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Spirit Lake High School

Q: Is Spirit Lake High School a good school?

Spirit Lake High School ranks 96 th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

96^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 72% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Located in Spirit Lake, Iowa, Spirit Lake High School is a public high school serving 396 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Spirit Lake Community School District, which is ranked 82 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Spirit Lake High School consistently performs above the state average in ISASP test scores, with 85.2% of 10th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 74.7%, and 78.4% of 10th-grade students proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 68%. The school also maintains a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 86.4% to 88.3% over the past few years, which is consistently higher than the state average. While the school has experienced some fluctuations in chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.6% to 23.4%, it is still lower than the state average.

When compared to nearby schools, Spencer High School and Harris-Lake Park High School generally outperform Spirit Lake High School in academic performance and graduation rates, while Estherville Lincoln Central High School lags behind. Overall, Spirit Lake High School is a strong-performing school within its local context, but there may be opportunities to learn from the practices of the higher-performing nearby schools.

393

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,475

Per pupil spending ?

22.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2701 Hill Ave
Spirit Lake, IA 51360

(712) 336-3707

District: Spirit Lake Community School District

Feeder schools for Spirit Lake High School:

Elementary:	Spirit Lake Elementary School
Middle:	Spirit Lake Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.8%

Hispanic:

6.9%

Two or more races:

3.8%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Spirit Lake High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 50th percentile in 2015 → 72nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (78% vs 69% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Iowa median (72nd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg78%

Iowa avg69%

96^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Top 28%▲ up 22 pts since 2015

From top 50% (2015) to top 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

82^nd of 313Spirit Lake 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	68.9	96 of 340	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	48.5	204 of 338	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.2	137 of 336	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.2	103 of 332	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	84.9	22 of 327	93.3%	★★★★★
2019	81.2	35 of 327	89.3%	★★★★☆
2018	78.3	37 of 320	88.4%	★★★★☆
2017	63.9	124 of 325	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	73.7	77 of 320	75.9%	★★★★☆
2015	55.9	163 of 324	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	65.5	127 of 322	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.5	181 of 351	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	81.2	29 of 351	91.7%	★★★★★

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Science84%+17 vs state

English Language Arts80%+7 vs state

Mathematics73%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Spirit Lake 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 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
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
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
Harris-Lake Park High School	Public	6-12	905 South Market	Lake Park	51347	Dickinson County	Harris-Lake Park Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 832-3809	174	18	9.4	38.5%	158 (90.8%)	1 (0.6%)	13 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	79.3	36^th of 340 public high schools	89.4%		79.4	35^th of 338 public high schools	89.6%	1	75.0	76.0	87.0	96.2	90.3	70.6	75.0	72.0	78.3	88.5	77.4	88.2	69.6	74.2	$14,186	$659	$13,528
Estherville Lincoln Central High School	Public	9-12	1520 Central Ave	Estherville	51334	Emmet County	Estherville Lincoln Central Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 362-2659	359	26	13.7	47.1%	240 (66.9%)	1 (0.3%)	105 (29.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.1%)	29.8	276^th of 340 public high schools	18.8%		40	238^th of 338 public high schools	29.6%	38				68.6	73.7	48.8				64.0	63.2	57.1		53.9	$15,835	$277	$15,559
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Spirit Lake High School

What is the racial makeup of Spirit Lake High School?

Students at Spirit Lake High School are 86% White, 7% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Spirit Lake High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 393 students attended Spirit Lake High School.

What schools feed into Spirit Lake High School?

Spirit Lake High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Spirit Lake Elementary School
Middle : Spirit Lake Middle School

What district is Spirit Lake High School in?

Spirit Lake Community School District

Is Spirit Lake High School a good school?

Spirit Lake High School ranks 96^th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Spirit Lake High School!

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Schools in Spirit Lake, 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.