Public schools in Council Bluffs, IA
18 open public schools with an address in Council Bluffs, operated by 2 education agencies. Compare size, staffing, grade spans, and school type, then confirm assignment with the district.
Public schools
18
NCES preliminary directory 2025–26
Reported students
11,141
18 schools reporting · NCES 2024–25
Median student–teacher ratio
15:1
Iowa median 13.7:1
Charter schools
0
0 virtual
An overview of Council Bluffs public schools
The federal directory lists 18 public schools in Council Bluffs, IA: 11 elementary, 3 middle, 3 high, 1 combined or other. The 18 schools that reported 2024–25 membership enrolled 11,141 students, an average of 619 per school. The largest campus is Abraham Lincoln High School (1,333 students), and the largest elementary school is Titan Hill Intermediate School (901).
Council Bluffs Comm School District operates the most schools here (14), and 2 regular districts have at least one Council Bluffs campus. City names come from school mailing addresses, which often differ from district or municipal boundaries.
Across schools that reported staffing, the median student–teacher ratio is 15:1, higher than the statewide school median of 13.7:1. A ratio counts classroom-teacher FTE against total enrollment, so specialized programs and part-time staffing can move it; ask schools for actual class sizes by grade.
Among 3 high and combined schools with 2021–22 civil-rights data, 3 reported students enrolled in AP courses and 3 of 3 reported computer-science classes. Confirm current course catalogs directly with each school.
About 44% of students in reporting schools were eligible for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25. This describes the community served; it is not a quality signal, and community-eligibility schools can report differently.
School districts and agencies serving Council Bluffs
Elementary schools in Council Bluffs
11| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomer Elementary School Council Bluffs Comm School District | PK–05 | 396 | 13.1:1 | |
| College View Elementary Council Bluffs Comm School District | PK–05 | 488 | 15.7:1 | |
| E A Kreft Primary School Lewis Central Comm School District | PK–01 | 502 | 14.6:1 | |
| Edison Elementary School Council Bluffs Comm School District | PK–05 | 384 | 14.2:1 | |
| Franklin Elementary School Council Bluffs Comm School District | PK–05 | 421 | 13.5:1 | |
| Hoover Elementary School Council Bluffs Comm School District | PK–05 | 401 | 14.2:1 | |
| Lewis & Clark Elementary School Council Bluffs Comm School District | PK–05 | 271 | 15.9:1 | |
| Longfellow Elementary School Council Bluffs Comm School District | PK–05 | 431 | 13.9:1 | |
| Roosevelt Elementary School Council Bluffs Comm School District | PK–05 | 455 | 13.3:1 | |
| Rue Elementary School Council Bluffs Comm School District | PK–05 | 385 | 15.3:1 | |
| Titan Hill Intermediate School Lewis Central Comm School District | 02–05 | 901 | 17.4:1 |
Middle schools in Council Bluffs
3| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald W Kirn Middle School Council Bluffs Comm School District | 06–08 | 913 | 15.5:1 | |
| Lewis Central Middle School Lewis Central Comm School District | 06–08 | 720 | 15.7:1 | |
| Woodrow Wilson Middle School Council Bluffs Comm School District | 06–08 | 855 | 13.8:1 |
High schools in Council Bluffs
3| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln High School Council Bluffs Comm School District | 09–12 | 1,333 | 15.3:1 | |
| Lewis Central Senior High School Lewis Central Comm School District | 09–12 | 1,020 | 17.4:1 | |
| Thomas Jefferson High School Council Bluffs Comm School District | 09–12 | 1,146 | 17.4:1 |
Combined, early-childhood, and other schools in Council Bluffs
1| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anne E. Nelson Early Learning Center Council Bluffs Comm School District | PK–PK | 119 | 11.9:1 |
Student demographics
Race and ethnicity share of reported enrollment
- White74.3%
- Hispanic15.9%
- Black3.7%
- Asian0.8%
- American Indian / Alaska Native0.4%
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.3%
- Multiracial4.6%
Enrollment-weighted across 18 Council Bluffs schools with NCES CCD 2024–25 race/ethnicity counts (11,141 students). Privacy suppression can leave small gaps.
Questions about public schools in Council Bluffs
How many public schools are in Council Bluffs, IA?
The current NCES directory lists 18 open public schools with a location address in Council Bluffs: 11 elementary, 3 middle, 3 high, 1 combined or other. Together they reported 11,141 students in 2024–25. The count includes charter, alternative, and special-purpose public schools; it excludes private schools.
Which school districts serve Council Bluffs?
Schools with an address in Council Bluffs belong to 2 education agencies, led by Council Bluffs Comm School District (14 schools), Lewis Central Comm School District (4 schools). A mailing city is not an attendance boundary; confirm the district for a specific address.
What is the largest public high school in Council Bluffs?
Abraham Lincoln High School reported the largest high-school enrollment in Council Bluffs, with 1,333 students in 2024–25 (grades 09–12). Size is a description of the campus, not a quality measure.
Are there charter schools in Council Bluffs?
No school with an address in Council Bluffs is identified as a charter school in the current NCES directory. Families may still have charter or virtual options elsewhere in Iowa.
What is the typical student–teacher ratio in Council Bluffs schools?
The median reported student–teacher ratio across Council Bluffs public schools is 15:1, higher than the Iowa school median of 13.7:1. The ratio divides enrollment by classroom-teacher FTE; it is not an average class size.
Does living in Council Bluffs guarantee a seat at a specific school?
No. Assignment depends on the district's attendance boundaries, programs, and enrollment rules, which can split a city or cross city lines. Use the district profile and its official boundary or school-locator tool to confirm the assigned school for an exact address.
Nearby Iowa cities
Sources: NCES Common Core of Data 2025–26 preliminary directory (schools, grades, addresses, charter status) and 2024–25 nonfiscal files (enrollment, teachers, race/ethnicity, meal eligibility); Civil Rights Data Collection 2021–22 (AP and computer science). Cities are grouped by school mailing address. Methodology · All Iowa cities