Annual Reports on Iowa’s Schools and Community Colleges Now Available

Last week the Iowa Department of Education released the latest editions of two annual reports containing state-level data and information on Iowa’s schools and community colleges:
 

• The Annual Condition of Education report includes data on shifts in preschool through 12th grade student populations and demographics, teacher and school administrator salaries and characteristics, student achievement results, technology readiness, and school financial information. 
• The Annual Condition of Iowa’s Community Colleges report includes data on programs and services, student enrollment and demographics, student success and completion, college costs and affordability, instructional staff salaries and characteristics, and financial information. The report also includes success stories that illustrate how community colleges impact Iowans and the economy. 

Additionally, the Department is introducing for the first time an online companion to the Condition of Education report (preschool through 12th grade). The new online features allow education stakeholders to dig deeper into interactive enrollment and staffing data at the state and school district levels. 

“Data and information help drive improvement,” Director Ryan Wise said. “Providing and interpreting education data is one of the key functions of the Iowa Department of Education. At the same time, data do not tell the whole story in education. I encourage Iowans to connect with their schools and community colleges for more information.” 

Both reports contain the most recent data through the 2016-17 school year, unless otherwise noted.

Highlights of the Condition of Education (PK-12) report include: 

• 485,147: The number of students enrolled in Iowa’s public schools during the 2016-17 school year, up from 483,451 the year before. This represents the sixth enrollment increase in six years, following a 17-year decline. 
• 46.2%: The percentage of students from the Class of 2017 who took higher-level mathematics, including calculus, statistics and trigonometry. This is up from 45.3 percent the year before. 
• 2.3%: The percentage-point increase in Iowa’s average regular teacher salary (to $55,703 in 2016-17 from $54,446 in 2015-16). Iowa’s average teacher salary climbed to 22nd in the national rankings from 23rd the year before. 
• $10,676: The state’s total per-pupil expense in 2015-16. The amount was up from $10,622 in the previous year. 

Iowa ranks 28th nationally for total per-pupil expense.