Northwest High School

Northwest High School is a public high school located in Waukee, Iowa, serving grades 10-12 with a total enrollment of 1,524 students. It is part of the Waukee Community School District, which is ranked 65th out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Northwest High School consistently outperforms the state and district averages in standardized test scores across English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 85.3% of 10th-grade students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 74.7% statewide. Similarly, 83.1% of 10th-grade students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 68% statewide. The school has also maintained high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 87.5% to 97.1% over the past few years, consistently outperforming the state and district averages. While Northwest High School has experienced some fluctuations in chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.3% to 23.8%, the school still performs better than the state average in this metric.

When comparing Northwest High School to other nearby high schools, such as Waukee High School, which is also part of the Waukee Community School District, Northwest High School stands out as a top performer with higher test scores and a higher statewide ranking. However, the relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Northwest High School, ranging from 11.85% to 13.71%, may indicate that the school serves a more affluent population compared to other schools in the area. This could raise questions about equity and access to educational opportunities for students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, which the school may need to address.