Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Council Bluffs’s public schools score below 85% of Iowa districts on tests and graduation
The grade covers the two public school districts serving Council Bluffs, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Iowa, not nationally.
From Iowa state tests taken in spring 2022, when 98% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Council Bluffs’s schools, in brief
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 62% of tested students were proficient in reading and 56% in math, against 70% and 64% statewide; 98% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
80% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Iowa. Districts ↓
Spending and class size
Council Bluffs spends $15,997 per student and Lewis Central $12,497, against $13,713 across Iowa (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
Choice beyond the district
St. Albert Catholic (private), Oneschool Global (private) and Liberty Christian School (private) are in town. Every school ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Council Bluffs’s grade
C−: better than 15% of Iowa school districts, #110 of 140 Iowa towns. Both inputs trail the Iowa average; test scores are the closer of the two to typical.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Council Bluffs, with each school’s own grade.
6th grade in Council Bluffs · depends on your address
Gerald W Kirn Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 913 students · 16:1 students per teacher
Woodrow Wilson Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 855 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Lewis Central Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 720 students · 16:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Council Bluffs · depends on your address
Gerald W Kirn Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 913 students · 16:1 students per teacher
Woodrow Wilson Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 855 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Lewis Central Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 720 students · 16:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Council Bluffs · depends on your address
Gerald W Kirn Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 913 students · 16:1 students per teacher
Woodrow Wilson Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 855 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Lewis Central Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 720 students · 16:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Council Bluffs · depends on your address
Abraham Lincoln High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,333 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Thomas Jefferson High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,146 students · 17:1 students per teacher
Lewis Central Senior High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,020 students · 17:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Council Bluffs · depends on your address
Abraham Lincoln High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,333 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Thomas Jefferson High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,146 students · 17:1 students per teacher
Lewis Central Senior High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,020 students · 17:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Council Bluffs · depends on your address
Abraham Lincoln High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,333 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Thomas Jefferson High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,146 students · 17:1 students per teacher
Lewis Central Senior High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,020 students · 17:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Council Bluffs · depends on your address
Abraham Lincoln High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,333 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Thomas Jefferson High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,146 students · 17:1 students per teacher
Lewis Central Senior High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,020 students · 17:1 students per teacher
Council Bluffs runs its own schools through grade 12 (Council Bluffs Community School District). From grade PK, students attend the Lewis Central Community School District. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Two districts serve Council Bluffs
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well below the state in reading
Council Bluffs vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Iowa towns that share Council Bluffs’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Council Bluffs | C− | Council Bluffs PK–12 · Lewis Central PK–12 |
| Carter Lake | D | Council Bluffs |
Bellevue, NE and Omaha, NE border Council Bluffs but are graded on their own state’s tests, so they’re left out.
Every school in Council Bluffs
21 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Iowa’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Council Bluffs’s schools
Are Council Bluffs’s schools good?
On Iowa’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Council Bluffs children attend score below 85% of Iowa’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C− Schools grade, #110 of 140 Iowa towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 14%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Council Bluffs in?
Two districts: Council Bluffs Community School District runs grades PK–12, and Lewis Central Community School District runs grades PK–12.
Where do Council Bluffs kids go to high school?
One of 3 high schools, depending on your address: Abraham Lincoln High School, Thomas Jefferson High School and Lewis Central Senior High School.
What is Council Bluffs’s graduation rate?
80% of the class of 2023 in Council Bluffs Community School District graduated in four years, against 88% across Iowa.
How much does Council Bluffs spend per student?
$15,997 in Council Bluffs Community School District and $12,497 in Lewis Central Community School District (FY2024), against $13,713 across Iowa. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Council Bluffs?
Yes: St. Albert Catholic (Catholic, grades PK–12, 636 students), Oneschool Global (nonsectarian, grades 3–12, 19 students) and Liberty Christian School (religious, grades K–11, 4 students).
Parents talk
What Council Bluffs families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Council Bluffs → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Iowa. Stars are from neighbors.