Education
Camanche Community School District
The Camanche School District is a PK-12 school district, housing approximately one thousand students in three attendance centers. The district is located in the southeast corner of Clinton County, Iowa. The area served by the district is the City of Camanche, the unincorporated town of Follets, a significant portion of the western limits of the City of Clinton as well as the surrounding rural area. The total school district contains approximately 39 square miles. All three school buildings are located in the City of Camanche within a five-block area.
Camanche High School serves grades 9-12 and offers a wide range of academic courses and varied extra-curricular activities designed to involve students in all areas. Camanche Middle School houses grades 5–8 and offers an academic program that reflects a modified middle school interdisciplinary organization. We are a 1:1 technology school district in grades 5 – 12, which means each student is assigned a Chromebook technology device for their use during the school year. Camanche Elementary school is home for grades PK-4. Various technology devices are readily available for use by students in all of our elementary classes.
All of the buildings in the school district are climate controlled to provide a comfortable educational setting for students throughout the school year. The Camanche School District takes great pride in being large enough to provide a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum for our students, while still being small enough where students are known by their name.
Clinton Community School District
As a “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” district, the Clinton Community School District focuses on educating the whole child, enhancing students’ relationships with teachers, and removing social and emotional barriers that prevent kids from excelling academically and socially from preschool through high school. It is the only district in the area to offer a comprehensive special education program as well.
The district works with several community partners to provide free preschool to all 4-year-olds. Children then move on to one of four elementary schools – Bluff Elementary School, Eagle Heights Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary School or Whittier Elementary School, where they are met with a familial atmosphere and teachers who encourage students to achieve at high levels. Children then attend Clinton Middle School and then Clinton High School. Students have many opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities, including the grade 4-12 orchestra program.
In addition to offering AP classes in all the core areas, Clinton High School boasts thriving vocational programs that allow students to get real life work experiences while still hitting the books. Programs include a welding program, business administration and accounting classes, and an automotive program.
Two of the most popular offerings are the building trades and culinary programs. Students in the building trades program build a house from the ground up and sell it. Students in the culinary program have access to a multimillion dollar kitchen and restaurant model and learn every aspect of the business, from preparing dishes to serving to meeting industry standard equipment sanitation requirements to providing catering services for large school functions.
Clinton High School has completed Phase 1 of its overall renovation and offers a workplace/community college environment to its students. The building is designed to support Portrait of a Graduate competencies (Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Productivity and Accountability, Social Awareness, and Adaptability) as skills developed in its graduates. Phases 2 and 3 will be completed by the summer of 2025.
“Our district really tries to live out our mission of making a difference every day and helping put every child in a position to be successful, whether that be through our cultural initiatives, vocational programs, academic courses or extracurricular activities,” Delacy said.
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges,
Clinton Community College
As THE community’s college, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges and our Clinton, Muscatine and Scott campuses believe our students deserve more. That means going the extra mile to provide more support, more flexible learning options and more future-focused programs. From on-campus classes to online offerings, to concurrent enrollment for high school students and business and industry training, we provide opportunities that change lives and build communities. With more than 30 career/technical programs leading directly to employment, associate’s degrees with seamless transfer to four-year colleges and hundreds of Continuing Education courses, an EICC education helps students reach their educational and professional goals.
“Clinton Community College has been a part of the academic and economic success of this region for over 75 years,” said Clinton Community College President Dr. Brian Kelly. “We look forward to continuing this work.”
In the Clinton region, part of that work includes the construction of two new Career Advancement Centers, one on Clinton Community College’s main campus and one in DeWitt. The centers support career and technical education training with multi-purpose laboratories, classrooms, faculty offices and more. They will also serve area high schools through the college’s Career Academies. Career Academies provide high school juniors and seniors with the opportunity to explore desired career paths and receive college-level credits at no cost. Programs offered at the college include everything from healthcare to IT to manufacturing and beyond, with newly added areas of study in auto technology, welding and culinary arts.
In addition, Clinton Community College offers a High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) program, English Language Acquisition (ELA) classes and a wide variety of continuing education courses designed to help students brush up on workplace skills or learn a new hobby.
No matter which path is chosen – a short-term certificate, career-ready diploma or two-year associate’s degree – an education from Eastern Iowa Community Colleges delivers more, and we are proud to serve our communities.
Northeast Community School District
The Northeast Community School District, located in nearby Goose Lake, Iowa, is a caring and progressive learning community for approximately 900 students in preschool through 12th grade. Northeast is a strong, rural, local school district in Clinton County, blessed by an influx of enrollment from students outside of the district.
Our size is our strength and our students’ advantage. Classes are small enough for staff to truly know the learning needs of every student and to provide the academic and emotional support necessary to meet those needs. We strive to build significant lasting personal relationships with every student and their family. Student success is our daily priority and lifelong goal.
Northeast staff are learners too. They exemplify learning and leading by engaging students with the latest research-based instructional practices and supports used to teach students the district’s established priority learning standards at each grade level. Built-in academic, behavioral and social-emotional supports provide the daily structures necessary for students to learn, to feel safe and to be heard.
A wide variety of curricular programming and extracurricular activities are available to every student. Work-based learning, apprenticeships and concurrent course offerings with Eastern Iowa Community College are available at no additional cost to secondary students. Northeast students take great pride in their school and are actively involved in their own learning. More than 90% of all Northeast students participate in school activities outside of the classroom.
Prince of Peace Catholic School
Prince of Peace Catholic School provides Clinton and its surrounding areas with a faith-based curriculum for pre-K through 12th grade. The school educates students from several school districts in both Iowa and Illinois.
Prince of Peace carries on a tradition of over 170 years of Catholic education in Clinton. Although the school has Catholic roots, students of all faith backgrounds are welcome. Under Iowa law, a vast majority of students may have their tuition fully covered and will not have any financial liability to attend Prince of Peace.
The school is fully accredited by the Iowa Department of Education. Prince of Peace boasts small class sizes and offers individualized attention to all students.
“Families who send their children to Prince of Peace should expect a family-oriented atmosphere with strong academics around a solid faith core,” said Nate Vander Bleek, admissions director. “We are proud to offer an option in education that focuses on academic success and spiritual development.”
The school has many extracurriculars, including sports, clubs and organizations. Prince of Peace also has cooperative agreements with other nearby schools to offer sports that they may not offer on campus.
Faith and service are a crucial part of life at Prince of Peace. Each day begins and ends with prayer, and high school students are required to complete community service as part of their graduation requirements.
Prince of Peace students consistently score above state and national averages on standardized tests. The school also helps prepare students for college by offering online and dual-enrollment classes for college credit. Prince of Peace maintains a 100% graduation rate.
“If you’ve never considered a Catholic or private education for your child, I would encourage you to take a look. Prince of Peace is a wonderful option for students in our community, especially since most can attend for no cost,” Vander Bleek said. “We are diligently working to prepare the next generation to be academically, socially and spiritually strong.”
River Bend School District
River Bend proudly serves Albany, Fulton and Garden Plain, bringing the communities together to focus on academic and athletic greatness. River Bend consists of Fulton Early-Step Preschool, Fulton Elementary School, River Bend Middle School and Fulton High School.
Fulton Early-Step Preschool hosts three- and four-year-old students. Classes are held in the morning and afternoon, serving both general and special education students. Teachers focus on helping students acquire school readiness skills through a series of play-based activities and learning experiences.
Fulton Elementary School (FES) serves kindergarten through fifth grade. FES employs the House System (similar to Hogwarts in Harry Potter) to help students connect with others and staff by working together as well as individually to reach behavior and academic goals. FES recently updated its playground and enjoys seeing students learn inside and outside the classroom.
River Bend Middle School (RBMS) serves sixth through eighth grade. RBMS takes a hands-on approach and provides instruction in language arts, math, social studies, science, art, physical education and music. RBMS students also participate in volleyball, basketball, wrestling, track, quiz bowl and student council.
Fulton High School (FHS) serves ninth through 12th grade. Students can enroll in standard classes as well as dual credit courses. Dual credit courses are offered on-site and through Sauk Valley Community College and Clinton Community College. Sauk Valley offers an earned tuition program through Fulton High School. For 25 hours of community service a year for 100 hours total, a student receives a full ride to Sauk Valley Community College. If they graduate in the top 10%, their books are covered. Welding classes are also offered on-site and students can attend vocational classes at Whiteside Area Career Center. Seniors have the opportunity to complete work-study classes, partnering with area businesses to learn about potential careers. FHS offers over 20 extra curricular activities and clubs.
River Bend, home of the Steamers, is small but mighty. Last year, students earned over 750 dual credits. The athletic and academic teams have had local, regional and sectional success. The teachers connect to the students and work hard to make this “A Place Where Everybody is Somebody”.
Unity Christian School
Unity Christian School provides Christ-centered education for kindergarten through 12th grade to the surrounding areas in Illinois and Iowa. Unity Christian also provides preschool and daycare in a separate facility in Fulton - Unity Christian Preschool and Childcare. In covenant with Christian families, the school teaches students truth through every subject area as well as within fine arts and athletics. Whether it is in the classroom, on the court or field, or through events, Unity Christian School fosters growth academically, socially and spiritually.
With a history that spans over 100 years, Unity Christian School promotes high academic standards, fosters a relationship with Christ and prepares students for lives of discipleship after graduation. The school is dual-accredited by Christian Schools International and Cognia as well as recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education. Unity Christian School also offers small classroom sizes with the average number of students per class being 12. Students often build lasting friendships as they continue to learn with the same classmates throughout their educational careers which in turn also brings families together. This all attributes to the large family atmosphere that Unity Christian School has year after year.
“My children learned how to embrace being a Christian inside and outside of our home,” a Unity parent commented. Faith is interwoven into all areas of education. Each day begins with devotions and prayer regardless of grade level, and weekly chapels expound on the students’ faith development.
Unity Christian School offers many extracurricular activities including girls and boys volleyball, girls and boys soccer, girls and boys basketball, drama, scholastic bowl, concert band, concert choir, art, and yearbook. Regardless of what students are involved in, Unity Christian School students are well-equipped for life beyond school. Students consistently score above local, state and national standards and enjoy taking classes that fit their needs from English to Chemistry and Physics.