After thirteen years of declining enrollment, the number of students attending public schools in Iowa is expected to see some modest gains over the next five years, according to projections released by the Iowa Department of Education. The projections are used to forecast district changes in enrollment as well as funding for public schools.
“As Iowa’s population goes, so goes our school enrollment, which is reflected in the projected size and location of the increased number of students we predict seeing in our public schools over the next several years,” said Jason Glass, director of the Iowa Department of Education. “It is a positive sign that we anticipate seeing a modest turn-around in our enrollment figures and that the state’s public school district enrollment is projected to see small but sustained growth.”
The projected increase in public school enrollment mirrors the 2010 Census data, which shows a slight increase in Iowa’s population. The Department of Education is projecting a similar increase in the number of students attending the state’s public schools over the next five years:
- 2010-11 Enrollment: 473,493
- 2011-12 Projection: 474,520
- 2015-16 Projection: 484,904
Projections for the 2011-12 school year show a 0.2 percent increase in the number of students in Iowa public schools. By the 2015-16 school year, the projection is for a 2.4 percent increase, or approximately 11,400 students, above the current school year.
At the same time, the one year projections show that a majority of Iowa school districts – 62% - still have declining enrollment and in five years 58% of school districts will continue to have declining enrollment. There are currently 359 districts in Iowa.
The following charts lists the ten school districts that are projected to see the largest increase in the number of students, and the ten districts with the largest percentage increase in its enrollment.
Top 10 Districts – Five Year Student Increase
District |
2010-11 Enrollment |
2015-16 Projection |
Increase |
|
Waukee |
6,680 |
9,934 |
3,254 |
|
Ankeny |
8,652 |
10,148 |
1,496 |
|
Des Moines |
30,975 |
32,314 |
1,339 |
|
Iowa City |
12,011 |
12,886 |
875 |
|
Johnston |
6,094 |
6,964 |
870 |
|
Davenport |
16,183 |
17,031 |
848 |
|
Linn-Mar |
6,644 |
7,392 |
748 |
|
Southeast Polk |
6,085 |
6,769 |
685 |
|
Waterloo |
10,622 |
11,235 |
613 |
|
College |
4,382 |
4,973 |
591 |
Top 10 Districts – Five Year Percentage Increase
District |
2010-11 Enrollment |
2015-16 Projection |
Increase |
|
Waukee |
6,680 |
9,934 |
48.7% |
|
Woodward-Granger |
823 |
1,118 |
35.8% |
|
Perry |
1,833 |
2,355 |
28.5% |
|
Dallas Center-Grimes |
1,947 |
2,432 |
24.9% |
|
Clear Creek Amana |
1,565 |
1,946 |
24.3% |
|
Adel DeSoto Minburn |
1,408 |
1,751 |
24.3% |
|
Albert City-Truesdale |
210 |
258 |
23.0% |
|
Ankeny |
8,652 |
10,148 |
17.3% |
|
West Lyon |
783 |
915 |
16.9% |
|
Schleswig |
308 |
359 |
16.7% |
In addition, of the eight school districts that are currently that largest in Iowa, and which form the Urban Education Network, seven are expected to see increases in their enrollment over the next five years:
Iowa’s Eight Largest Districts - 1 Year and 5 Year Projections
District |
2010-11 Enrollment |
2011-12 Projection |
One Year Change |
2015-16 Projection |
Five Year Change |
|
Cedar Rapids |
16,810 |
16,690 |
-0.7% |
16,545 |
-1.6% |
|
Council Bluffs |
9,125 |
9,094 |
-0.3% |
9,158 |
0.4% |
|
Davenport |
16,183 |
16,586 |
2.5% |
17,037 |
5.2% |
|
Des Moines |
30,975 |
31,101 |
0.4% |
32,314 |
4.3% |
|
Dubuque |
10,517 |
10,579 |
0.6% |
10,562 |
0.4% |
|
Iowa City |
12,011 |
12,143 |
1.1% |
12,886 |
7.3% |
|
Sioux City |
13,823 |
13,915 |
0.7% |
14,226 |
2.9% |
|
Waterloo |
10,622 |
10,859 |
2.2% |
11,235 |
5.8% |
Iowa Public Enrollment Projections (