Enrollment Analysis: Native American students comprised 0.3% of Wapello County’s student body in 2023-24 school year

McKenzie Snow, Director of Iowa Department of Education | https://educate.iowa.gov/about

By South Iowa News

Sep 23, 2025

There were 17 Native American students enrolled in Wapello County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 5.6% 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, Native American students comprised 0.3% of the student body to be the least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 17 schools in the county, Liberty Elementary School and Evans Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of Native American students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of five 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 Native American Students	Native American Students Count	Total School Enrollment
Liberty Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	0.7%	5	764
Evans Middle School	Ottumwa Comm	0.7%	5	689
Wilson Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	0.9%	3	343
Eisenhower Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	0.4%	1	243
James Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	0.4%	1	228
Ottumwa High School	Ottumwa Comm	0.1%	1	1,239
Ottumwa Virtual Learning	Ottumwa Comm	1.8%	1	57
Blakesburg Elementary School	Eddyville-Blakesburg- Fremont CSD	0%	0	84
Eddyville Elementary School	Eddyville-Blakesburg- Fremont CSD	0%	0	245
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Junior-Senior High School	Eddyville-Blakesburg- Fremont CSD	0%	0	425
Douma Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	0%	0	345
Cardinal Junior High School	Cardinal Comm	0%	0	301
Horace Mann Elementary School	Ottumwa Comm	0%	0	251
Cardinal High School	Cardinal Comm	0%	0	277
Pickwick Early Childhood Center	Ottumwa Comm	0%	0	165
The Gateway Center	Ottumwa Comm	0%	0	230
Cardinal Elementary School	Cardinal Comm	0%	0	398