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Nevada High School

Q: Is Nevada High School a good school?

Nevada High School ranks 172 nd of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

172^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 49% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Nevada High School is a public high school serving 503 students in grades 9-12 in Nevada, Iowa, which is part of the Nevada Community School District. The district is ranked 63 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Over the past 10 years, Nevada High School's statewide ranking has fluctuated significantly, ranging from as high as 31 out of 324 Iowa high schools to as low as 232 out of 320. Its graduation rates have been relatively strong, ranging from 87.5% to 94.4% in recent years. However, the school's chronic absenteeism rate has been a concern, ranging from 8.0% to 23.4%, which is higher than the nearby North Polk High School and West Marshall High School, which have rates around 21.6%. Nevada High School's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science have been mixed compared to the state average, with the school outperforming the state in some grade levels and subjects, but underperforming in others.

The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Nevada High School has increased from 30.77% in 2021-2022 to 34.79% in 2023-2024, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students. However, the school's higher spending per student ($17,734 in 2018-2019) and lower student-teacher ratio (ranging from 14.1 to 16.1) compared to nearby schools could be a strength, potentially indicating more resources and individualized attention for students.

498

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,734

Per pupil spending ?

36.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1001 15th St
Nevada, IA 50201

(515) 382-3521

District: Nevada Community School District

Feeder schools for Nevada High School:

Elementary:	Central Elementary School
Middle:	Nevada Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.7%

Hispanic:

12.0%

Two or more races:

5.0%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Nevada High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2015 → 49th in 2025

Strengths

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the Iowa average (88%)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 41 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg72%

Iowa avg69%

172^nd of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 49%▼ down 41 pts since 2015

From top 10% (2015) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

63^rd of 313Nevada 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	56.0	172 of 340	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.1	206 of 338	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.8	207 of 336	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.2	166 of 332	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.9	153 of 327	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.5	87 of 327	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	76.0	60 of 320	81.3%	★★★★☆
2017	39.0	238 of 325	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	36.1	232 of 320	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	80.4	31 of 324	90.4%	★★★★★
2014	55.3	164 of 322	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	75.1	56 of 351	84.0%	★★★★☆
2012	75.5	56 of 351	84.0%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts77%+4 vs state

Mathematics69%+3 vs state

Science68%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Nevada 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 5th Grade	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 5th 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 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Nevada High School	Public	9-12	1001 15th St	Nevada	50201	Story County	Nevada Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 382-3521	498	32	15.5	36.5%	402 (80.7%)	4 (0.8%)	60 (12.0%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.0%)	56	172^nd of 340 public high schools	49.4%		48.1	206^th of 338 public high schools	39.1%	34					85.1	72.2	74.0					70.2	66.1	70.7			68.4	$17,734	$550	$17,184
Colo-NESCO Middle/High School	Public	5-12	919 West St	Colo	50056	Story County	Colo-NESCO Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 377-2282	216	20	10.8	42.6%	194 (89.8%)	1 (0.5%)	11 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	51.9	191^st of 340 public high schools	43.8%		71.8	81^st of 338 public high schools	76.0%	110	64.3	91.7	72.7	71.4	77.3	78.3	76.7	78.6	79.2	81.8	62.9	50.0	69.6	70.0	60.7	57.1	68.2	$15,098	$523	$14,575
Collins-Maxwell Middle/High School	Public	6-12	400 Metcalf St.	Maxwell	50161	Story County	Collins-Maxwell Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 387-1115	190	18	10.5	35.3%	173 (91.1%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (5.3%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	55.8	174^th of 340 public high schools	48.8%		46	216^th of 338 public high schools	36.1%	42		87.5	77.1	78.6	83.3	86.4	80.0		79.2	62.9	71.4	75.0	72.7	53.3		67.9	50.0	$17,207	$223	$16,984
Ames High School	Public	9-12	1801 Ridgewood Drive	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 817-0600	1,440	82	17.5	29.9%	919 (63.8%)	145 (10.1%)	171 (11.9%)	113 (7.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (5.3%)	61.9	144^th of 340 public high schools	57.6%		62.6	132^nd of 338 public high schools	60.9%	12					77.7	77.6	74.8					73.0	73.5	75.4			72.9	$11,820	$335	$11,486
Gilbert High School	Public	9-12	312 Gretten	Gilbert	50105	Story County	Gilbert Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 232-3738	509	33	15.2	5.7%	440 (86.4%)	10 (2.0%)	28 (5.5%)	18 (3.5%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.6%)	91.1	4^th of 340 public high schools	98.8%		94.3	3^rd of 338 public high schools	99.1%	1					94.4	94.6	93.0					83.2	90.0	86.8			92.3	$13,554	$195	$13,359
Ballard High School	Public	9-12	701 Ballard Drive	Huxley	50124	Story County	Ballard Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 597-2971	586	37	15.8	15.4%	544 (92.8%)	10 (1.7%)	24 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	73.1	68^th of 340 public high schools	80.0%		75.5	57^th of 338 public high schools	83.1%	11					85.9	82.2	76.4					79.6	80.9	82.9			71.7	$13,456	$266	$13,189
West Marshall High School	Public	9-12	601 3rd Street NW	State Center	50247	Marshall County	West Marshall Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 483-2136	292	18	16.5	25.0%	269 (92.1%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (6.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	79.9	33^rd of 340 public high schools	90.3%		73.3	71^st of 338 public high schools	79.0%	38					87.0	92.3	84.3					85.5	75.4	78.6			78.5	$12,821	$116	$12,706
Roland-Story High School	Public	9-12	1009 Story St	Story City	50248	Story County	Roland-Story Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 733-4329	317	21	15.2	18.0%	291 (91.8%)	5 (1.6%)	13 (4.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	84.8	15^th of 340 public high schools	95.6%		84.8	15^th of 338 public high schools	95.6%						89.4	90.5	83.1					83.3	84.5	84.5			84.5	$12,856	$97	$12,759
North Polk High School	Public	9-12	13930 NE 6th St	Alleman	50007	Polk County	North Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 984-3400	644	37	17.2	10.2%	590 (91.6%)	8 (1.2%)	26 (4.0%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.3%)	80.1	31^st of 340 public high schools	90.9%		87.2	12^th of 338 public high schools	96.4%	19					87.6	85.8	85.5					75.9	85.8	85.5			76.6	$14,567	$255	$14,312

Frequently Asked Questions about Nevada High School

What schools feed into Nevada High School?

Nevada High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Central Elementary School
Middle : Nevada Middle School

What district is Nevada High School in?

Nevada Community School District

How many students attend Nevada High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 498 students attended Nevada High School.

What is the racial makeup of Nevada High School?

Students at Nevada High School are 81% White, 12% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Nevada High School a good school?

Nevada High School ranks 172^nd of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Nevada High School!

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Schools in Nevada, 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.