Dept. of Education Releases 2012 Condition of Education Report

The Iowa Department of Education released its annual Condition of Education report this week. The report provides a wide range of state-level data, including shifts in student populations and demographics, teacher salaries and characteristics, student achievement results and school financial information.

The report includes the most recent data through the 2011-12 school year, unless otherwise noted. 

Highlights include: 
Students in Public Schools 
• 19.3%: Percentage of minority student enrollment, up from 14.9 percent in 2008-09 and 5.5 percent in 1990. 
• 40.1%: Percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, up from 27 percent a decade ago. 
• 88.3%: Four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2011. 
• 39.4%: Percentage of students in the Class of 2012 who enrolled in high-level mathematics courses, including calculus and trigonometry. 
• 65.9%: Percentage of students in the Class of 2012 who reported taking chemistry; 26.9 percent enrolled in physics. 
• 22.1: ACT composite score among 63 percent of students in Iowa’s Class of 2012 who were tested. The national average was 21.1 out of a possible 36. 
• 34,513: The number of students enrolled concurrently in high school and community college courses, up from 21,587 in 2006-07. 

Schools and Teachers 
• 351: The number of Iowa school districts in 2011-12; there were 359 the year before and 431 in 1990. 
• 33,938: The number of full-time public school teachers, up slightly from 33,610 in 2000-01. 
• $50,634: The average salary for public school teachers in 2010-11, up from $49,626 the previous school year. Iowa ranks 25th nationally in teacher pay and 6th among Midwestern states. 
• 96%: Percentage of Iowa school districts that offered preschool in 2011-12, up from 83.4 percent in 2008-09. 
• 41.8: Average age of Iowa’s full-time public school teachers. 

School Finance 
• 81%: Percentage of total general fund spending in public schools for salaries and benefits. 
• $9,484: Iowa’s average per-student expenditure in 2010-11. The amount is about the same as the year before ($9,455). 
• 70.8%: Percentage of total general fund spending in Iowa public schools dedicated to student instruction in 2010-11; up from 68.6 percent in 1997-98.