DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate reports more than 5,000 17- and 18- year old Iowans were registered to vote during the 2025-2026 school year. The Carrie Chapman Catt Award program, created and administered by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, encourages eligible high school senior students to register to vote.
Established in 2019, the Carrie Chapman Catt Award was created by Secretary Pate to encourage voter registration in Iowa high schools. The prestigious Carrie Chapman Catt Award goes to Iowa schools that register at least 90% of their eligible students to vote. Schools also receive recognition for registering 70% and 50% of eligible students. The program is part of Secretary Pate’s efforts to engage Iowa students in the civic process and encourage them to build lifelong habits of civic participation. Studies show that students who report being encouraged to vote or taught how to register to vote in high school are more likely to vote and be more invested in elections throughout their lifetimes.
To wrap up the 2025-2026 school year, Secretary Pate is celebrating the 122 schools that signed up to host voter registration drives and the record-breaking 75 schools that received recognition as part of the award program.
- 49 schools registered at least 90% of eligible seniors, earning the Carrie Chapman Catt Award trophy
- 7 large schools (with more than 300 students) registered at least 100 eligible seniors, earning the Capitol Award trophy
- 12 schools registered at least 70% of eligible students, earning a banner award
- 7 schools registered at least 50% of eligible students, earning a certificate award
“More than 5,000 high school students registered to vote this school year as part of this program. They join the list of more than 20,000 Iowa high school students that have registered to vote since the program’s launch,” said Secretary Pate. This is no small feat. These young leaders are taking the first step in making their voices heard and influencing their community. I applaud them for their enthusiasm, passion, and leadership.”
As part of the culmination of the program, Secretary Pate hosted a special award ceremony at the Iowa State Historical Museum. Seventeen high schools and 200 students attended the event. Every school who registers at least 90% of eligible students can participate in an award ceremony, which are held throughout the year at Iowa high schools and in the Iowa State Capitol.
A total of 49 schools are being recognized with a trophy for the Carrie Chapman Catt Award and registering at least 90% of eligible students to vote. Four schools have qualified for the Carrie Chapman Catt Award for all seven years (denoted with seven asterisks*******). Four schools qualified for the award for the sixth time (six asterisks******), two schools qualified for the award for the fifth time (five asterisks*****), nine schools for the fourth time, (four asterisks****), six for the third time (three asterisks***), twelve for the second time (two asterisks**), and twelve schools for the first time (one asterisk*). The 17 schools that participated in this week’s award ceremony are bolded and italicized.
These schools include:
- Ames High School (Ames) **
- Ankeny Christian Academy (Ankeny) ***
- Ballard High School (Huxley) *******
- Bishop Garrigan High School (Algona) ******
- CAM High School (Anita) *
- Camanche High School (Camanche) ***
- Cedar Ridge Christian School – formerly known as Waterloo Christian Academy (Waterloo) ****
- Central Community High School (Central City) *****
- Central Decatur Community School (Leon) *
- Central Lyon High School (Rock Rapids) *****
- Clayton Ridge High School (Guttenberg) ******
- Clear Creek Amana High School (Tiffin) ***
- Denver High School (Denver) **
- Diagonal High School (Diagonal) ****
- Dike-New Hartford High School (Dike) **
- Dubuque Senior High School (Dubuque) ****
- Edgewood-Colesburg High School (Edgewood) **
- Essex High School (Essex) ****
- Fairfield High School (Fairfield) ****
- Fremont Mills High School (Tabor) ****
- Highland High School (Riverside) **
- Hartwick-Ladora-Victor High School (Victor) *
- Hudson High School (Hudson) **
- Isaac Newton Christian Academy (Cedar Rapids) *******
- Keota High School (Keota) ***
- Lake Mills High School (Lake Mills) ***
- Lone Tree High School (Lone Tree) *******
- Lynnville-Sully High School (Sully) *
- Marion High School (Marion) **
- Marquette Catholic School (Bellevue) ******
- Martensdale St. Mary’s (Martensdale) ****
- Newman Catholic High School (Mason City) ****
- North Mahaska High School (New Sharon) *
- Norwalk High School (Norwalk) *******
- Regina Catholic School (Iowa City) **
- Roland-Story High School (Story City) *
- Sibley-Ocheyedan High School (Sibley) *
- South Central Calhoun High School (Lake City) ****
- Storm Lake – St.Mary’s High School (Storm Lake) ****
- Tri-Center High School (Neola) *
- Tripoli High School (Tripoli) ****
- Turkey Valley High School (Jackson Junction) **
- Wahlert Catholic High School (Dubuque) **
- Wapello High School (Wapello) ***
- West Hancock High School (Britt) **
- West Liberty High School (West Liberty) *
- Westwood Community School (Sloan) *
- Winfield-Mt. Union High School (Winfield) *
- Woodward Granger High School (Woodward) ******
Schools with 300 or more students that registered at least 100 eligible students (7) also receive a plaque recognizing their achievement:
- Davenport North High School (Davenport) *
- Davenport West High School (Davenport) *
- Hempstead High School (Dubuque) *
- John F. Kennedy High School (Cedar Rapids) **
- Linn-Mar High School (Marion) *
- Pleasant Valley High School (Bettendorf) ***
- Urbandale High School (Urbandale) *
Schools that registered at least 70% of eligible students (12) will receive a commemorative banner recognizing their achievement:
- Atlantic High School (Atlantic)
- Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcolm High School (Brooklyn)
- Clear Lake High School (Clear Lake)
- Harlan High School (Harlan)
- Lawton-Bronson High School (Lawton)
- Northeast High School (Goose Lake)
- North Fayette Valley High School (West Union)
- Oelwein High School (Oelwein)
- West Harrison High School (Mondamin)
- West Marshall High School (State Center)
- West Sioux High School (Hawarden)
- Western Dubuque High School (Epworth)
Schools that registered at least 50% of eligible students (7) will receive a personalized certificate of recognition from the Iowa Secretary of State:
- Crestwood High School (Cresco)
- Dallas Center-Grimes High School (Grimes)
- Decorah High School (Decorah)
- Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont High School (Eddyville)
- Sioux Central High School (Sioux Rapids)
- West Branch High School (West Branch)
- Winterset High School (Winterset)
