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District reports widespread academic and behavioral gains in end-of-year data
Summary
District staff presented year-end data showing increases in proficiency, higher projected graduation rates and large drops in behavioral incidents and suspensions; board members asked about capacity, class caps and enrollment handling.
Maria Lance, district staff, presented the Ottumwa Community School District’s end-of-year student data to the board, reporting gains in academics, attendance and student behavior and previewing targets for the 2025–26 school year. “We are just seeing wins all over the place academically,” Lance said during the presentation. The board discussed class caps and enrollment logistics after the report.
The update covered academics, behavior, absenteeism, graduation rates and staff culture and climate. Lance said the district’s grade‑reconfiguration and new buildings — including Gateway and Farney — reduced secondary building populations and contributed to improved outcomes. She told the board that across third through 11th grades, content-area proficiency increases reported on the state ISASP rose districtwide from 42% of grade‑level/content areas showing improvement in 2023–24 to 70% in 2024–25.
On credits earned, Lance said students at Gateway earned more than 2,000 credits last year, about 400 more than the prior year. She highlighted elementary gains such as a kindergarten cohort at Pickwick that showed more than 30% growth from fall to spring in literacy screeners.
Behavioral metrics were prominent in the presentation. Lance reported a 42% decrease in typical classroom disruption behaviors districtwide and a 50% drop in aggressive behaviors, including fights and incidents involving weapons or drugs. Out‑of‑school suspensions were down 73% districtwide. “We had 0 founded cases of bullying and harassment in the 2425 school year,” Lance said, adding that reported cases were down by half from the prior year.
Attendance also rose: Lance said the district average was about 94% daily attendance, and chronic absenteeism fell nearly 5% year to year. On graduation, she provided projected rates for 2024–25: Ottumwa High School is projected at 96% and Gateway (the alternative high school) at 90%. By comparison, the combined high school graduation rate in 2022 was 76.8%.
Board members asked how the district handles requests when a school is capped. Superintendent Mike (superintendent) explained the process for parents registering after caps are reached: the district offers alternate school placements and will provide transportation when needed. He said such requests are more common later in the year and that most parents are amenable to alternatives when notified at registration.
Human resources director Brad (Human Resources Director) then briefed the board on hiring: a recent district hiring event drew nearly 80 candidates and resulted in nearly 40 hires, putting the district “in extremely good shape” for staffing. He said new teacher onboarding and mentor supports contributed to low turnover among first‑year teachers.
Lance closed by noting district initiatives that supported the outcomes, including expanded therapeutic classrooms, junior kindergarten, mental‑health spaces and targeted special programs. The board did not take formal action on the presentation; the update was informational.
