Iowa Department of Education released the latest edition of the Annual Condition of Education report recently.
The report provides a wide range of state-level data, including shifts in student populations and demographics, teacher salaries and characteristics, student achievement results and school financial information. The report contains the most recent data through the 2012-13 school year, unless otherwise noted.
The report also includes two unique sections:
• An evaluation of the impact of the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program on the third-grade assessment results of students who participated in the preschool program during the 2008-09 school year.
• A study that examines the relationship between student achievement and teacher retention in Iowa schools.
Highlights include:
Students in public schools
• 20.2 percent: Minority student enrollment, up from 14.9 percent in 2008-09.
• 41 percent: Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, up from 27 percent 12 years ago.
• 89.3 percent: Four-year graduation rate for the class of 2012.
• 40.2 percent: Students in the class of 2013 who enrolled in high-level mathematics courses.
• 66.4 percent: Students in the class of 2013 who reported taking chemistry.
• 22.1: ACT composite score among 66 percent of students in Iowa’s class of 2013 who were tested. The national average was 20.9 out of a possible 36.
• 36,026: Students enrolled concurrently in high school and community college courses, up from 21,587 in 2006-07.
73,834: Concurrent enrollment courses taken in the 2012-13 school year.
Technology readiness
• Iowa districts spent $174.40 per student for hardware and software during the 2011-12 school year, up from $86.20 per student in 2000-01.
• Iowa schools have a need for high-speed bandwidth for digital learning.
• Most Iowa high schools (67.3 percent) are equipped with 50 MB or less of bandwidth. This compares to 54.7 percent of middle schools and 51.5 percent of elementary schools.
Schools and teachers
• 348: The number of Iowa school districts in the 2012-13 school year; there were 351 the year before and 431 in 1990. There are 346 school districts in the 2013-14 school year.
• 34,226: The number of full-time public school teachers, up slightly from 33,610 in 2000-01.
• $50,914: The average salary for public school teachers in 2012-13, up from $50,218 the previous school year.
• 26th: Iowa’s national ranking in teacher pay. Iowa ranks seventh among Midwestern states.
• 41.5: Average age of Iowa’s full-time public school teachers.
School finance
• 80.8 percent: Percentage of total general fund spending in public schools for salaries and benefits.
• $9,435: Iowa’s average per-student expenditure in 2011-12. The amount is about the same as the year before ($9,425).
• 70.8 percent: Percentage of total general fund spending in Iowa public schools dedicated to student instruction in 2011-12. This is an increase from 69 percent in 2000-01.
See the full report on the department's website: https://www.educateiowa.gov/document-type/annual-condition-education-report-pk-12
Please join me at one of my legislative coffees during the course of the 2014 legislative session.
Legislative Forum Events
• Friday, Feb. 28
Noon at Lakeside Casino in Osceola
• Friday, March 28
Noon at Lakeside Casino in Osceola