Education in Iowa

Primary and secondary schools
Iowa is often credited with the start of the high school movement in the U.S. Around 1910, secondary schools as we know them today were established across the state, which was unprecedented at the time. As the high school movement gathered pace and went beyond Iowa, there was clear evidence of how more time spent in school lead to greater income.

The four-year graduation rate for high schoolers was 87.2 % in 2009. The state has the third highest graduation rate in the nation. Iowa continually ranks in the top 3 for ACT and SAT scores. In 2009, Iowa ranked top in the nation for average SAT scores per student and second in the nation for average ACT scores per student. Iowa has 365 school districts, and has the twelfth best student to teacher ratio of 13.8 students per teacher. Teacher's pay, however, is ranked forty-second with the average salary being $39,284.

The Iowa State Board of Education works with the Iowa Department of Education to provide oversight, supervision, and support for the state's education system that includes all public elementary and secondary schools, nonpublic schools that receive state accreditation, area education agencies, community colleges, and teacher preparation programs. The State Board consists of ten members: nine voting members who are appointed by the governor for six-year terms and subject to Senate confirmation; and one nonvoting student member who serves a one-year term, also appointed by the governor.

Colleges and universities
The Iowa Board of Regents is composed of nine citizen volunteers appointed by the governor to provide policymaking, coordination, and oversight of the state's public universities, two special K-12 schools, and affiliated centers.

Iowa's three public universities include:
    Iowa State University, Ames
    University of Iowa, Iowa City
    University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls

The special K-12 schools include the Iowa School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs and the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton. Both Iowa State University and the University of Iowa are major research institutions and members of the prestigious Association of American Universities. In addition to the three state universities, Iowa has multiple private colleges and universities.

Private colleges and universities include:
    Buena Vista University, Storm Lake
    Clarke University, Dubuque
    Des Moines University, Des Moines
    Divine Word College, Epworth
    Drake University, Des Moines
    Emmaus Bible College, Dubuque
    Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary, Ankeny
    Graceland University, Lamoni
    Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant
    Kaplan University, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Mason City, and Urbandale
    Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield
    Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids
    Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport
    Saint Ambrose University, Davenport
    University of Dubuque, Dubuque
    Upper Iowa University, Fayette
    Waldorf College, Forest City
    William Penn University, Oskaloosa

Private liberal arts colleges include:
    Ashford University, Clinton
    Briar Cliff University, Sioux City
    Central College, Pella
    Coe College, Cedar Rapids
    Cornell College, Mount Vernon
    Dordt College, Sioux Center
    Grand View University, Des Moines
    Grinnell College, Grinnell
    Loras College, Dubuque
    Luther College, Decorah
    Morningside College, Sioux City
    Northwestern College, Orange City
    Simpson College, Indianola
    Wartburg College, Waverly