Mason City High School

Summary:

Mason City High School is a public high school in Mason City, Iowa, serving 956 students in grades 9-12 and part of the Mason City Community School District, which is ranked 265 out of 309 districts in the state.

The school's academic performance, as measured by the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), is consistently below the state average across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the percentage of 10th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts (55.5%) and Mathematics (46.6%) was significantly lower than the state averages of 73.8% and 66%, respectively. The school's statewide ranking has dropped from 203 out of 324 Iowa high schools in 2014-2015 to 298 out of 338 in 2023-2024. Compared to nearby schools like Rockford Junior-Senior High School and Central Springs High School, Mason City High School's academic performance is generally lower.

Mason City High School has a diverse student population, with 8.37% African American, 12.03% Hispanic, and 1.88% Asian students in the 2022-2023 school year. However, the school has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 38.6% in 2021-2022 to 47.46% in 2020-2021. The Mason City Virtual Academy, a public virtual high school within the same district, has mixed academic performance compared to the high school, outperforming in some areas but underperforming in others.

Detail:

Public 9-12

1700 4th St. SE
Mason City, IA 50401

(641) 421-4431

District: Mason City Community School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
298^th of 338 Iowa High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,496

Feeder schools for Mason City High School:

Elementary:	Harding Elementary School
	Hoover Elementary School
	Jefferson Elementary School
	Roosevelt Elementary School
Middle:	John Adams Middle School
	Lincoln Intermediate

Student/teacher ratio: 16.8

Number of students: 956

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.0%

Hispanic:

12.0%

African American:

8.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 45.5%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Mason City High School ranks worse than 88.2% of high schools in Iowa. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 17.7. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Mason City High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Mason City High School is $16,496.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Mason City High School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Mason City High School 298^th of 338 Iowa public high schools. (See Mason City High School in the ranking list.)

Mason City Community School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Mason City Community School District 265^th of 309 Iowa school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Mason City High School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IA State Percentile
2012	56.10	186^th	351	47.0%
2013	41.37	262^nd	351	25.4%
2014	28.73	261^st	322	18.9%
2015	47.96	203^rd	324	37.3%
2016	29.33	252^nd	320	21.3%
2017	26.89	269^th	325	17.2%
2018	36.98	252^nd	320	21.3%
2019	35.63	242^nd	327	26.0%
2021	21.16	283^rd	327	13.5%
2022	16.66	298^th	332	10.2%
2023	15.32	298^th	336	11.3%
2024	17.70	298^th	338	11.8%

See the entire list of Iowa High School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Iowa Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Mason City High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	1451	19	12	41	0	n/a	n/a	1523
1989	1254	21	9	33	2	n/a	n/a	1319
1990	1200	12	15	35	2	n/a	n/a	1264
1991	1189	7	11	35	0	n/a	n/a	1242
1992	1250	7	10	27	1	n/a	n/a	1295
1993	1244	13	12	30	0	n/a	n/a	1299
1994	1224	21	14	36	0	n/a	n/a	1295
1995	1251	20	15	46	0	n/a	n/a	1332
1996	1251	20	15	46	0	n/a	n/a	1332
1997	1281	17	16	44	2	n/a	n/a	1360
1998	1234	18	17	41	1	n/a	n/a	1311
1999	1191	20	22	54	1	n/a	n/a	1288
2000	1191	26	19	59	2	n/a	n/a	1297
2001	1186	40	21	54	1	n/a	n/a	1302
2002	1270	37	23	66	2	n/a	n/a	1398
2003	1270	37	23	66	2	n/a	n/a	1398
2004	1129	33	26	71	2	n/a	n/a	1261
2005	1137	33	31	69	2	n/a	n/a	1272
2006	1117	31	26	78	1	n/a	n/a	1253
2007	1081	32	31	71	1	n/a	n/a	1216
2008	1009	34	27	71	3	n/a	n/a	1144
2009	989	40	26	75	3	n/a	n/a	1133
2010	999	34	26	74	2	0	1	1136
2011	962	36	19	79	4	0	5	1105
2012	919	37	16	65	5	0	15	1057
2013	886	42	12	73	5	0	24	1042
2014	852	36	13	79	4	1	23	1008
2015	838	36	14	83	3	1	25	1000
2016	844	44	13	88	4	0	9	1002
2017	820	54	17	92	2	0	1	986
2018	799	59	23	103	3	1	3	991
2019	814	66	21	103	3	4	6	1017
2020	781	92	15	94	2	7	8	999
2021	761	93	16	94	2	11	7	984
2022	720	82	15	96	1	8	8	930
2023	707	80	18	115	6	17	13	956

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Mason City High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1523	93.0	16.3	11.6
1989	1319	92.5	14.2	11.7
1990	1264	89.3	14.1	10.8
1991	1242	84.6	14.6	12.4
1992	1295	85.0	15.2	12.7
1993	1299	86.1	15.1	12.9
1994	1295	73.1	17.7	11.8
1995	1332	80.0	16.7	12.7
1996	1332	80.0	16.7	12.7
1997	1360	82.0	16.6	12.9
1998	1311	80.3	16.3	13.6
1999	1288	80.7	16.0	21
2000	1297	78.5	16.5	20.5
2001	1302	77.0	16.9	26.2
2002	1398	79.3	17.6	21.5
2003	1398	79.3	17.6	21.5
2004	1261	80.6	15.6	25.2
2005	1272	81.5	15.6	25.5
2006	1253	77.5	16.2	28.1
2007	1216	75.3	16.1	27.5
2008	1144	74.2	15.4	26.5
2009	1133	74.3	15.2	29
2010	1136	68.2	16.6	31.3
2011	1105	57.0	19.3	33.4
2012	1057	60.4	17.4	37.7
2013	1042	62.8	16.5	37.6
2014	1008	61.1	16.4	40.4
2015	1000	57.0	17.5	43.8
2016	1002	56.0	17.8	41.8
2017	986	58.1	16.9	40.3
2018	991	56.7	17.4	40.4
2019	1017	57.2	17.7	40.3
2020	999	60.6	16.4	45.9
2021	984	60.0	16.4	47.5
2022	930	61.2	15.1	38.6
2023	956	56.7	16.8	45.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Mason City High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1523	93.0	16.3	11.6
1989	1319	92.5	14.2	11.7
1990	1264	89.3	14.1	10.8
1991	1242	84.6	14.6	12.4
1992	1295	85.0	15.2	12.7
1993	1299	86.1	15.1	12.9
1994	1295	73.1	17.7	11.8
1995	1332	80.0	16.7	12.7
1996	1332	80.0	16.7	12.7
1997	1360	82.0	16.6	12.9
1998	1311	80.3	16.3	13.6
1999	1288	80.7	16.0	21
2000	1297	78.5	16.5	20.5
2001	1302	77.0	16.9	26.2
2002	1398	79.3	17.6	21.5
2003	1398	79.3	17.6	21.5
2004	1261	80.6	15.6	25.2
2005	1272	81.5	15.6	25.5
2006	1253	77.5	16.2	28.1
2007	1216	75.3	16.1	27.5
2008	1144	74.2	15.4	26.5
2009	1133	74.3	15.2	29
2010	1136	68.2	16.6	31.3
2011	1105	57.0	19.3	33.4
2012	1057	60.4	17.4	37.7
2013	1042	62.8	16.5	37.6
2014	1008	61.1	16.4	40.4
2015	1000	57.0	17.5	43.8
2016	1002	56.0	17.8	41.8
2017	986	58.1	16.9	40.3
2018	991	56.7	17.4	40.4
2019	1017	57.2	17.7	40.3
2020	999	60.6	16.4	45.9
2021	984	60.0	16.4	47.5
2022	930	61.2	15.1	38.6
2023	956	56.7	16.8	45.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Mason City High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$408 (2.5%)	$16,086 (97.5%)	$16,496

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Mason City High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 242^nd of 327 High schools	Ranks 298^th of 336 High schools	14.7%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
10th Grade English Language Arts (Mason City High School)	65	55.1	9.9%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Mason City Community School District)	65	56	9%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	74.3	72.9	1.4%
10th Grade Mathematics (Mason City High School)	64.5	54.2	10.3%
10th Grade Mathematics (Mason City Community School District)	64.1	53.9	10.2%
10th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	67.1	67	0.1%
11th Grade English Language Arts (Mason City High School)	67.6	63.7	3.9%
11th Grade English Language Arts (Mason City Community School District)	66.2	60.5	5.7%
11th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	71.4	68.7	2.7%
11th Grade Mathematics (Mason City High School)	63	63.3	0.3%
11th Grade Mathematics (Mason City Community School District)	61.1	55.8	5.3%
11th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	66.9	67.3	0.4%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1017	956	6%
African American	66	80	21.2%
American Indian	3	6	100%
Asian	21	18	14.3%
Hispanic	103	115	11.7%
Pacific Islander	4	17	325%
White	814	707	13.1%
Two or More Races	6	13	116.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	40.3%	45.5%	5.2%

Schools Near Mason City High 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 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 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Mason City High School	Public	9-12	1700 4th St. SE	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 421-4431	956	57	16.8	45.5%	707 (74.0%)	80 (8.4%)	115 (12.0%)	18 (1.9%)	6 (0.6%)	17 (1.8%)	13 (1.4%)	17.7	298^th of 338 public high schools	11.8%		15.3	298^th of 336 public high schools	11.3%				64.3	55.5	61.5			53.1	46.6	56.9		46.6	$16,496	$408	$16,086
Alternative School	Public	9-12	19 N. Illinois Ave.	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 421-4426	94	6	15.9	61.7%	74 (78.7%)	6 (6.4%)	13 (13.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14.6	307^th of 338 public high schools	9.2%		5.5	321^st of 336 public high schools	4.5%	14					63.6					31.8			$15,600	$305	$15,294
Mason City Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	7-12	1515 S Pennsylvania Ave	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(641) 421-4401	99	4	24.7	52.5%	71 (71.7%)	13 (13.1%)	11 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.0%)	17.5	301^st of 338 public high schools	10.9%		9.7	312^th of 336 public high schools	7.1%	11					66.7					20.0
Central Springs High School	Public	9-12	105 S East St	Manly	50456	Worth County	Central Springs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 454-2208	226	18	12.2	38.5%	200 (88.5%)	5 (2.2%)	11 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.0%)	72.6	76^th of 338 public high schools	77.5%		79.3	37^th of 336 public high schools	89.0%	39			87.7	90.2	92.2			70.2	67.2	80.4		65.6	$15,398	$174	$15,225
Clear Lake High School	Public	9-12	125 N 20th St	Clear Lake	50428	Cerro Gordo County	Clear Lake Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 357-5235	458	30	15.4	32.8%	384 (83.8%)	6 (1.3%)	32 (7.0%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	28 (6.1%)	65.9	114^th of 338 public high schools	66.3%		74	62^nd of 336 public high schools	81.5%	52			84.8	82.2	81.9			73.6	69.2	74.5		61.9	$16,404	$315	$16,089
Rockford Junior-Senior High School	Public	7-12	1460 210th Street	Rockford	50468	Floyd County	Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 756-3813	174	17	10.2	48.3%	163 (93.7%)	2 (1.1%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.0%)	49.7	194^th of 338 public high schools	42.6%		30.2	265^th of 336 public high schools	21.1%	71	75.0	57.9	81.3	80.6	60.5	85.7	36.8	68.8	66.7	69.8	52.6	61.1	$15,905	$659	$15,246
West Fork High School	Public	9-12	453 N. 5th St.	Sheffield	50475	Franklin County	West Fork Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 892-4461	206	17	11.9	39.3%	186 (90.3%)	3 (1.5%)	9 (4.4%)	2 (1.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)								(n/a)													$15,359	$137	$15,222

Frequently Asked Questions about Mason City High School

Is Mason City High School a good school?

Mason City High School ranks in the bottom 11.8% of Iowa high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Mason City High School?

Students at Mason City High School are 74% White, 12% Hispanic, 8% African American, 2% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Mason City High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 956 students attended Mason City High School.

What district is Mason City High School in?

Mason City Community School District

What schools feed into Mason City High School?

Mason City High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Harding Elementary School
Elementary : Hoover Elementary School
Elementary : Jefferson Elementary School
Elementary : Roosevelt Elementary School
Middle : John Adams Middle School
Middle : Lincoln Intermediate

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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.