Wapello County Education: 1,250 Hispanic students enrolled in 2023-24 school year

McKenzie Snow, Director of Iowa Department of Education | Ballotpedia

By South Iowa News

Sep 13, 2025

There were 1,250 Hispanic students enrolled in Wapello County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 0.1% less than the previous year, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

Data showed that Wapello County welcomed 6,284 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 19.9% of the student body to be the second represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 17 schools in the county, Ottumwa High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 365 students.

Public school enrollment in Iowa remained relatively stable in the 2024-25 school year, with 480,665 students, a slight decrease of 0.63% compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, enrollment in accredited nonpublic schools grew by nearly 10%, reaching 39,356 students, up from 36,195. This increase was partially driven by the Students First Education Savings (ESA) program, with 27,866 students utilizing ESAs at nonpublic schools.

Ethnicities in Wapello County in 2023-24 School Year

Enrollment Demographics in Wapello County Schools During 2023-24 School Year

School Name	School District	% of Hispanic Students	Hispanic Students Count	Total School Enrollment
Ottumwa High School	Ottumwa Comm	29.5%	365	1,239
Liberty Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	26.2%	200	764
Evans Middle School	Ottumwa Comm	25%	172	689
Wilson Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	29.7%	102	343
Douma Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	27.8%	96	345
The Gateway Center	Ottumwa Comm	23.5%	54	230
James Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	21.5%	49	228
Horace Mann Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	19.1%	48	251
Pickwick Early Childhood Center	Ottumwa Comm	27.3%	45	165
Cardinal Elementary School	Cardinal Comm	8.3%	33	398
Eisenhower Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	10.3%	25	243
Cardinal Junior High School	Cardinal Comm	7.3%	22	301
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Junior-Senior High School	Eddyville-Blakesburg- Fremont CSD	3.1%	13	425
Cardinal High School	Cardinal Comm	4.3%	12	277
Eddyville Elementary School	Eddyville-Blakesburg- Fremont CSD	3.7%	9	245
Ottumwa Virtual Learning	Ottumwa Comm	5.3%	3	57
Blakesburg Elementary School	Eddyville-Blakesburg- Fremont CSD	2.4%	2	84