Larger Iowa school districts show gains in enrollment

CEDAR RAPIDS - Iowa's student enrollment numbers could be turning a corner.

In a report to the State Board of Education on Wednesday, Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass noted slight enrollment increases in the state's larger school districts.

The data comes from the state's annual Condition of Education report, which will be released in early December.

Glass presented highlights of the report to state board members. Hard numbers will be released with the full report.

According to the information, the department projects a 2.4 percent increase in student population in the next 5 years. The projected increase mirrors 2010 census data, which also slows a slight increase in Iowa's population.

“It is a positive sign that we anticipate seeing a modest turnaround in our enrollment figures and that the state's public school district enrollment is projected to see small but sustained growth,” Glass said in a news release.

This year's largest enrollment gains were in the metro areas of Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. The Cedar Rapids School District, however, did not see an increase in student enrollment.

The district's official head count for the 2011-12 school year is 15,975 students, according to enrollment information presented to school board members last month.

Cedar Rapids' certified enrollment number was slightly higher at 16,793.6 students.

The College Community school district, which serves students in Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities, is one of the state's suburban districts to see enrollment increase - again.

Total enrollment for the district as of October 2011 was 4,311.4 students. This continues an ongoing trend of growth at the district, which added an average of 110 students a year through the last decade.

The Iowa City school district gained 444 students this year. The district's 2010-11 certified enrollment was 12,010.8 students.

Other Corridor school districts - Linn-Mar, Marion and Clear Creek Amana - usually see their population increase, too.

All district certified enrollment numbers will be released with the state report next month.

All of Iowa's student minority groups - African American, American Indian, Asian and Hispanic - increased in 2010-11. The percentage of Iowa students who qualify for the free and reduced-price federal lunch program also increased.

According to teacher data in the report, the average age for an Iowa teacher in 2010-11 is 41.9 years in the public schools, 43.4 years in the non-public schools.

The average public teacher has 14.5 years of experience and makes $49,626 a year.

Iowa ranks 26th in the nation for teacher pay and seventh in the Midwest, according to the National Education Association.