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