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WEST Academy Alternative School

Q: Is WEST Academy Alternative School a good school?

WEST Academy Alternative School ranks in the bottom 5.6% of Iowa high schools.

Q: How many students attend WEST Academy Alternative School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 51 students attended WEST Academy Alternative School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of WEST Academy Alternative School?

Students at WEST Academy Alternative School are 82% White, 10% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Public Grades 10-12

321^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 6% of Iowa high schools

Summary

WEST Academy Alternative School is a public high school in Newton, Iowa, serving grades 10-12 with a total enrollment of 65 students. The school is part of the Newton Community School District, which is ranked 255 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. WEST Academy Alternative School has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Iowa high schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

WEST Academy Alternative School faces significant challenges, including relatively low four-year graduation rates ranging from 71.4% to 88.5% in recent years, lower than the state average and the graduation rates of the nearby Newton Senior High School (88.3%). The school also has significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 55.1%, compared to nearby schools. Additionally, WEST Academy Alternative School students consistently perform well below the state and district averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics on the ISASP assessments.

When comparing WEST Academy Alternative School to the nearby high schools, such as Grinnell Community Senior High School, Lynnville-Sully High School, and Newton Senior High School, the performance gap is quite significant. These nearby schools consistently outperform WEST Academy Alternative School across various metrics, including test scores, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. The data suggests that WEST Academy Alternative School could benefit from targeted interventions and support to address these challenges and improve academic outcomes for its students.

Students ?

8.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,439

Per pupil spending ?

54.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1302 1st Avenue West
Newton, IA 50208

(641) 792-0335

District: Newton Community School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.4%

Hispanic:

9.8%

Two or more races:

5.9%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare WEST Academy Alternative School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — <1st percentile in 2014 → 6th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2014

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (38% vs 67% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Iowa average (76% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg64%

Iowa avg67%

321^st of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 6%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Newton Community School District

255^th of 313Newton 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	4.1	321 of 340	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.3	332 of 338	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	323 of 336	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	302 of 332	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	0.0	325 of 327	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	0.1	324 of 327	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	0.1	316 of 320	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	0.0	324 of 325	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	1.8	314 of 324	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	0.0	322 of 322	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	0.0	349 of 351	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.2	331 of 351	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%-22 vs state

Mathematics29%-36 vs state

★

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Schools Near WEST Academy 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 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 6th 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
WEST Academy Alternative School	Public	10-12	1302 1st Avenue West	Newton	50208	Jasper County	Newton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 792-0335	51	6	8.7	54.9%	42 (82.4%)	1 (2.0%)	5 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.9%)	4.1	321^st of 340 public high schools	5.6%		0.3	332^nd of 338 public high schools	1.8%	11						47.1						29.4			$15,439	$174	$15,265
Newton Senior High School	Public	9-12	800 E 4th St S	Newton	50208	Jasper County	Newton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 792-5797	806	49	16.6	42.6%	663 (82.3%)	21 (2.6%)	67 (8.3%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	48 (6.0%)	41.2	234^th of 340 public high schools	31.2%		35.5	258^th of 338 public high schools	23.7%	24				69.0	72.4	66.7				60.1	68.3	66.1		67.0	$16,163	$234	$15,929
Colfax-Mingo Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	204 N League Rd	Colfax	50054	Jasper County	Colfax-Mingo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 674-4111	287	27	10.8	33.8%	248 (86.4%)	3 (1.0%)	15 (5.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	17 (5.9%)	30.3	273^rd of 340 public high schools	19.7%		39.5	241^st of 338 public high schools	28.7%	32		77.5	92.9	69.2	74.4	61.4		70.0	71.4	57.7	66.7	52.6	73.8	53.8	$13,707	$447	$13,261
Baxter High School	Public	6-12	202 E State	Baxter	50028	Jasper County	Baxter Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 227-3103	262	10	26.2	32.8%	242 (92.4%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.5%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.2%)	47.4	208^th of 340 public high schools	38.8%		50.6	190^th of 338 public high schools	43.8%	18	72.5	81.0	87.5	73.8	85.7	61.1	60.0	78.0	78.1	71.4	67.9	50.0	75.0	75.0	$19,126	$217	$18,909
PCM High School	Public	9-12	400 East Highway 163	Monroe	50170	Jasper County	PCM Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 994-8222	348	25	13.8	19.5%	316 (90.8%)	2 (0.6%)	18 (5.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.6%)	61.5	146^th of 340 public high schools	57.1%		61.1	141^st of 338 public high schools	58.3%	5				80.5	79.3	82.6				70.7	59.8	81.4		70.7	$13,660	$359	$13,301
Lynnville-Sully High School	Public	9-12	12476 Hwy F62 E	Sully	50251	Jasper County	Lynnville-Sully Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 594-4445	160	11	14.7	22.5%	155 (96.9%)	3 (1.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	82.6	21^st of 340 public high schools	93.8%		81.9	26^th of 338 public high schools	92.3%	5				91.1	92.5	78.0				86.7	90.0	78.0		77.5	$15,419	$151	$15,268
Grinnell Community Senior High School	Public	9-12	1333 Sunset St	Grinnell	50112	Poweshiek County	Grinnell-Newburg Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 236-2700	512	30	16.8	31.6%	449 (87.7%)	14 (2.7%)	29 (5.7%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.5%)	77.7	45^th of 340 public high schools	86.8%		78.4	39^th of 338 public high schools	88.5%	6				83.8	90.2	84.7				73.8	83.5	80.2		77.4	$14,271	$399	$13,871

Frequently Asked Questions about WEST Academy Alternative School

What is the racial makeup of WEST Academy Alternative School?

Students at WEST Academy Alternative School are 82% White, 10% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is WEST Academy Alternative School in?

Newton Community School District

How many students attend WEST Academy Alternative School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 51 students attended WEST Academy Alternative School.

Is WEST Academy Alternative School a good school?

WEST Academy Alternative School ranks in the bottom 5.6% of Iowa high schools.

Rate WEST Academy 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.