Original Research by School Decision on Mediapolis High School
Mediapolis High School is a regular public high school serving grades nine through twelve in the small rural community of Mediapolis, Iowa. Part of the Mediapolis Community School District, the school is located on the north side of town on a campus that also houses the district’s elementary and middle schools. The high school enrollment is on the smaller side for a four-year high school, with students distributed fairly evenly across the grade levels. The student body is predominantly White, with a very small share of students identifying as Hispanic, two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Black. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need that is below the national average for public schools.
Academically, the school posted strong results on the most recent state assessments. In English language arts, the proficiency rate was high, and in science it was similarly elevated. Math proficiency was somewhat lower but still well above what many schools in the state report. These results reflect a single year of testing data; there is no multi-year trend to show whether performance is improving, declining, or steady. The school’s graduation rate was not reported in the available data, so a parent who considers that a key measure may want to ask the school directly for its most recent four-year cohort results. Other data common in school profiles, such as chronic absenteeism rates, discipline incidents, staffing ratios, or course access (including Advanced Placement or dual enrollment offerings), were also absent from this record, so it is not possible to draw a full picture of the school environment from the information here.
The community of Mediapolis is a small, predominantly residential town in Des Moines County, part of the Burlington micropolitan area. The local economy includes a significant industrial employer in the United States Gypsum Sperry mine southwest of town, and the school district itself is another substantial local employer. The town has seen modest population growth over the past decade, and housing values are below the state median, making the area relatively affordable compared to much of Iowa and the nation. The school campus sits somewhat apart from the town’s center, which is typical for a rural district that draws students from a wide surrounding area. The district has not reported any major recent changes in programming, facilities, or boundaries, so the school appears to be operating in a stable, steady state.
For a family considering Mediapolis High School, the academic picture based on the single year of testing is positive, particularly in English and science. The school’s small size means that teachers and staff likely know students individually, which can be an advantage for some students and a limitation for others if course offerings are narrower than at a larger school. The student body is not highly diverse, and the economic profile is relatively middle-income. Without data on special education or English learner populations, it is unclear how the school supports students with those needs. The lack of information on advanced coursework or career and technical education pathways means a parent interested in those options should request a program guide directly. In short, Mediapolis High School appears to be a small rural school with solid test scores in a stable, affordable community, but several important pieces of information that families often rely on are not publicly available in this record.
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