Sioux City Times

There were 1,787 Hispanic students enrolled in Buena Vista County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 5% more than the previous year, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

Data showed that Buena Vista County welcomed 4,394 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 40.7% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 14 schools in the county, Storm Lake Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 476 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
Storm Lake Middle School	Storm Lake Comm	56.5%	476	843
Storm Lake Elementary School	Storm Lake Comm	55.5%	448	807
Storm Lake High School	Storm Lake Comm	53.8%	433	805
Storm Lake Early Elementary School	Storm Lake Comm	53%	131	247
Alta Elementary School	Alta-Aurelia Comm	21.3%	47	221
Newell-Fonda Elementary School	Newell-Fonda Comm	17.3%	44	255
St. Lake/Iowa Cntrl/Buena Vista Early College High School	Storm Lake Comm	73.1%	38	52
Sioux Central High School	Sioux Central Comm	12.7%	33	260
Alta-Aurelia High School	Alta-Aurelia Comm	14.6%	29	199
Sioux Central Elementary School	Sioux Central Comm	14.5%	29	200
Newell-Fonda High School	Newell-Fonda Comm	15.8%	22	139
Sioux Central Middle School	Sioux Central Comm	15.2%	22	145
Albert City-Truesdale Elementary School	Albert City-Truesdale Comm	22%	20	91
Newell-Fonda Middle School	Newell-Fonda Comm	11.5%	15	130