Two Iowa High Schools Set To Merge Into One Starting In 2028

Two of the largest Iowa high schools in the state will soon become one.

Dubuque Hempstead High School will merge with Dubuque Senior High School starting with the 2028-2029 school year, according to a report by Iowa Public Radio.

The 2025-2026 Basic Education Data Survey (BEDS) numbers released showed Dubuque Senior with an enrollment of 1,128 for grades 9-11 and Dubuque Hempstead with an enrollment figure of 1,081. That ranks them 23rd and 24th overall in the state.

For this past school year, those same numbers dropped to 1,058 for Dubuque Senior and 1,024 for Dubuque Hempstead, placing them 25th and 27th overall in the state.

Massive Budget Crisis Causing Merger Of Two Iowa High Schools

The Dubuque public schools face a budget crisis that is forcing the consolidation. They are also closing two middle schools in an attempt to cut $17 million from future budgets.

“We’ve been looking at multiple things to say, ‘How can we be more efficient,’ and we’ve been doing that since 2015, 2016, and we’re getting to the point where we have to look at our footprint,” Superintendent Amy Hawkins said.

There was much pushback by the community in making the decision official. However, the school board voted 6-1 in favor of the move. The report states that this current plan saves just under $5 million from the budget, leaving plenty more to be cut in the future.

“We have reached out to our community and said, ‘We need your support to help us with financial efficiencies,’” Hawkins said. “And both times that did not pass.”

Enrollment Continues To Drop, With Bigger Drop Expected In 2030-2031

Future enrollment figures project out to 8,800 students in 2030-2031, down nearly 2,000 students from 2006-2007.

Dubuque Senior will be the lone high school, serving grades 10-12, as Dubuque Hempstead takes grades 8-9. Both schools are currently part of the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Dubuque Hempstead, Dubuque Senior Have Won Several State Titles In Various Sports

Dubuque Hempstead, which opened in 1970, has collected multiple state championships over the years. That includes four state basketball titles, two state volleyball championships, and single titles in boys swimming, boys bowling, boys golf and girls golf.

The school captured the 1979 Class 4A Iowa high school state football championship when that was the largest class being competed. The last state title came in 2025 in boys swimming.

Dubuque Senior, which was established in 1858, has produced multiple NHL players including Johnny Gaudreau and Landon Wilson. Also, Jay Berwanger, the first Heisman Trophy winner, graduated from the school.

They own 25 state championships all-time, including 11 in girls golf, four in boys cross country and three in volleyball.in all time, including 11 in girls' golf, 4 in boys' cross-country, and 3

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