66%-7 vs state

Science58%-12 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate John Adams Middle School and help other families decide.

Rate John Adams Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near John Adams Middle School

Load more schools when map is moved

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 (2025)	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 4th Grade	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 Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
John Adams Middle School	Public	7-8	29 S Illinois Ave	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 421-4420	463	34	13.6	49.0%	309 (66.7%)	42 (9.1%)	58 (12.5%)	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.6%)	23 (5.0%)	20 (4.3%)	22.7	295^th of 344 public middle schools	14.2%		32	263^rd of 337 public middle schools	22.0%	32				67.9	67.5				61.5	70.9		58.2	$17,546	$579	$16,966
Lincoln Intermediate	Public	5-6	1625 S. Pennsylvania Ave	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 421-4423	485	37	13.0	53.2%	338 (69.7%)	25 (5.2%)	50 (10.3%)	6 (1.2%)	3 (0.6%)	31 (6.4%)	31 (6.4%)								(n/a)		63.5	71.4				66.7	70.1			58.6		$15,785	$436	$15,347
Central Springs Middle School	Public	4-8	509 N Iowa Ave	Nora Springs	50458	Floyd County	Central Springs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 749-5301	255	14	17.6	33.7%	231 (90.6%)	4 (1.6%)	11 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.7%)	53.9	177^th of 344 public middle schools	48.5%					(n/a)	78.2	75.5	79.5	82.6	85.2	69.1	81.1	77.3	69.6	70.4	83.0	70.4	$11,237	$302	$10,935
Clear Lake Middle School	Public	6-8	1601 3rd Ave North	Clear Lake	50428	Cerro Gordo County	Clear Lake Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 357-6114	308	22	13.8	32.1%	261 (84.7%)	8 (2.6%)	22 (7.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.5%)	58.6	152^nd of 344 public middle schools	55.8%		66.6	109^th of 337 public middle schools	67.7%	43			83.5	79.8	81.2			79.1	78.7	70.1		76.1	$13,904	$318	$13,586
West Fork Middle School	Public	6-8	504 Park Street	Sheffield	50475	Franklin County	West Fork Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 892-4159	161	11	14.5	35.4%	146 (90.7%)	1 (0.6%)	10 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)	57.5	156^th of 344 public middle schools	54.7%		59.2	152^nd of 337 public middle schools	54.9%	4			76.7	82.8	82.8			67.4	84.5	67.2		79.3	$14,548	$229	$14,319

Frequently Asked Questions about John Adams Middle School

What high school do graduates of John Adams Middle School attend?

Students who attend John Adams Middle School usually go on to attend Mason City High School

What is the racial makeup of John Adams Middle School?

Students at John Adams Middle School are 67% White, 13% Hispanic, 9% African American, 5% Pacific Islander, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is John Adams Middle School in?

Mason City Community School District

How many students attend John Adams Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 463 students attended John Adams Middle School.

Is John Adams Middle School a good school?

John Adams Middle School ranks in the bottom 14.2% of Iowa middle schools.

Rate John Adams Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

IAIowa Middle School Rankings

IAIowa District Rankings

Schools in Mason City, IA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for John Adams Middle School!

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.