Our city's reputation for excellence in education runs parallel with Iowa's high academic rating. The people of Council Bluffs - Iowa's Leading Edge - realize the importance of education and are committed to maintaining outstanding schools in both the public and private sector.

Academic excellence is achieved by maintaining low student-to-teacher ratios. This creates a more personalized interaction between student and teacher, producing a more effective learning environment.

In addition to offering great primary and secondary education, the Council Bluffs area has a variety of vocational and technical training options through the public schools, dozens of private schools, and community colleges.

There is also a full spectrum of higher education opportunities in the Council Bluffs area, including 15 colleges and universities with over 57,000 students enrolled.

Elementary, Secondary Schools

Council Bluffs Community Schools
The Council Bluffs Community School District, serves families in Carter Lake, Crescent and Council Bluffs. The district features pre-school for at-risk children, all-day, everyday kindergarten, elementary and secondary talented and gifted programs, special education programs, advanced placement and Honors Early Start college courses, vocational and technical classes, school-to-career opportunities, as well as a variety of extra-curricular activities. For further information, call (712) 328-6514 or visit the school district's web site at www.cb-schools.org.

Lewis Central Community School District
The Lewis Central Community School District covers approximately 64 square miles, surrounding Council Bluffs. The district has three elementary schools, one middle and one high school. For further information, call (712) 366-8201.

Loess Hills Area Education Agency 13
The Loess Hills Area Education Agency provides specialized leadership and educational services to 31 school districts in southwest Iowa. Central offices are located at the Halverson Center for Education in rural Council Bluffs. Regional offices are located on the campus of Iowa School for the Deaf and at the Peterson Center on South Ninth St. The agency has five additional offices located throughout the seven-county service area. For more information, contact the Loess Hills AEA, Box 1109, Council Bluffs, IA 51502 or call (712) 366-0503 or toll-free in Iowa, (800) 432-5804.

St. Albert Catholic Schools
St. Albert Schools is a pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade educational system, serving the needs of students in Council Bluffs and the surrounding areas. St. Albert Schools is committed to providing a solid education, steeped in the tradition and mission of the Catholic faith. For further information, contact the St. Albert Schools business office at (712) 329-9000.

Community Christian School
Community Christian School provides education from kindergarten to graduation, but doesn't stop there. The school, located at 3657 Ave G, also offers a preschool, accepting newborns, before- and after-school program and a summer day care. For further information, call (712) 322-4800.

Liberty Christian School
Liberty Christian School, an academic Christian school, provides education from kindergarten through the 12th grade. The school is located at 2701 Ave N. For further information, call (712) 322-2321.

Heartland Christian School
Heartland Christian School, located at 2755 Ave N, provides a Christian education from preschool through the 12th grade. For further information, call (712) 322-5817.

Iowa School for the Deaf
Iowa School for the Deaf is a state, tax-supported school open to all students in both Iowa and Nebraska younger than 21 years of age whose hearing loss places them at a disadvantage in the public schools.

Governed by the Board of Regents, state of Iowa, ISD is located on a 120-acre campus off Highway 275 in Council Bluffs. The school does not charge students for room, board, laundry, tuition, school supplies, transportation or limited medical and dental care. For further information, contact Superintendent William P. Johnson, PhD, at (712) 366-0571.

Trinity Lutheran Interparish School
Trinity Lutheran Interparish School, located at 1500 N 16th St, offers a quality Christian education to families of children in kindergarten through grade six. Students are challenged to grow to their fullest potential, and parents are involved in many aspects of the educational program. The curriculum includes all traditional subjects, and it offers opportunities for growth in the areas of fine arts, athletics, leadership and Christian faith development. Trinity Lutheran is accredited by the state of Iowa and the administrator and teachers are certified by the state of Iowa. Trinity Lutheran Interparish School does not discriminate on the basis of race in the administration of education policy, admission policy or financial aid. For more information, please call Doreen Heinemann at (712) 322-3294 or (402) 253-3198.

Colleges and Universities

Iowa Western Community College
Iowa Western Community College, with campuses in Council Bluffs, Clarinda and three regional centers, serves a seven-county area in southwest Iowa. Accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, IWCC offers students more than 80 programs of study. The Iowa Western Continuing Education department offers a variety of courses, serving 40,000 students enrolled annually. In addition, the community college works in conjunction with many local businesses and industries, contributing to thousands of new jobs. For further information, call (712) 325-3200 or (800) 432-5852.

Buena Vista University
Located on the Iowa Western Community College campus, Buena Vista offers bachelor degree programs in an accelerated format. Academic programs include accounting, computer science, elementary education, English, finance and banking, history, human services, human resources, criminal justice, management/entrepreneurship, psychology and teacher certification. Buena Vista is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

For further information, call (712) 328-0788 or (800) 798-0788.

Southwest Iowa Regents
Resource Center
SWIRRC is the region's link with Iowa's three state universities - Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa. Residents can access a variety of graduate programs, including education, agriculture, engineering, library and information science, pharmacy, public management, family and consumer sciences, family financial counselors certification, public health and nursing. Two under-graduate programs, the Regents Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree and Iowa State University's Bachelor of Science in Professional Agriculture, are also available. All three universities are accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The center is located at the Iowa School for the Deaf campus at 1600 S Highway 275. For further information, please contact the center at (712) 366-3647, or visit its web site at www.extension.iastate.edu/swirr.

Metropolitan Community College
Metropolitan Community College, accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, offers more than 100 vocational and academic programs. It serves more than 45,000 credit students and noncredit students on three campuses and nine off-campus sites in Nebraska. For further information, call (402) 457-2400.

Bellevue University
Bellevue University is an information-age institution of higher learning with progressive options for online graduate and undergraduate degrees. Graduate and undergraduate programs, online, on campus and in centers throughout the region, prepare students for an ever-changing environment. Bellevue University is one of Nebraska's largest fully accredited independent colleges. Programs serve the needs of more than 3,600 students annually and cater to working adult students as well as traditional undergraduate students. Benefits include accelerated degree completion programs, online programs, an online library and cooperative credit transfer agreements. Associate's degrees are accepted in full, and credit is given for corporate and military training. The College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Professional Studies and the College of Distributed Learning offer more than 44 majors.

Classes are offered at convenient times at the Bellevue University main campus in Bellevue, the new Southwest Omaha location, Lozier Professional Center in West Omaha, Offutt Air Force Base, Central Community College in Grand Island, corporate locations and a variety of satellite centers throughout Nebraska and western Iowa.

The Lozier Professional Center
Located at 2810 N 118th Circle in West Omaha, is a high-tech facility hosting programs directed toward information technology and corporate training. New courses in software project management, object-oriented technology, client-server systems, telecommunication and information systems integration are offered. The Lozier Professional Center is also available for seminars and use by corporations and community groups for training.

The main campus is located at 1000 Galvin Road South, Bellevue, Neb., just 15 minutes from downtown Council Bluffs. For information, call (402) 291-8100 of (800) 756-7920 or visit its web site or www.bellevue.edu.

University of Nebraska at Omaha
The University of Nebraska at Omaha offers more than 200 degree programs from bachelor's to select doctoral degrees. As the region's major metropolitan university its mission is to be student-focused, deliver academic excellence and provide community outreach. The university, located at 60th and Dodge streets, is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. For further information, call (402) 554-2800 or visit www.unomaha.edu.

University of Nebraska Medical Center
The University of Nebraska Medical Center educates more health-care professionals for Nebraska than any other institution. UNMC includes Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry and Pharmacy, the School of Allied Professions and the Office of Graduate Studies. The medical center also features the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center, the Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation and the Lied Transplant Center. UNMC faculty conducts innovative research that translates into improved patient care. UNMC is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association for Colleges and Schools. For further information, call (402) 559-4000.

Creighton University
Creighton University is an independent, Catholic, comprehensive university operated by the Jesuits, who have a 500-year tradition of excellence in education. Creighton enrolls more than 6,200 students of diverse faiths and races from across the United States and 65 countries. The student body is taught by 700 full-time faculty members in the colleges of arts & sciences, business administration, the graduate school, university college and schools of dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and allied health professions and summer sessions. The university is located on a 92-acre campus adjacent to the Omaha's downtown business district, just 10 minutes from Council Bluffs. For further information, call (402) 280-2700 or visit its web site at www.creighton.edu.

College of St. Mary
The only, independent Catholic women's college in a five-state area, College of St. Mary continues its tradition of a values-centered education.

College of St. Mary offers associate's and bachelor's degrees in 27 programs of study and is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. For further information, call (402) 399-2400 or visit its web site at www.csm.edu.

Clarkson College
Clarkson College is a private, co-educational institution founded in 1888 that offers a broad range of health science degree programs. The college offers associate's degrees in occupational therapy assistant, physical therapy assistant, radiologic technology and patient information management; bachelor's degrees in nursing, medical imaging and health care business; master's degrees in nursing; and a post-master's certificate in family nurse practitioner.

Clarkson College's Success Center provides valuable services such as counseling, tutoring, academic skill development and career planning free to all students. The college is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Clarkson College recognizes that all students do not have the opportunity to give up employment and/or move to a college campus to continue their education. About one-third of Clarkson students study via Distance Education using the Internet, e-mail, telephone conferencing and mail correspondence. For more information, call (402) 552-3100 or visit www.clarksoncollege.edu.

Grace University
Grace University is a fully accredited, independent, small university. For more than 50 years, the university has equipped Christian students for life, ministry and service. For further information, call (402) 449-2800.

Nebraska Methodist College
Nebraska Methodist College, accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, offers associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees in the health sciences. All degree programs are accredited through their respective professional associations. With two campuses, the college provides a comprehensive higher education experience with a strong clinical focus. Its extensive continuing education and certificate programs provide entry-level training in health care and opportunities for the practicing professional. For further information, call (402) 354-4879.

ITT Technical Institute
ITT Technical Institute is an accredited institution, which has more specialized graduates than any other private technological school in the United States.

Graduates are highly skilled in electronic engineering technology and computer-aided drafting.
ITT now offers courses in computer networking systems technologies. For further information, call (402) 331-2900.

Nebraska College of Business
Nebraska College of Business is an independent, private, two-year junior college dedicated to providing students with career, personal and social skills that will enable them to seek and secure careers in business, industry and government. For further information, call (402) 572-8500.

Omaha Opportunities Industrialization Center
OOIC is a private, nonprofit vocational training school designed for the unemployed and under-employed. For further information, call the school at (402) 457-4222.

Vatterott College
Vatterott College, has two Omaha locations, is fully accredited and offers day and evening classes by certified technicians and instructors. Active student services department assist students with housing and job placement during training and upon graduation. For information, call (402) 731-3636.

The Peter Kiewit Institute - Information Science, Technology & Engineering
The Peter Kiewit Institute is shaped by the dynamic alliance of education and industry. The institute's mission is to fuel collaborations and fire the imagination of faculty, students and business alike. In so doing, the institute offers exceptional career opportunities for students and provides the business community with a growing labor pool of skilled professionals. In this collaboration, traditional boundaries do not exist. The University of Nebraska at Omaha's College of Information Science and Technology and the University of Nebraska - Lincoln's College of Engineering and Technology remain separate entities, offering a variety of degrees while they work closely together inviting students to explore courses and labs in both colleges. For more information, call (402) 554-3333.

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