Best Schools in Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque's public school system includes 17 ranked schools, with a city average of 5.6 out of 10. That average places most schools in the middle tier of performance. Only 2 schools — 12% of Dubuque's ranked institutions — score 7 or above, which means standout options exist but parents need to seek them out rather than assume neighborhood proximity delivers them.

Elementary schools carry the city's strongest results. Bryant Elementary leads all 17 ranked Dubuque schools with a 7.6, the highest score in the city. Carver Elementary (7.1) is the only other school to clear the 7-point threshold. Eisenhower Elementary (6.9) and John Kennedy Elementary (6.5) follow, both sitting above the city average. Families with children in kindergarten through fifth grade have the widest selection of strong performers in Dubuque — four of the top five schools in the city are elementary.

Middle school options are narrower. George Washington Middle School (6.7) is the sole middle school in Dubuque's top five. It lands above the 5.6 city average, but parents should map attendance boundaries early. Not every strong elementary zone feeds into a comparably strong middle school program, and the transition is where performance gaps often surface.

The practical takeaway for parents comparing Dubuque to peer cities: school selection within the district matters significantly. The spread between Bryant Elementary's 7.6 and the city mean of 5.6 is a full two points — a gap wide enough that where a child attends school shapes their experience more than Dubuque's overall numbers imply. Families prioritizing academic outcomes should target schools scoring 6.5 or above, all of which currently sit at the elementary level. Parents of middle schoolers have one clear high-performer to anchor their search. Those planning several years ahead should factor in how Dubuque's elementary strength transitions — or doesn't — into the middle grades when weighing neighborhoods and enrollment decisions.