Best Public Schools in Ames, IA

Summary:

The Ames, Iowa school district consists of 8 schools, including 6 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. The district is known for its strong academic performance, with several standout schools that consistently rank among the top in the state.

Fellows Elementary School is a standout, consistently earning a 4 or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and boasting test scores significantly above the district and state averages, particularly in 4th and 5th grade English Language Arts and Math. Ames High School, the only high school in the district, also performs well, with test scores above the state average in English Language Arts and Math, and maintaining a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. Ames Middle School achieves test scores above the state average in most subjects and grade levels.

The Ames Community School District has a diverse student population, with a mix of White, African American, Hispanic, and Asian students. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch ranges from 26.52% at Fellows Elementary to 46.21% at Mitchell Elementary. The district's spending per student varies, with the highest being $19,833 at Northwood Pre-School and the lowest being $11,412 at Ames Middle School.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ISASP English Language Arts (2024)									ISASP Mathematics (2024)									ISASP Science (2024)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sawyer Elementary School	Public	K-5	4316 Ontario St	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 239-3790	367	29	12.4	30.8%	244 (66.5%)	33 (9.0%)	30 (8.2%)	20 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (10.6%)	52.9	313^th of 557 public elementary schools	43.8%		42.7	379^th of 565 public elementary schools	32.9%	66	43.5	71.7	76.9							68.1	73.3	72.3							73.8			$11,702	$347	$11,356
Ames High School	Public	9-12	1801 Ridgewood Drive	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 817-0600	1,403	83	16.8	30.0%	905 (64.5%)	132 (9.4%)	156 (11.1%)	119 (8.5%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (5.5%)	62.6	132^nd of 338 public high schools	60.9%		66.5	103^rd of 336 public high schools	69.3%	29							80.5	79.5	76.5							66.9	73.6	72.8			67.5	$11,820	$335	$11,486
Edwards Elementary School	Public	K-5	820 Miller Ave	Ames	50014	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 239-3760	450	31	14.3	38.4%	287 (63.8%)	61 (13.6%)	47 (10.4%)	27 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.2%)	56.2	288^th of 557 public elementary schools	48.3%		54.6	287^th of 565 public elementary schools	49.2%	1	81.7	68.7	72.6							80.0	67.5	71.0							64.5			$12,690	$743	$11,949
Fellows Elementary School	Public	K-5	1235 20th St.	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 239-3765	528	42	12.5	26.5%	307 (58.1%)	29 (5.5%)	55 (10.4%)	93 (17.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.0%)	76.5	97^th of 557 public elementary schools	82.6%		79.8	80^th of 565 public elementary schools	85.8%	17	54.8	87.8	91.0							75.3	84.1	91.0							89.9			$12,124	$816	$11,308
Mitchell Elementary School	Public	K-5	3521 Jewel Dr	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 239-3775	290	24	12.0	46.2%	171 (59.0%)	53 (18.3%)	33 (11.4%)	10 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.9%)	66.2	189^th of 557 public elementary schools	66.1%		78.5	99^th of 565 public elementary schools	82.5%	90	60.0	81.6	83.3							57.5	83.7	81.3							77.1			$12,211	$780	$11,433
Meeker Elementary School	Public	K-5	300 20th Street	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 239-3770	351	30	11.7	37.6%	256 (72.9%)	26 (7.4%)	27 (7.7%)	6 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.4%)	63.8	216^th of 557 public elementary schools	61.2%		50.5	322^nd of 565 public elementary schools	43.0%	106	73.3	69.0	79.3							75.6	69.0	77.6							82.8			$13,221	$1,032	$12,190
Ames Middle School	Public	6-8	3915 Mortensen Road	Ames	50014	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 268-2400	1,002	76	13.2	30.8%	651 (65.0%)	102 (10.2%)	117 (11.7%)	64 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (6.4%)	55.5	169^th of 337 public middle schools	49.9%		55.2	175^th of 334 public middle schools	47.6%	6				73.3	79.2	78.4							75.6	72.9	78.4					71.6		$11,412	$258	$11,154
Northwood Pre-School	Public	PK-K	3012 Duff Avenue	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 268-2470	254	12	21.2	29.1%	160 (63.0%)	29 (11.4%)	29 (11.4%)	14 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (8.7%)								(n/a)																						$19,833	$304	$19,530

Cities Near Ames

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Gilbert	5.11 mi	4	4^th
Boone	6.95 mi	5	258^th
Huxley	8.99 mi	2	42^nd
Nevada	9.92 mi	3	130^th
Cambridge	10.18 mi	1	53^rd

See the top IA Iowa cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.