DES MOINES – Iowa’s high school graduation rate climbed nearly a full percentage point, reaching 88.3% for the graduating class of 2024, according to figures released today by the Iowa Department of Education. This marks the first time since 2020 that Iowa’s graduation rate has returned to prepandemic levels.

State data show 88.3% of students in Iowa’s class of 2024 graduated within four years, increasing 0.8 percentage points from 87.5% for the class of 2023 and is the same rate as the class of 2019. A total of 34,158 Iowa students earned their high school diplomas in the class of 2024.

“Nearly 900 more students in the class of 2024 earned their high school diploma, positioning them to succeed in postsecondary education and higher-wage, fulfilling careers,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “Our data also shows encouraging, significant progress in narrowing graduation rate gaps experienced by students with disabilities and students from low-income backgrounds. Together with educators and families, Iowa will continue to provide all students with what they need to meet high expectations and realize their incredible potential.”

Iowa’s four-year graduation rate experienced by students with disabilities is 70.3%, representing an increase of 2.4 percentage points. The graduation rate for students from low-income backgrounds as determined by eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals is 80.2% which is a 1.5 percentage point increase from the previous year.

Graduation rates for students who are English learners declined slightly from 73.7% the prior year to 73.4% for the graduating class of 2024. The graduation rate for males is 86.7%, 3.2 percentage points lower than the graduation rate for females (89.9%); this gap has decreased since the class of 2022 when it was at 4.5 percentage points. Additionally, four-year graduation rates by racial and ethnic background increased for most student groups, including Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, two or more races, and white.

Iowa’s four-year graduation rate for the class of 2024 is significantly higher than several of its neighboring states; Illinois and South Dakota recently reported 2024 graduation rates below Iowa’s, at 87.7% and 84.0%, respectively. Among neighboring states, only Missouri and Wisconsin reported class of 2024 graduation rates meaningfully above Iowa’s, at 90.8% and 91.1% respectively.

Iowa graduation rates are calculated with a formula established by the U.S. Department of Education. Unique student identification numbers allow school districts to account for all ninth-grade students as they move through high school. At the state level, the method helps determine when a student graduates, even if the student has switched districts during high school.

Iowa’s five-year graduation rate — which reflects students who were part of a graduating class but took an extra year to finish high school — was 89.9% for the class of 2023, up slightly from 89.7% for the class of 2022, yet slightly below 90.5% for the class of 2019.

Iowa’s annual dropout rate reflects the percent of students in grades 9-12 who dropped out of school during a single year. The annual dropout rate was 2.59% percent for the 2023-24 school year, showing an improvement from 3.02% in the 2022-23 school year and 2.61% in the 2018-19 school year. The state’s 2023-24 dropout rate represents 4,052 students dropping out in grades 9 through 12.

More information on Iowa’s graduation rates and dropout rates, including rates by school district and student group, are available on the Department of Education’s Graduation Rates and Dropout Rates webpage.

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

The Iowa legislature has sent the governor a bill that would likely expand the number of physician assistants practicing in Iowa, by creating a path to a multi-state license.

If the bill becomes law, Iowa will enter a compact next year that would let P.A.s licensed in 14 states practice in any of those states. The neighboring states of Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin will be part of the compact.

Senator Kara Warme of Ames said this kind of a reciprocal licensing arrangement is already available for doctors, nurses and mental health professionals. “We all know the extensive need that we have in our state for medical providers and this licensure compact is one way to meet some of those needs, allowing easier access to telehealth medicine or to practicing across state lines in our border communities,” Warme said during Senate debate of the bill.

Representative Austin Baeth of Des Moines, a physician, spoke during House debate. “This is a good bill,” Baeth said. “We know from experience in other health care licensure compacts that this is typically a net win for Iowa in gaining more health care professionals to help patch in our shortages.”

According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, there are over 1300 P.A.s licensed to practice medicine in Iowa  and over half of them are working in rural areas. Two years ago, Governor Reynolds signed a law that removed the requirement that a  P.A. be supervised by a doctor in order to practice medicine in Iowa.

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Education today announced statewide voting is now open for Iowans to help select the state’s next education license plate design. Replacing the current decades-old design, these new license plate designs feature original artwork from 16 student semifinalists from across the state.

“Earlier this school year, the Department asked students to help us reimagine Iowa’s education license plate, and now it’s time for you to pick your favorite submissions,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “This first-of-its-kind design challenge is helping us celebrate education across Iowa while recognizing the incredible artistic talent of our students.”

A committee representing art teachers from across the state reviewed and selected the 16 semifinalists from over 100 qualified designs submitted by Iowa K-12 art classes. Each entry was reviewed for creativity, originality, artistic skill and its representation of celebrating Iowa education. Iowans can access the online voting form to select their top three overall favorite designs in each of the following grade bands: 3-5, 6-8, 9-10 and 11-12. They can also select their top three overall favorite designs.

From the results of the public voting, three or four finalists will be selected for final consideration. The winning design will be announced at the end of the school year, replacing the current design that has been in place since 1997. The redesigned license plates will tentatively go into production this summer and all semifinalist and finalist art designs will be permanently displayed at the Department’s Grimes State Office Building.

The Iowa Education License Plate Contest was introduced last fall to redesign the state’s current education license plate. Iowa K-12 students were invited to create original designs for the education license plates that will be featured on the vehicles of drivers supporting Iowa education across the state. Iowa K-12 art teachers could select up to 10 student designs to submit for the contest this spring.

Specialized education license plates are a great way for Iowa drivers to show their support of education across the state. All education license plates are purchased through the Iowa Department of Transportation. The fees collected from the purchase of specialized education license plates support school districts with the highest per pupil transportation costs, including schools serving rural communities.

The contest voting period is open through April 15. The voting form can be accessed on the Iowa Department of Education’s website.

More information on the contest can be found on the Iowa Education License Plate Contest webpage. Iowa Education License Plate Contest