What's New at Dubuque Community Schools

High school students from Hempstead and Dubuque Senior recently qualified to compete at the 2025 IGHSAU Girls Swimming and Diving State Championship.

Congratulations to the following students on these honors:

State Finishers

Dubuque Senior High School

200-Yard Freestyle – 2nd Place

• Annie Gilligan

100-Yard Backstroke – 8th Place

• Annie Gilligan

State Qualifiers

Hempstead High School

1-Meter Diving 

• Darey Gassman

50-Yard Freestyle

• Rebecca Roling

100-Yard Backstroke

• Taylor Tigges

100-Yard Breaststroke

• Maisey Duehr

100-Yard Butterfly

• Lily McFadden

200-Yard Freestyle

• Lily McFadden

200-Yard Individual Medley

• Maisey Duehr

200-Yard Freestyle Relay

• Rebecca Roling | Mallory Blum | Maisey Duehr | Lily McFadden

200-Yard Medley Relay

• Adalyn Mairet | Maisey Duehr | Rebecca Roling | Taylor Tigges

400-Yard Freestyle Relay

• Rebecca Roling | Maggie Kelzer | Taylor Tigges | Lily McFadden

500-Yard Freestyle

• Taylor Tigges

Dubuque Senior High School

1-Meter Diving 

• Payton Ryan

200-Yard Freestyle

• Lily Steines

200-Yard Freestyle Relay

• Annie Gilligan | Evelyn Coyle | Althea Wilson | Livia Radloff

200-Yard Medley Relay

• Kaley Beimborn | Althea Wilson | Evelyn Coyle | Ellie Hoffman

400-Yard Freestyle Relay

• Annie Gilligan | Kaley Beimborn | Ellie Hoffman | Lily Steines

500-Yard Freestyle

• Ellie Hoffman

Enrollment for FREE four-year-old preschool in the Dubuque Community School District for the 2026-2027 school year will begin on Monday, Dec. 1.

This includes all 11 Dubuque public elementary schools as well as the district’s Seedlings Preschool Center on Chavenelle Road offering preschool through the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program. (Note: Seedlings Preschool Center has optional, fee-based wraparound care available at the adjacent Dubuque Community Y Childcare.)

Parents and guardians may enroll students ONLINE beginning at NOON on Monday, December 1 at www.dbqschools.org/preschool.

All district elementary schools and the district’s main office will have computers and staff assistance available beginning December 1 for families needing internet access to complete preschool enrollment.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Free four-year-old preschool is open to students residing in Iowa who are four by September 15. Proof of age (preferably a birth certificate) and proof of residency are required to enroll a student and may be uploaded during the enrollment application process or provided in hard copy to the district enrollment office at 2300 Chaney Road.

Your student’s enrollment application will not be considered complete until these documents have been received.

For the enrollment process, families should have the student’s main household and health information readily available.

PRESCHOOL SITE OPTIONS

Space may be limited in some facilities and enrollment applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Enrollment for preschool is not based on geography and all sites are open to Iowa residents. Applications will be time-stamped and families will be able to select up to three locations and time slots in order of preference.

Applications completed by January 9 (including submission of proof of age and proof of residency) will be considered in the first round of placement notifications beginning on January 15.

In addition to spots in Dubuque’s public schools, a variety of community preschool partners also offer free four-year-old preschool.

QUESTIONS?

For additional enrollment questions, individuals should contact the district enrollment office at enrollment@dbqschools.org.

For questions about preschool programming, contact the district early childhood office at earlychildhood@dbqschools.org.

The Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children is funded by the State of Iowa and facilitated locally by the Dubuque Community School District.

On October 29, 2025, Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education announced that Bryant Elementary School was among four Iowa schools selected as the state’s inaugural Iowa Blue Ribbon Schools for 2025 during a ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol. Formerly the National Blue Ribbon Schools, the prestigious program is now a state-led recognition initiative, honoring some of the state’s top-performing schools.

“I am thrilled to recognize each of Iowa’s Blue Ribbon Schools for their hard work to earn this well-deserved honor and their dedication to helping every student succeed,” Gov. Reynolds said. “This year Iowa was excited to help lead the way in launching this prestigious program as a statewide initiative to continue to honor high-performing schools, highlighting the transformational work that takes place every day in their classrooms.”

Joining Bryant on the list of 2025 Blue Ribbons Schools are Albia Middle School, George-Little Rock Elementary, and Prairie Hill Elementary School.

“Iowa’s inaugural Blue Ribbon School designation recognizes these school communities as models of excellence in Iowa and across the nation, celebrating the accomplishments of students, educators, and families across all corners of the state,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “We applaud Iowa’s Blue Ribbon Schools for their leadership to advance evidence-based reading and math instruction, support teachers in doing their best work, and empower students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success. The Department is proud to join Iowans in continuing to honor our exceptional schools that provide all students what they need to meet high expectations and realize their incredible potential.”

The U.S. Department of Education (USED) announced in August that it was transitioning the Blue Ribbon Schools recognition program to states, providing the opportunity to celebrate exemplary schools that are achieving their unique educational goals. Previously, the Blue Ribbon Schools program was jointly administered by USED and state departments of education, and the important work of identifying schools for recognition was always done at the state level

In its inaugural year, schools recognized through the Iowa Blue Ribbon Schools program were identified based on the prior National Blue Ribbon Schools requirements. Iowa’s four designees were honored as Exemplary High-Performing Schools, which are measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Each of these schools performed in the top 15 percent of all Iowa public schools based on overall performance on school accountability indicators, including student proficiency and growth.

The Dubuque Community School District has released draft calendars for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years.

View the DRAFT 2026-2027 School Calendar

View the DRAFT 2027-2028 School Calendar

Feedback on the draft calendars is being accepted through Wednesday, Nov. 25.

COMPLETE THE DRAFT CALENDAR FEEDBACK FORM

The Dubuque Community School District will host “Safeguarding Students: AI, Technology, and the Fight Against Exploitation” on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. in Lass Auditorium at Roosevelt Middle School as part of the district’s Community Education Series dealing with pressing topics affecting youth.

Admission is free and parents/guardians are invited to attend. This community session is parent/guardian focused as all Dubuque Community School District middle and high school students will participate in a student-focused session on the same topic in November.

Co-presented by the Dubuque Police Department, Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department, and Dubuque County Attorney’s Office, the presentation will focus on the issues of child exploitation, inappropriate image sharing, and sextortion.

The session will discuss the impact of these issues, including the sending and receiving of nude or partially nude photos and the use of A.I. to create altered or fake images. Officials will explain and describe the consequences of involvement in these activities for both younger students and for those close to adulthood. The information shared will be relevant to students and based on trends that officials are seeing in Dubuque County.

The Dubuque League of Women Voters held the 2025 School Board Candidate Forum on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 6:30 p.m.

Members of the public were invited to attend the forum in person, which was held at the Dubuque Community School District Office at 2300 Chaney Road.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

The forum can also be viewed live on Mediacom Channel 16 or 117-6.

Looking ahead to kindergarten next year? Get a SNEAK PEEK of kindergarten life on Monday, November 3, 2025, from 5:30-7 p.m.

Staff from elementary schools across the district are excited to share all the amazingness that awaits soon-to-be kindergartners at all Dubuque Community School District schools.

Join us at one of the following locations:

Bryant Elementary School
1280 Rush Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52003

Kennedy Elementary School
2135 Woodland Drive, Dubuque, Iowa 52002

Marshall Elementary School
1450 Rhomberg Avenue, Dubuque, Iowa 52001

This is an open house event, so families may stop by at any time during the event hours.

Kindergarten Sneak Peak is a fantastic opportunity for future kindergarten students and their families to explore our kindergarten program! This fun, interactive event will give attendees that chance to:

• meet our dedicated teachers, support staff and administrators
• experience the vibrant learning environment offered across all district schools
• learn about our kindergarten curriculum and activities
• get answers to questions about all things kindergarten and more!

We can’t wait to welcome the class of 2039 to our school community and provide the highest quality education in Dubuque!

We are READY. For Kindergarten.

For questions, call 563/552-3058 or email enrollment@dbqschools.org.

The Dubuque Community School District will host a Multilingual Family Night as part of the district’s family and community engagement series on Wednesday, September 24, from 4:30-7 p.m. at Dubuque Senior High School. Admission to the event is free and open to all families with students in grades 8-12.

We are READY. TO SUPPORT YOU.

Multilingual families with students in grades 8-12 are invited to join other multilingual families for a night connecting with the Dubuque Community School District and the many resources available to support you and your student. Interpreters and childcare will be provided.

Event highlights include:

• Enjoy a free meal with other families
• Meet our caring and supportive staff
• Participate in interactive breakout sessions including:
  • Parent/Guardian Sessions:
    • Graduation requirements and Senior Year Plus opportunities
    • Attendance, school success, and navigating parent-teacher conferences
    • Career pathways through the VERTEX Initiative
  • Student Sessions:
    • Career exploration and planning in education, skilled trades, healthcare, and business/IT
• Receive hands-on technology support for tools like Infinite Campus and ParentSquare
• Access a wide range of community resources offering support in areas such as healthcare, college access, employment, and more

This event is a VERTEX Initiative career and college readiness opportunity made possible in partnership with support from local organizations and employers across Dubuque.

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