Annual Reports on Iowa’s Schools and Community Colleges 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 using an online companion to the Condition of Education report (preschool through 12th grade). The online features allow education stakeholders to dig deeper into interactive enrollment and staffing data at the state and school district levels. 

“One of the most important functions the Iowa Department of Education provides is offering and interpreting data,” said Ryan Wise, director of the Department. “Data and information are used to help set the course for school improvement. It’s also important to remember that data do not tell the whole story in education. Iowans should connect with their schools and community colleges for more information.” 

Both reports contain the most recent data through the 2017-18 school year, unless otherwise noted. 

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

• 486,264: The number of students enrolled in Iowa’s public schools during the 2017-18 school year, up from 485,147 the year before. This represents the seventh increase in enrollment following a 17-year decline in enrollment. 
• 73.4%: The percent of students from the class of 2018 who took chemistry, up from 71.9 percent the year before. 32.8 percent of students took physics, up from 30.5 percent the year before. 
• 47.7%: The percent of students from the class of 2018 who took higher-level mathematics, including calculus, statistics and trigonometry. This is up from 46.2 percent the year before. 
• $57,045: Average teacher’s salary, up 2.4 percent from the year before ($55,703). Iowa’s average teacher salary ranks 22nd nationally. 
• $11,017: The state’s total per-pupil expense was $11,017 in the 2016-17 school year, up from $10,731 in the 2015-16 school year. That puts Iowa at 26th nationally. (Expenditure reporting lags a year because it occurs at the end of the fiscal year.)