East Central Iowa News

There were 260 Hispanic students enrolled in Hardin County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 9.2% more than the previous year, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

Data showed that Hardin County welcomed 2,829 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 9.2% of the student body to be the second represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 14 schools in the county, Riverbend Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 37 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 Hispanic Students	Hispanic Students Count	Total School Enrollment
Riverbend Middle School	Iowa Falls Comm	13%	37	284
Iowa Falls - Alden High School	Iowa Falls Comm	8.3%	35	420
Rock Run Elementary School	Iowa Falls Comm	9.8%	29	297
AGWSR Elementary School	AGWSR Comm	11.8%	24	204
South Hardin High School	Eldora-New Providence Comm	9.7%	23	236
Choice Charter School	Choice Charter Schools	12.6%	21	167
Eldora-New Providence Elementary School	Eldora-New Providence Comm	7.3%	17	232
Pineview Elementary School	Iowa Falls Comm	10.1%	17	168
AGWSR High School	AGWSR Comm	8.3%	16	192
South Hardin Middle School	Hubbard-Radcliffe Comm	7.7%	15	194
Alden Elementary School	Alden Comm	11.4%	14	123
Hubbard-Radcliffe Elementary School	Hubbard-Radcliffe Comm	5.5%	9	165
The Cougars Den	AGWSR Comm	14.3%	2	14
BCLUW Middle School	BCLUW Comm	0.8%	1	133