Best Middle Schools in Iowa

The top 50 middle schools (grades 6-8) in Iowa, ranked by enrollment from NCES data with EDFacts proficiency rates where available. Average proficiency across this list is 53%.

#	School	City	Enrollment	Proficiency
1	North Middle School	Sioux City, IA	1,224	50%
2	Summit Middle School	Johnston, IA	1,112	59%
3	Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School	Dubuque, IA	1,093	52%
4	Southeast Polk Junior High	Pleasant Hill, IA	1,088	59%
5	Waukee Middle School	Waukee, IA	1,069	73%
6	East Middle School	Sioux City, IA	1,067	43%
7	Evans Middle School	Ottumwa, IA	1,047	55%
8	Prairie Ridge Middle School	Ankeny, IA	1,025	59%
9	Ames Middle School	Ames, IA	1,002	55%
10	Bettendorf Middle School	Bettendorf, IA	987	53%
11	Gerald W Kirn Middle School	Council Bluffs, IA	956	51%
12	South Middle School	Waukee, IA	909	58%
13	Woodrow Wilson Middle School	Council Bluffs, IA	900	50%
14	Urbandale Middle School	Urbandale, IA	894	59%
15	Hoover Middle School	Waterloo, IA	883	51%
16	Parkview Middle School	Ankeny, IA	867	55%
17	West Middle School	Sioux City, IA	864	48%
18	Pleasant Valley Junior High School	LeClaire, IA	856	74%
19	Indianola Middle School	Indianola, IA	849	50%
20	Berg Middle School	Newton, IA	841	54%
21	Prairie Creek	Cedar Rapids, IA	834	48%
22	Southeast Junior High School	Iowa City, IA	812	44%
23	Norwalk Middle School	Norwalk, IA	787	68%
24	Storm Lake Middle School	Storm Lake, IA	787	52%
25	B R Miller Middle School	Marshalltown, IA	782	52%
26	Fort Dodge Middle School	Fort Dodge, IA	759	48%
27	Clinton Middle School	Clinton, IA	749	45%
28	Westridge Elementary	West Des Moines, IA	748	51%
29	Lewis Central Middle School	Council Bluffs, IA	742	58%
30	Northwest Junior High School	Coralville, IA	730	49%
31	Harding Middle School	Cedar Rapids, IA	713	54%
32	Lenihan Intermediate School	Marshalltown, IA	700	38%
33	Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School	Waverly, IA	699	69%
34	Hopewell Elementary	Bettendorf, IA	698	78%
35	Indian Hills Junior High School	Clive, IA	696	47%
36	Fort Madison Middle School	Fort Madison, IA	695	43%
37	Stilwell Junior High School	West Des Moines, IA	684	55%
38	Weeks Middle School	Des Moines, IA	684	37%
39	Vernon Middle School	Marion, IA	668	48%
40	Meredith Middle School	Des Moines, IA	664	42%
41	Susan Clark Junior High	Muscatine, IA	662	55%
42	Pleasant View Elementary School	Bettendorf, IA	659	69%
43	Drexler Middle School	Farley, IA	655	50%
44	Harding Middle School	Des Moines, IA	655	26%
45	McCombs Middle School	Des Moines, IA	654	37%
46	Jordan Creek Elementary School	West Des Moines, IA	647	58%
47	Clear Creek Amana Middle School	Tiffin, IA	640	59%
48	Merrill Middle School	Des Moines, IA	634	50%
49	Riverdale Heights Elem School	Bettendorf, IA	629	69%
50	George Washington Middle School	Dubuque, IA	624	49%

Explore More Iowa School Data

All Iowa Schools Iowa Rankings Best Elementary in Iowa Best High Schools in Iowa Are Schools Good in Iowa?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best middle school in Iowa?

The largest middle school in Iowa is North Middle School in Sioux City with 1,224 students and a 50% proficiency rate. Rankings are based on NCES Common Core of Data enrollment and EDFacts proficiency results.

How many middle schools are in Iowa?

This page shows the top 50 middle schools (grades 6-8) in Iowa by enrollment. Browse the full state directory to see all schools.

What does the proficiency rate measure?

Proficiency rate is the percentage of students meeting grade-level standards on combined math and reading assessments, as reported by EDFacts. Data is district-level and applied to each school in the district.

Where does this data come from?

Enrollment and school characteristics come from the NCES Common Core of Data. Proficiency rates come from EDFacts assessment results. Both are official federal datasets published by the U.S. Department of Education.

Sources: NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts

Last updated: April 2026

Schools are ranked by enrollment within the state. Proficiency rates come from EDFacts assessment results, district-level figures applied to each school in the district.