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Spencer High School

Q: Is Spencer High School a good school?

Spencer High School ranks 47 th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

47^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 86% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Spencer High School is a public high school serving 718 students in grades 9-12 in Spencer, Iowa. The school is part of the Spencer Community School District, which is ranked 100 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Spencer High School consistently performs well, with a high percentage of students proficient or better in ISASP tests across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 86.1% of 10th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 74.7%. The school also maintains strong graduation rates, with a four-year graduation rate of 88.3% in the 2023-2024 school year, higher than the state average. While the school has experienced some fluctuations in chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 19.5% to 29.4% in recent years, these rates are still within the acceptable range for a high school.

When compared to nearby high schools, such as Spirit Lake High School, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School, Sioux Central High School, Okoboji High School, and Ruthven-Ayrshire High School, Spencer High School generally outperforms them in academic metrics, including test scores and graduation rates. This suggests that Spencer High School is a strong academic performer in the region.

688

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,801

Per pupil spending ?

45.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

800 E 3rd St
Spencer, IA 51301

(712) 262-1700

District: Spencer Community School District

Feeder schools for Spencer High School:

Elementary:	Fairview Park Elementary
	Johnson Elementary
	Lincoln Elementary School
Middle:	Spencer Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.9%

Hispanic:

8.7%

Two or more races:

2.6%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Spencer High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 44th percentile in 2015 → 86th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (82% vs 69% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 14% of Iowa high schools

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the Iowa average (89%)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school82%

District avg82%

Iowa avg69%

47^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Top 14%▲ up 42 pts since 2015

From bottom 44% (2015) to top 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

100^th of 313Spencer 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	77.1	47 of 340	86.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.0	87 of 338	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	74.4	60 of 336	82.1%	★★★★☆
2022	72.2	77 of 332	76.8%	★★★★☆
2021	62.4	117 of 327	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.2	109 of 327	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.6	260 of 320	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	62.2	136 of 325	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	45.9	202 of 320	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.6	181 of 324	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	71.7	89 of 322	72.4%	★★★★☆
2013	73.2	68 of 351	80.6%	★★★★☆
2012	61.2	158 of 351	55.0%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts84%+11 vs state

Mathematics81%+14 vs state

Science77%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Spencer 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 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Spencer High School	Public	9-12	800 E 3rd St	Spencer	51301	Clay County	Spencer Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 262-1700	688	41	16.9	45.3%	598 (86.9%)	5 (0.7%)	60 (8.7%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.6%)	77.1	47^th of 340 public high schools	86.2%		71	87^th of 338 public high schools	74.3%	40		81.3	86.1	85.4		80.0	84.9	77.1	77.2	$13,801	$242	$13,560
Ruthven-Ayrshire High School	Public	7-12	1505 Washington St	Ruthven	51358	Palo Alto County	Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 837-5212	58	4	14.0	37.9%	51 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (8.6%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	72.5	76^th of 340 public high schools	77.6%		61.3	140^th of 338 public high schools	58.6%	64	63.6			91.7	45.5			66.7		$17,561	$361	$17,200
Okoboji High School	Public	9-12	901 H. Ave.	Milford	51351	Dickinson County	Okoboji Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 338-2446	366	24	15.0	28.7%	326 (89.1%)	2 (0.5%)	25 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.3%)	55.9	173^rd of 340 public high schools	49.1%		66.4	110^th of 338 public high schools	67.5%	63		74.4	77.5	73.0		59.8	73.0	68.5	82.0	$15,835	$188	$15,648
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School	Public	9-12	300 N 8th Ave W	Hartley	51346	O'Brien County	Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 928-3406	203	18	11.2	50.2%	159 (78.3%)	3 (1.5%)	31 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.9%)	53.2	186^th of 340 public high schools	45.3%		54.2	174^th of 338 public high schools	48.5%	12		90.4	60.3	85.0		86.5	58.6	65.0	63.8	$33,752	$177	$33,576
Sioux Central High School	Public	9-12	4440 U.S. Hwy 71	Sioux Rapids	50585	Buena Vista County	Sioux Central Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 283-2571	255	22	11.4	47.5%	202 (79.2%)	1 (0.4%)	41 (16.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	8 (3.1%)	63.1	135^th of 340 public high schools	60.3%		49.5	196^th of 338 public high schools	42.0%	61		90.5	84.6	67.7		78.6	80.8	59.7	71.2	$13,555	$289	$13,265
Spirit Lake High School	Public	9-12	2701 Hill Ave	Spirit Lake	51360	Dickinson County	Spirit Lake Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 336-3707	393	26	15.3	22.1%	337 (85.8%)	7 (1.8%)	27 (6.9%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (3.8%)	68.9	96^th of 340 public high schools	71.8%		48.5	204^th of 338 public high schools	39.6%	108		87.2	85.2	68.5		74.5	78.4	66.3	84.1	$14,475	$248	$14,227

Frequently Asked Questions about Spencer High School

What schools feed into Spencer High School?

Spencer High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Fairview Park Elementary
Elementary : Johnson Elementary
Elementary : Lincoln Elementary School
Middle : Spencer Middle School

What district is Spencer High School in?

Spencer Community School District

Is Spencer High School a good school?

Spencer High School ranks 47^th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Spencer High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 688 students attended Spencer High School.

What is the racial makeup of Spencer High School?

Students at Spencer High School are 87% White, 9% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

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IAIowa High School Rankings

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Schools in Spencer, 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.