NW Iowa News

There were four Native American students enrolled in Palo Alto County schools in the 2023-24 school year, the same number as the previous year, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

Data showed that Palo Alto County welcomed 1,409 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Native American students comprised 0.3% of the student body to be the sixth represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 10 schools in the county, Emmetsburg High School recorded the highest enrollment of Native American students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of two 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 Native American Students	Native American Students Count	Total School Enrollment
Emmetsburg High School	Emmetsburg Comm	0.8%	2	240
Emmetsburg Middle School	Emmetsburg Comm	0.4%	1	225
West Elementary School	Emmetsburg Comm	0.4%	1	258
Graettinger-Terril High School	Graettinger-Terril Comm	0%	0	100
Graettinger-Terril Middle School	Graettinger-Terril Comm	0%	0	68
Ruthven-Ayrshire Elementary School	Ruthven-Ayrshire Comm	0%	0	73
Ruthven-Ayrshire High School	Ruthven-Ayrshire Comm	0%	0	70
West Bend-Mallard Elementary School	West Bend-Mallard Comm	0%	0	145
West Bend-Mallard High School	West Bend-Mallard Comm	0%	0	123
West Bend-Mallard Middle School	West Bend-Mallard Comm	0%	0	107