18477 Pine Loop
Castana, IA 51010

Straight to the facts, this is the absolute worst place you could send your kid to be successful in life. Absolutely no preparation for the real world and half the students will never be more than minimum wage workers for their entire lives. Nobody cares about anything, nobody does anything, the sports are a joke, the classes are not taken seriously and the teachers are walked over. The school is typically very dirty and the water is completely fogged over with bits of rust and other foreign objects that only God knows what they are. There is absolutely no authority at this school either. The students basically run the show and do whatever they like with minimal punishment. Even punishments such as detentions and suspensions are laughable and only encourage these students to come back and do more and it raises their social standing. Upperclassmen are supposed to be role models but in reality, nobody cares what they have to say and it’s more the underclassmen who rule the school. They do whatever they want, say whatever they want, and the upperclassmen do nothing but look on. When asked what do they think of underclassmen, the typical answers are I don’t care, it’s funny or, very rarely, someone will say they need to be taught a lesson but the same person will never do anything to teach that lesson. Lockers and desks are in terrible condition. Most lockers can no longer shut fully or can be simply kicked open with a light kick to the bottom of the locker door. The desks are very uneven, usually wobbly and have been welded together by someone in the welding class who clearly has never welded anything in their life. No money is put toward the students education, rather put into less important things such as band, sports (which are very laughable), and cosmetics. The only upside to this school is the teachers are usually just as immature as the students so they get along well together and the food has definitely been improved over the last handful of years. Overall, this place lacks any good reason for anyone to be a student here. There are better options in the area and they should be taken into consideration.