Annual Reports on Iowa's Schools and Community Colleges are Now Available

The Iowa Department of Education has released the latest editions of two annual reports with statewide data and information about Iowa’s schools and community colleges: 

• The Condition of Education report includes data on preschool through 12th-grade student populations and demographics, student achievement results, teacher and school administrator salaries and characteristics, technology readiness and school financial information.  
• The 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.  

Highlights from each of the reports are from the 2018-19 school year unless otherwise noted. 

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

• 487,652: The number of students enrolled in Iowa’s public schools, up from 486,264 the year before. This represents the eighth consecutive enrollment increase following a 17-year decline. 
• 24.9%: For the first time, about one in four Iowa students is a minority student. Students of color make up 24.9 percent of the student population in Iowa school districts. 
• 37,386: The number of full-time teachers in public schools, up from 37,035 the year before. There was an 11.2 percent increase in the number of full-time public school teachers from the 2000-01 school year (33,610) to 2018-19 (37,386). 
• $57,463: The average regular teacher salary. Iowa ranks 21st in the nation for average teacher salary, compared to 22nd the year before.
• 6.5%: The percent of students whose native language is not English (English learners), up from 6.1 percent the year before. 
• 47.9%: The percent of students from Iowa’s Class of 2019 who took higher-level mathematics, including calculus, statistics and trigonometry. This is up from 47.7 percent the year before. 
• $10,536: The state’s total per-pupil expense in the 2017-18 school year, up from $10,203 the year before. Iowa ranks 30th in the nation for average spending per pupil and ahead of Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan and South Dakota. 

Highlights of the Condition of Iowa’s Community Colleges report: 

• 128,624: The number of students enrolled in community college credit courses, down slightly from 131,144 the year before. 

• 62,731: The number of students enrolled in online credit courses through an Iowa community college, up from 60,689 the year before.


• 50,587: The number of students who enrolled in college courses while in high school (known as joint enrollment), down slightly from 51,001 the year before. Jointly enrolled high school students account for 39.3 percent of total community college enrollees and 24.8 percent of total credits.


• 34.5%: The percent of students under the age of 18 enrolled in community college courses, the highest in the nation.


• 23.1%: The percent of community college enrollment from racial and ethnic minority groups, which represents a record high.


• 17,377: The number of credit awards earned (associate degrees, certificates and diplomas), up from 16,747 the previous year.


• 43,538: The number of noncredit program awards, up from 26,005 the year before. The majority of these awards (72.4 percent) were industry-awarded credentials designed to lead to or enhance employment opportunities.