Every five years, the Dubuque Community School District updates its Special Education Service Delivery Plan, which outlines how the district implements services for students eligible for an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
As part of this process, public comment is sought on the draft version of the plan.
View the Draft Special Education Service Delivery Plan (PDF)
The comment period for feedback is now closed.
On Saturday, March 15, the Dubuque Senior Speech Team competed in the 2025 State Individual Event Speech Contest at Starmont High School in Arlington, Iowa. The team received overall Division I (Excellent) ratings in 47 performances.
The Hempstead High School Speech Team had a two students receive Division I ratings in four performances. The students were coached by Harmony Roe and Don Stanner. The contest is sponsored by the Iowa High School Speech Association.
The Dubuque Senior Speech Team also received 21 total Outstanding Performance nominations to the 2025 Individual Event All-State Festival which will be held Monday, March 31st at the University of Northern Iowa. The Dubuque Senior Varsity team also earned the I.H.S.S.A. Individual Event
Sweepstakes Trophy, given to the school with the most nominations to the Festival. This marks the thirteenth consecutive year the Dubuque Senior Speech Team has won the Individual Events Sweepstakes Trophy making them 2025 Individual Events State Champion.
Dubuque Senior’s varsity honors include four double All-State nominees – Peyton Dixon, Avery Kane, Chase Kreimeyer, and Ella Meyer. The group is coached by Hannah Burke, Aaron Dean, Greg Ernzen, Natalie Ervolino, Mike Grant, Maria LoBianco, Megan Schumacher, Chad Thomas and Matt Tompkins. The Festival is sponsored by the Iowa High School Speech Association, which is an affiliate of the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union.
Dubuque Senior High School
Dubuque Senior High School
Hempstead High School
High school students from Hempstead and Dubuque Senior represented the district well at the 2025 Bowling 3A State Championship.
Congratulations to the following students on these honors:
TEAM – 5TH PLACE
GIRLS INDIVIDUAL
BOYS INDIVIDUAL
GIRLS INDIVIDUAL
BOYS INDIVIDUAL
GIRLS INDIVIDUAL
High school students from Hempstead High School recently returned from a strong showing at the 2025 IHSAA Boys Wrestling 3A State Championship.
Congratulations to the following students on these honors:
High school students from Hempstead and Dubuque Senior recently returned from an impressive showing at the 2025 IHSAA Boys State Swimming Championship.
Congratulations to the following students on these honors:
50-Yard Freestyle
100-Yard Breaststroke
100-Yard Butterfly
100-Yard Freestyle
200-Yard Freestyle
200-Yard Freestyle Relay – STATE CHAMPIONS
200-Yard Individual Medley
400-Yard Freestyle Relay – STATE CHAMPIONS
100-Yard Backstroke
100-Yard Butterfly
200-Yard Medley Relay – 4th Place
50-Yard Freestyle
100-Yard Breaststroke
100-Yard Butterfly
100-Yard Freestyle
200-Yard Individual Medley
200-Yard Medley Relay – TEAM
500-Yard Freestyle
50-Yard Freestyle
100-Yard Backstroke
100-Yard Breaststroke
100-Yard Butterfly
100-Yard Freestyle
200-Yard Freestyle Relay – TEAM
400-Yard Freestyle Relay – TEAM
High school students from Hempstead and Dubuque Senior recently qualified to compete at the 2025 IGHSAU Girls Wrestling State Championship.
Congratulations to the following students:
125 Weight Class
135 Weight Class
145 Weight Class
155 Weight Class
120 Weight Class
155 Weight Class
The Dubuque Senior Theatre Department had a successful showing at the 2024/2025 International Thespian Excellence Awards (or Thespys® for short).
The national qualifier event was held at the Iowa Thespian Festival on Friday, November 14 at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA. The International Thespian Excellence Awards program is designed to provide feedback for Thespians on theatrical performances and technical presentations. Students are adjudicated by theatre educators and professionals on rubrics that reflect national standards in theatre education.
Dubuque Senior brought home nine Superior ratings in the competition in a variety of performance events. In addition, students earned eight overall Excellent and one overall Good rating for their performances.
Students that earned overall Superior ratings qualified for the national event held at the University of Indiana in June, 2025, as part of the International Thespian Festival. The following students earned Superior ratings and have qualified:
The following performances were also selected by adjudicators as the best in their performance centers for the competition:
The following students earned an overall Excellent or Good Rating for their performance:
Furthermore, Dubuque Senior High School’s production of Lauren Gunderson’s The Revolutionists has been selected to perform at the 2025 International Thespian Festival. The selection is based on adjudication from theatre professionals from across the country. The performance of The Revolutionists at the 2024 Iowa Thespian Festival in November was reviewed by the national adjudicators and was selected to be one of just eight main stage performances at the International Thespian Festival.
Dubuque Senior’s production of The Revolutionists featured four remarkable actresses as historical characters at the height of the Reign of Terror in France. The cast includes seniors Ami Bellings (Charlotte Corday) and Bella VandenBerge (Olympe du Gouges), and juniors Peyton Dixon (Marianne Angelles) and Avery Kane (Marie Antoinette). Adjudicators noted the Dubuque Senior actresses for their performances which were “captivating to watch” and for their “emotional depth.”
The production also featured music performed by Anna Garrett-Douillet on the harp. Adjudicators commented on Anna’s powerful performance and musical talent.
The ensemble of The Revolutionists included Kelsey Ahlers, Seattle Bontemps, Joslyn Brown, Olivia Gennings, Norah Homb, Iris Lammer-Heindel, Camilla Moeller, Jameson Norton, Josie Norton, Madeline Oney, and Izzibelle Pregler, as well as a special appearance by Grace Weber. The creative team included Aaron Dean (Director), Katie Galliart (Music Director), and Megan Schumacher (Scenic Art). The design team included more than twenty Dubuque Senior students working on costumes, lights, sound, props, and more. Adjudicators commended the student designers for the strong supporting role the technical elements played in the production.
Dubuque Senior’s performance at the International Thespian Festival will be June 25, 2025 at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana. More than 3,000 students from across the country and abroad will gather for a week of main stage and studio performances, workshops with theatre professionals, and national competitions.
Congratulations to all our students on their achievements!
Enrollment for FREE four-year-old preschool in the Dubuque Community School District for the 2025-2026 school year will begin on Monday, Dec. 9.
This includes all 12 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 9, at www.dbqschools.org/preschool.
All district elementary schools and the district’s main office will have computers and staff assistance available beginning December 9 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 10 (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.
High school students from Hempstead and Dubuque Senior recently qualified to compete at the 2024 IGHSAU Girls Swimming and Diving State Championship.
Congratulations to the following students:
100-Yard Breaststroke
200-Yard Freestyle Relay
200-Yard Medley Relay
400-Yard Freestyle Relay
500-Yard Freestyle
Para 50-Yard Freestyle
Para 100-Yard Breaststroke
Alternates
100-Yard Backstroke
200-Yard Freestyle
500-Yard Freestyle
200-Yard Freestyle Relay
400-Yard Freestyle Relay
1-Meter Diving
Alternates
Students from both Dubuque Senior and Hempstead High Schools competed in the Iowa High School State Cross Country qualifying meet to determine their eligibility to compete at the State Championship at Kennedy Park in Fort Dodge on Friday, November 1st.
Congratulations to the following Class 4A student qualifiers:
Team Qualifiers
Alternates
Individual Qualifiers
Team Qualifiers
Alternates
Individual Qualifiers