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Mason City High School

Public Grades 9-12

265^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 22% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Mason City High School is a public high school in Mason City, Iowa, serving 967 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Mason City Community School District, which is ranked 273 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Over the past decade, Mason City High School has consistently ranked in the bottom 25-30% of Iowa high schools, with a range from 203 to 298 out of 320-340 schools. The school has also struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 50.9%, significantly higher than the state average. Academically, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are below the state averages, at 68.1%, 61.2%, and 54.9%, respectively, compared to the state averages of 74.7%, 68%, and 66.8%.

When comparing Mason City High School to other nearby schools within the same district, such as Mason City Virtual Academy and Alternative School, the performance metrics are generally similar, suggesting a broader systemic issue within the district. However, when looking at schools outside the Mason City Community School District, such as West Fork High School, Rockford Junior-Senior High School, Central Springs High School, and Clear Lake High School, there is a noticeable difference in academic performance and statewide rankings, indicating that the challenges faced by Mason City High School may be unique to the district.

891

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,496

Per pupil spending ?

41.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1700 4th St. SE
Mason City, IA 50401

(641) 421-4431

District: Mason City Community School District

Feeder schools for Mason City High School:

Elementary:	Harding Elementary School
	Hoover Elementary School
	Jefferson Elementary School
	Roosevelt Elementary School
Middle:	John Adams Middle School
	Lincoln Intermediate

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.6%

Hispanic:

13.6%

African American:

6.6%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Mason City High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 10th percentile in 2022 → 22nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 22nd (2025) from a 10th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (63% vs 69% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (51% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school63%

District avg61%

Iowa avg69%

265^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	33.4	265 of 340	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.7	298 of 338	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	298 of 336	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.7	298 of 332	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.2	283 of 327	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.6	242 of 327	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.0	252 of 320	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	26.9	269 of 325	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.3	252 of 320	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	48.0	203 of 324	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	28.7	261 of 322	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	41.4	262 of 351	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	56.1	186 of 351	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts71%-3 vs state

Mathematics59%-7 vs state

Science55%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mason City High 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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Mason City High School

What is the racial makeup of Mason City High School?

Students at Mason City High School are 71% White, 14% Hispanic, 7% African American, 4% Pacific Islander, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Mason City High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 891 students attended Mason City High School.

What district is Mason City High School in?

Mason City Community School District

What schools feed into Mason City High School?

Mason City High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Harding Elementary School
Elementary : Hoover Elementary School
Elementary : Jefferson Elementary School
Elementary : Roosevelt Elementary School
Middle : John Adams Middle School
Middle : Lincoln Intermediate

Is Mason City High School a good school?

Mason City High School ranks in the bottom 22.1% of Iowa high schools.

Rate Mason City High School!

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Schools in Mason City, IA

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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.