South Iowa News

There were 363 Black students enrolled in Wapello County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 11% more 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, Black students comprised 5.8% of the student body to be the fourth represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 17 schools in the county, Ottumwa High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 92 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.

School Name	School District	% of Black Students	Black Students Count	Total School Enrollment
Ottumwa High School	Ottumwa Comm	7.4%	92	1,239
Liberty Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	7.7%	59	764
Evans Middle School	Ottumwa Comm	6.4%	44	689
Wilson Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	11.7%	40	343
James Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	16.7%	38	228
Horace Mann Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	10.4%	26	251
Douma Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	4.6%	16	345
Eisenhower Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	6.6%	16	243
The Gateway Center	Ottumwa Comm	7%	16	230
Pickwick Early Childhood Center	Ottumwa Comm	3%	5	165
Cardinal High School	Cardinal Comm	1.4%	4	277
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Junior-Senior High School	Eddyville-Blakesburg- Fremont CSD	0.5%	2	425
Cardinal Junior High School	Cardinal Comm	0.7%	2	301
Ottumwa Virtual Learning	Ottumwa Comm	3.5%	2	57
Blakesburg Elementary School	Eddyville-Blakesburg- Fremont CSD	1.2%	1	84
Eddyville Elementary School	Eddyville-Blakesburg- Fremont CSD	0%	0	245
Cardinal Elementary School	Cardinal Comm	0%	0	398