Iowa City schools Superintendent Matt Degner named a national Superintendent of the Year

IOWA CITY — Leader of Iowa City schools Matt Degner is being recognized as the national 2025 Superintendent of the Year by K-12 Dive for his focus on innovative academic programs at a time of increasing competition for students.

K-12 Dive is an online publication that provides in-depth journalism and insight into K-12 education, covering topics of leadership, school models, technology, curriculum and professional development.

This is the 10th anniversary of the Dive Awards, which honor administrators and school systems across the U.S. To be considered, leaders must demonstrate excellence in student achievement, whole-child programming, postsecondary pathways and community engagement.

The Dive Awards also recognize a district of the year and principal of the year.

Degner, 45, said the recognition is “validating” of the “outstanding” team in the Iowa City Community School District that shows up to do the work every day.

“These recognitions are meaningful, but it really is a recognition of what the whole team has done here in Iowa City. It takes all of us,” he said.

Degner said it wasn’t on his “Bingo card” that he would be a superintendent — especially of a district the size of Iowa City — at this time in his career.

“I thought I would teach longer. I thought I would be a principal longer. I’m grateful and happy for the opportunity. I enjoy this work because of the impact we’re able to have,” he said.

Wanting a ‘great impact’ on kids

Degner was inspired to become a teacher by his junior high social studies teacher Mrs. Robb as student in the North Tama Community School District.

“Unfortunately as educators, we don’t always know the lives we change or the direction we set for some folks, but she was important for me. She believed in me, so then I liked social studies because I liked Mrs. Robb,” Degner said.

After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa, Degner spent his first few years teaching social studies in the Williamsburg Community School District. It was there that he began to think about how he could have a larger “impact” on students.

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“I really enjoy kids. I think that’s why most of us get into this work. As a teacher, you have a lot of great impact on the kids in your classroom … I was starting to think about the impact I could have as a building leader. That was the driver for me,” Degner said.

“And then you dig into that next step — what about other students in the district? — that’s what got me thinking about the superintendency,” Degner said.

He has worked as a teacher, coach and school principal. He joined the Iowa City Community School District in 2013 as principal of Southeast Junior High — now a middle school — then served as director of secondary schools and assistant superintendent.

He was named interim superintendent of the district in July 2020 in the midst of a pandemic.

During a crisis like the pandemic, “people look to leadership,” Degner said. “They do expect them to chart direction. Not everybody’s going to agree with that direction, but that’s some of the responsibility that comes with the work.”

“I think we took all the feedback and information we had at the time to make decisions. You just try to keep moving forward in a really difficult scenario,” Degner said.

Summer 2021, Degner dropped “interim” from his title of superintendent after the Iowa City school board unanimously voted to award him a contract. The board renewed his contract last summer for another three years.

Bolstering academics

During Degner’s tenure, the district has worked to expand full-day preschool and grow postsecondary pathways.

Thursday, the district is holding a ribbon cutting for a $2.1 million investment into the creation of an immersive career exploration program with Junior Achievement.

The program — called the Dream Accelerator — is a space where students will be able to explore careers and develop a plan to pursue those careers, in addition to other curriculum. It is housed at the district’s Center for Innovation, located at 301 ACT Dr. in Iowa City.

The Dream Accelerator is the second in the nation. The first opened outside Denver, Colorado, and has been operational for just over two years.

Degner said the program is going to be “really impactful” to the district’s Iowa School Performance Profile, which is how the state assesses schools on academic achievement and attendance. Two additional measures were added to high school ratings last year: graduation rates and a postsecondary readiness indicator measuring college credit, work-based learning experiences and industry-recognized credentials attained by high schoolers.

On the 2025 report card — the most recent data — the Iowa City district scored 48.3 in postsecondary readiness work-based learning compared to the state average of 45, and a 65.3 in postsecondary readiness college credit compared to the state average of 70.

‘Why we’re the best choice’

Degner said opportunities like the Dream Accelerator are vital to attracting and retaining families in the Iowa City Community School District as schools increasingly face competition for students.

He believes the Iowa City district is setting an example and is a leader in how a public school district can and should market themselves.

“If we do positive things and we tell people about them, people are going to make a different choice,” Degner said. “We need to take an active part. We could be frustrated … but ultimately what we can control is making sure people understand why we’re the best choice for their family and highlighting the great things happening here in Iowa.”

“Instead of kicking and screaming and complaining, what are we going to do?” he said.

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Although the district’s enrollment declined this year, enrollment did grow 2 percent between 2020 and 2024. The district’s enrollment this year is 14,392, down 189 students from the year before. There are 1,378 resident students in the district attending a non-public school.

Degner said another key way to attract families to the district is by offering robust preschool opportunities.

This school year, the district built on the preschool program it already offered by adding full-day programming at all 20 elementary schools in the district.

The district also offers free, half-day preschool in the morning at all elementary schools and in the afternoon at select locations.

Many students attend full-day preschool for free by qualifying for the Shared Visions Preschool program for at-risk students, or their families meet the income guidelines for the free and reduced school food program.

“The most important thing we could do for students is give them a high-quality preschool experience,” Degner said.

He said the district is investing in preschool “first and foremost because it’s best for kids.” Secondly, because it’s an effective strategy to boost enrollment. He believes once families experience a school in the Iowa City district, they will want to stay.

“If the rules have changed, then we need to adapt, and I think we’ve successfully made that transition,” Degner said.

Even with higher preschool enrollment, Degner said the district will continue to see smaller kindergarten classes than graduating senior classes because of declining birth rates in the state.

An ‘all in’ family

Degner said his family is “all in” on the Iowa City district.

His wife is a teacher at Southeast Middle School. His son — now a sophomore at St. Ambrose University in Davenport — graduated from City High. Degner also has children at City High and Southeast Middle School.

“I’m happy my kids are getting this experience. There’s nowhere else I’d want them to attend school in Iowa,” Degner said.

He thanks the families who trust the Iowa City district with their kids every day.

“That handoff from home to school is one people don’t take lightly,” he said. “When there are developing options out there for families, we recognize, appreciate and value the fact they continue to choose us. We do approach our work every day understanding they could make a different decision. When they send their children to us, we bear an incredible responsibility.”

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