Iowa Department of Education Releases Annual Report on Iowa’s Schools

Last week the Iowa Department of Education released the latest edition of its annual report containing state-level data and information on Iowa’s schools. The 2021 Annual Condition of Education report includes data on preschool-through-12th grade student populations and demographics, academic achievement, postsecondary enrollment and completion, special education, teacher and school administrator characteristics and salaries and school financial information. 

Additionally, an online companion to the Condition of Education report allows education stakeholders to dig deeper into interactive enrollment and staffing data at the state and school-district levels. A new version of the site will launch next month that will allow users to easily export their district-level and state data. 

“Data and information are vital for driving school improvement, especially following a school year of unforeseen challenges brought on by a global pandemic,” said Ann Lebo, director of the Iowa Department of Education. “Providing and interpreting data is needed to continue moving forward as our education landscape evolves, but data doesn’t tell the whole story. It is important for Iowans to connect with their schools to learn more about programs and initiatives underway that are helping students succeed in the classroom and beyond.” 

The Condition of Education report includes the most recent data through the 2020-21 school year, unless otherwise noted. Highlights from this year’s report include: 

• 484,159: For the first time since the 2011-12 school year, public school K-12 enrollment dropped from 490,094 in 2019-20 to 484,159 in 2020-21. 
• 26.1%: Minority students made up 26.1 percent of the student population in Iowa school districts, up from 25.7 percent the previous year. 
• 41.8%: The percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, down slightly from 42.4 percent the year before. 
• 38,022: The number of full-time teachers in public schools in 2020-21, up from 37,567 the year before. There was a 13.1 percent increase in the number of full-time public school teachers from the 2000-01 school year (33,610) to 2020-21 (38,022). 
• $58,771: The average regular teacher salary, up from $58,110 in 2019-20. 
• 6.3%: The percent of students whose native language is not English (English learners), down from 6.5 the year before. 
• 48.8%: The percent of students from Iowa’s class of 2021 who took higher-level mathematics, including calculus, statistics and trigonometry. This is up slightly from 48.6 percent the year before. 
• 51.7%: The percent of school districts with students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses, down from 54.3 percent in the prior year. 
• $10,794: The state’s total per-pupil expense in the 2019-20 school year, up from $10,738 the year before. 

The 2021 Annual Condition of Education and past editions dating back to 1998 are available on the Education Statistics page of the Iowa Department of Education website.