Category Archives: Schools

Jun 29

Iowa’s largest enrollment gainers, 2001-2015

Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2016, at 10:10 AM by Jeff

Statewide student enrollment over the past decade and a half tells a different story than a district-by-district breakdown: Rural areas continue to be drained of students while the gains are concentrated in the suburbs. By the raw certified enrollment total, … Continue reading →

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Jun 28

Smallest districts of 1996 by enrollment — where are they now?

Posted on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I have a map of the state of Iowa’s school districts as they were in the 1996-97 school year. As with any district map, it doesn’t reflect what sharing arrangements were at the time, but counting up the numbers then … Continue reading →

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Jun 27

Largest one-high school areas in Iowa

Posted on Monday, June 27, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

This is a list of the top 10 places in Iowa, by size, served by one high school, in five-year increments. In most cases, it involves whole-grade sharing followed some time later by consolidation, but in some cases there is … Continue reading →

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Jun 23

The rise of the 400-square-mile high school, part 4

Posted on Thursday, June 23, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

October 3, 2015: Harmony High School, a one-story building at the intersection of J46 and W46, will become the sole building for Harmony this fall, with all elementary students relocating here from Bonaparte. Junior high and high school students will go … Continue reading →

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Jun 22

The rise of the 400-square-mile high school, part 3

Posted on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 25, 2012: The cornerstone of the Boxholm school, last serving as Southeast Webster-Grand Junior High. The Boxholm school is not currently in use. By the summer of 2013, residents of the Corwith-Wesley district knew their high school was a … Continue reading →

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Jun 21

The rise of the 400-square-mile high school, part 2

Posted on Tuesday, June 21, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

December 28, 2008: Every window in the Russell school building was boarded up shortly after the district was forcibly dissolved. Students in Russell now go to Chariton, which encompasses about 85% of Lucas County. Lucas County was the home of … Continue reading →

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Jun 20

The rise of the 400-square-mile high school, part 1

Posted on Monday, June 20, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

First in a series on the geography of, and changes to, rural Iowa school districts in the past 55 years, with emphasis on the last 15. For nearly 50 years the number of places in Iowa where one high school … Continue reading →

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Jun 09

Baxter gives Collins-Maxwell a deadline

Posted on Thursday, June 9, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Baxter school district is telling Collins-Maxwell that progress on whole-grade sharing needs to happen by mid-July or Baxter “will begin exploring other sharing options,” reports the Newton Daily News. Collins-Maxwell is going to be sharing some administrative positions in … Continue reading →

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Jun 02

Final bell in Walnut

Posted on Thursday, June 2, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Students walked out the doors of the Pottawattamie County town of Walnut for the last time last week. Next year it will be part of a fully consolidated AHSTW. (The population on the town sign mentioned in the story is … Continue reading →

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May 27

Harmony’s final gift

Posted on Friday, May 27, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Harmony High School graduated its last class on Sunday. The 21 seniors each received a $2,900 scholarship, reported the Burlington Hawk Eye (if that’s unavailable, AP version). The school distributed the money from two alumni estates. Juniors and sophomores were … Continue reading →

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