Waterloo Schools Earn National Recognition in 2025 Rankings

Waterloo Schools has had a lot to celebrate lately.

The latest Iowa School Performance Profiles marked a milestone year of achievement across the district.

Now, they have even more to celebrate in the form of a big win from a News & World Report.

Waterloo Shows Up Big in National High School Rankings

The Waterloo Community School District is celebrating a big win in the classroom, and beyond, following the release of the 2025–26 U.S. News & World Report “Best High Schools” rankings.

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Waterloo West High School ranked in the top 35% of high schools nationwide and secured a spot among the top 10% in Iowa, coming in at number 36 out of 352 school districts statewide.

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The achievement highlights West’s commitment to preparing students for success in college and careers after graduation.

Waterloo East is Making Strides, Too

Meanwhile, Waterloo East High School made remarkable strides of its own, jumping 623 places nationally and climbing to 9th among 16 metro-area high schools, up from 11th last year.

Superintendent Dr. Jared Smith says the recognition reflects the district’s momentum:

When we talk about Flipping the Script on Urban Education, this is exactly what we mean: challenging outdated narratives and showing through results that our students are capable of achieving at the highest levels.

He went on to say,

The U.S. News & World Report rankings evaluate nearly 18,000 public high schools across the country, measuring college readiness, curriculum breadth, test performance, graduation rates, and outcomes for underserved students.

For Waterloo, this year’s results send a clear message: students here are achieving, growing, and proving what’s possible.

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