Muscatine High School

Muscatine High School is a public high school serving 1,470 students in grades 9-12 in Muscatine, Iowa, which is part of the Muscatine Community School District. While the school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Iowa high schools over the past 10 years, with a current ranking of 207 out of 340 schools and a 2-star rating, it performs on par or slightly below the nearby high schools in the region, such as Wapello Senior High, Columbus Community High, and Lone Tree Middle-Senior High.

Muscatine High School's key metrics show some areas of concern, including a slightly below-average 4-year graduation rate ranging from 82.6% to 88.3% over the past 5 years, and a significantly higher chronic absenteeism rate between 15-23.4% over the same period, which is well above the state average. The school's proficiency rates on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are mixed, with English Language Arts scores slightly above the state average in 9th and 10th grade but below in 11th grade, and Mathematics scores below the state average in 10th and 11th grade but above in 9th grade. Additionally, the school's Science scores are 10-15 percentage points below the state average for 10th grade.

One interesting finding is the high and increasing rate of free/reduced lunch recipients at Muscatine High School, rising from 43.12% in 2021-2022 to 52.59% in 2023-2024, suggesting a relatively low-income student population, which may contribute to some of the academic performance challenges. Despite spending slightly more per student than the state average, the school's academic performance is still below average, indicating that resources alone may not be the primary driver of student outcomes. Addressing the high chronic absenteeism rate and targeting academic support for specific subject areas could be potential areas of focus for improvement at Muscatine High School.