In 2000, 86.1% of Iowans age 25 and older were high school graduates; 21.2% had obtained a bachelor's degree or higher.
The total enrollment for fall 1999 in Iowa's public schools stood at 497,301. Of these, 335,919 attended schools from kindergarten through grade eight, and 161,382 attended high school. Minority students made up approximately 10% of the total enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools in 2001. Total enrollment was estimated at 497,301 in fall 2000 but expected to drop to 481,000 by fall 2005. Iowa spent $5,919 per pupil in public schools in 1999/2000. Expenditures for public education in 2000/01 were estimated at $3,335,337. Enrollment in nonpublic schools in fall 2001was 49,565.
As of fall 2000, there were 187,306 students enrolled in institutions of higher education. In the same year Iowa had 64 degree-granting institutions. In 1997, minority students comprised 7.4% of total postsecondary enrollment. Iowa has three state universities, 35 private colleges, and 23 vocational schools and area community colleges. Since the public community college system began offering vocational and technical training in 1960, total enrollment has increased rapidly, and the number of different career programs has grown. Iowa's small liberal arts colleges and universities include Briar Cliff College, Sioux City; Coe College, Cedar Rapids; Cornell College, Mt. Vernon; Drake University, Des Moines; Grinnell College, Grinnell; Iowa Wesleyan College, Mt. Pleasant; Loras College, Dubuque; and Luther College, Decorah.