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Expo Alternative Learning Center

Public Grades 6-12

335^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 1% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Expo Alternative Learning Center is a public high school serving grades 6-12 in the Waterloo Community School District in Waterloo, Iowa, with 578 students. The school has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing high schools in the state, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating very poor performance.

Expo Alternative Learning Center faces significant challenges, with low four-year graduation rates ranging from 44.5% to 88.3% in recent years, much lower than the district and state averages. The school also has very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 70.9%, and poor academic performance on standardized tests, with proficiency rates well below the district and state averages. Interestingly, the school spends more per student than other high schools in the Waterloo district, suggesting that the challenges are not solely due to a lack of funding.

When compared to other high schools in the area, the performance gap is quite stark. Both West High School and East High School, which are also in the Waterloo district, have significantly higher test scores, graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism than Expo Alternative Learning Center. The school's focus on providing an alternative learning environment may contribute to the lower performance metrics, as the unique student population it serves may face additional challenges.

561

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,570

Per pupil spending ?

80.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1410 Independence Ave
Waterloo, IA 50703

(319) 433-1930

District: Waterloo Community School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.7%

African American:

34.8%

Two or more races:

12.8%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 1st percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (29% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Iowa average (44% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg57%

Iowa avg71%

Middle school

313^th of 344

Iowa public middle schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 6 pts since 2017

From bottom 3% (2017) to bottom 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

335^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3High Schools in the Waterloo Community School District

287^th of 313Waterloo 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	12.1	313 of 344	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.1	337 of 337	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.2	333 of 334	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.6	330 of 337	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.1	318 of 327	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	0.0	350 of 350	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.1	348 of 349	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	0.6	335 of 340	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.1	335 of 338	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.4	332 of 336	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.9	328 of 332	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	0.1	324 of 327	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	0.1	323 of 327	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	0.0	319 of 320	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	0.1	319 of 325	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	0.0	320 of 320	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	0.0	321 of 324	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	0.0	321 of 322	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	0.1	348 of 351	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.4	345 of 351	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts37%-37 vs state

Science28%-38 vs state

Mathematics22%-47 vs state

★

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Schools Near Expo Alternative Learning Center

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
Expo Alternative Learning Center	Public	6-12	1410 Independence Ave	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1930	561	35	15.9	80.2%	234 (41.7%)	195 (34.8%)	42 (7.5%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	13 (2.3%)	72 (12.8%)	0.6	335^th of 340 public high schools	1.5%		0.1	335^th of 338 public high schools	0.9%			70.0		32.7	35.4	38.3		50.0	27.3	11.9	22.0	29.2		28.4	$14,570	$546	$14,023
East High School	Public	9-12	214 High St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 433-2400	1,016	62	16.4	70.8%	370 (36.4%)	345 (34.0%)	150 (14.8%)	5 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	43 (4.2%)	100 (9.8%)	10.5	312^th of 340 public high schools	8.2%		7.6	316^th of 338 public high schools	6.5%	4				53.1	62.3	56.1				45.0	46.9	48.6		41.3	$15,126	$451	$14,674
West High School	Public	9-12	425 E Ridgeway Ave	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 433-2700	1,696	101	16.8	59.1%	771 (45.5%)	371 (21.9%)	256 (15.1%)	102 (6.0%)	4 (0.2%)	69 (4.1%)	122 (7.2%)	28.7	279^th of 340 public high schools	17.9%		29.5	271^st of 338 public high schools	19.8%	8				65.7	70.2	66.3				50.1	61.3	62.3		56.8	$13,055	$432	$12,622
Cedar Falls High School	Public	10-12	2701 W 27th St	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2500	1,333	96	13.8	20.7%	1,124 (84.3%)	37 (2.8%)	48 (3.6%)	37 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (0.8%)	76 (5.7%)	73.2	66^th of 340 public high schools	80.6%		74.8	64^th of 338 public high schools	81.1%	2					81.5	74.8					84.9	74.3		82.5	$13,835	$301	$13,534
Dunkerton High School	Public	6-12	509 Canfield	Dunkerton	50626	Black Hawk County	Dunkerton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 822-4295	200	19	10.5	32.0%	186 (93.0%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.5%)	41.2	236^th of 340 public high schools	30.6%		56	170^th of 338 public high schools	49.7%	66	92.0	80.8	75.0	70.4	69.6	80.0	92.0	84.6	83.3	63.0	56.5	60.0	70.8	65.2	$15,242	$249	$14,993
Hudson High School	Public	7-12	245 S Washington	Hudson	50643	Black Hawk County	Hudson Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 988-4226	371	27	13.7	23.7%	328 (88.4%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.1%)	76.9	51^st of 340 public high schools	85.0%		83.3	19^th of 338 public high schools	94.4%	32		92.3	89.7	84.4	86.7	80.4		87.7	80.9	73.3	83.3	82.1	69.1	78.3	$13,977	$58	$13,919
Denver Senior High School	Public	9-12	800 Longview Drive	Denver	50622	Bremer County	Denver Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 984-5639	278	20	13.6	13.3%	263 (94.6%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	93.4	2^nd of 340 public high schools	99.4%		95	2^nd of 338 public high schools	99.4%					95.5	97.1	92.6				90.9	94.2	86.8		94.2	$14,874	$81	$14,794
Jesup High School	Public	9-12	531 Prospect	Jesup	50648	Buchanan County	Jesup Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 827-1700	269	18	14.8	17.8%	260 (96.7%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	74.6	60^th of 340 public high schools	82.4%		79.7	34^th of 338 public high schools	89.9%	26				86.0	80.0	77.8				82.5	83.1	82.5		73.8	$13,563	$202	$13,361
Janesville Junior-Senior High School	Public	6-12	505 Barrick Rd	Janesville	50647	Bremer County	Janesville Consolidated School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 987-2581	243	13	18.9	11.9%	227 (93.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.9%)	71.6	77^th of 340 public high schools	77.4%		77	47^th of 338 public high schools	86.1%	30	83.8	70.0	85.7	90.3	70.3	68.2	86.5	80.0	85.7	87.1	78.4	86.4	85.7	83.8	$12,726	$87	$12,639
Union High School	Public	9-12	200 Adams St	La Porte City	50651	Black Hawk County	Union Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 342-2697	279	23	11.8	24.0%	255 (91.4%)	3 (1.1%)	13 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.9%)	69.8	90^th of 340 public high schools	73.5%		66.3	112^th of 338 public high schools	66.9%	22				94.7	76.8	82.7				84.2	68.1	80.2		68.1	$15,170	$348	$14,821

Frequently Asked Questions about Expo Alternative Learning Center

Is Expo Alternative Learning Center a good school?

Expo Alternative Learning Center ranks in the bottom 1.5% of Iowa high schools.

How many students attend Expo Alternative Learning Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 561 students attended Expo Alternative Learning Center.

What district is Expo Alternative Learning Center in?

Waterloo Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Expo Alternative Learning Center?

Students at Expo Alternative Learning Center are 42% White, 35% African American, 13% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 2% Pacific Islander.

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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.