This is a list of school districts in Iowa, sorted by Area Education Agencies (AEA). Districts are listed by their official names, though several schools use "Schools" in their name or website rather than "Community School District". As of July 2020 [update], this list has not been expanded to include former school districts.
In the early 1900s the state had 4,873 school districts. The state government passed the Consolidated School of Law of 1906 and this figure fell to 4,863 in 1908, 4,839 in 1922, [1] and 4,558 in 1953. [2] That year some additional laws were passed that contributed to reducing this further, and so this fell further to 458 as of July 1, 1965; that year another law made providing a high school mandatory for a school district, [1] which meant school districts that had one room schoolhouses were required to consolidate. [3] The deadline for such mergers to be finalized was April 1, 1966, with mergers themselves to occur on July 1 of that year. [4]
By July 1, 1980, the number of districts was down to 443. [5] In 1984, there were 437 school districts in the state that operated high schools. [6] In 1990 the total number of school districts was 430. [5] In fall 1995 the number of school districts operating high schools was down to 353, and in 1995 670 was the median enrollment K-12 of an Iowa school district. [6] An Iowa Department of Education consultant named Guy Ghan referred to the 1990s school district mergers as the "third wave". [7]
The total number of school districts was 365 on July 1, 2005. [5] In the 2016–2017 school year there were 333 school districts, an 11% decrease from the same figure in 2000. [8]
Circa the 1980s school districts began agreements to share resources, such as particular employees, or "whole grade sharing" (where students of one or more grade levels are sent to a different school district to get their education). In 2005 Tom Vilsack, the Governor of Iowa, proposed that requirements for school districts to have certain numbers of students or sharing employees as ways of reducing local government spending, though Vilsack never enacted those requirements. In 2007 Josh Nelson of The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier wrote that "Lately, consolidation hasn't been as big of an issue compared to previous years." [3]
By 2016 population losses in rural areas have fueled further school district consolidations. [9] By 2017 there had been school districts that had formed from different generations of school consolidations. [10]
This is a list of school districts in Iowa, sorted by Area Education Agencies (AEA). Districts are listed by their official names, though several schools use "Schools" in their name or website rather than "Community School District". As of July 2020 [update], this list has not been expanded to include former school districts.
In the early 1900s the state had 4,873 school districts. The state government passed the Consolidated School of Law of 1906 and this figure fell to 4,863 in 1908, 4,839 in 1922, [1] and 4,558 in 1953. [2] That year some additional laws were passed that contributed to reducing this further, and so this fell further to 458 as of July 1, 1965; that year another law made providing a high school mandatory for a school district, [1] which meant school districts that had one room schoolhouses were required to consolidate. [3] The deadline for such mergers to be finalized was April 1, 1966, with mergers themselves to occur on July 1 of that year. [4]
By July 1, 1980, the number of districts was down to 443. [5] In 1984, there were 437 school districts in the state that operated high schools. [6] In 1990 the total number of school districts was 430. [5] In fall 1995 the number of school districts operating high schools was down to 353, and in 1995 670 was the median enrollment K-12 of an Iowa school district. [6] An Iowa Department of Education consultant named Guy Ghan referred to the 1990s school district mergers as the "third wave". [7]
The total number of school districts was 365 on July 1, 2005. [5] In the 2016–2017 school year there were 333 school districts, an 11% decrease from the same figure in 2000. [8]
Circa the 1980s school districts began agreements to share resources, such as particular employees, or "whole grade sharing" (where students of one or more grade levels are sent to a different school district to get their education). In 2005 Tom Vilsack, the Governor of Iowa, proposed that requirements for school districts to have certain numbers of students or sharing employees as ways of reducing local government spending, though Vilsack never enacted those requirements. In 2007 Josh Nelson of The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier wrote that "Lately, consolidation hasn't been as big of an issue compared to previous years." [3]
By 2016 population losses in rural areas have fueled further school district consolidations. [9] By 2017 there had been school districts that had formed from different generations of school consolidations. [10]