Iowa City's Matt Degner nabs National Superintendent of the Year honor

Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen

Mon, January 26, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC

4 min read

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The Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) faced a whirlwind of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, from student safety to retention and creating a sense of normalcy.

At the forefront of that fight was then-interim superintendent, Matt Degner

He officially became full-time superintendent in January 2021, following Steve Murley's resignation. And now, five years into his tenure, Degner's leadership of one of Iowa's largest districts and his eye for innovation has earned him K-12 Dive's National Superintendent of the Year award.

The Dive Awards, handed out by an online publication that honors K-12 administrators and districts across the U.S., bases its award on excellence in “student achievement, whole-child programming, postsecondary pathways, and community engagement.”

The Dive Awards also recognize a District of the Year and Principal of the Year.

Matt Degner, superintendent of the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD), poses for a photo, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, outside the district's Educational Services Center (ESC) at 1725 North Dodge Street in Iowa City, Iowa.

More: How Iowa City's Center for Innovation is pushing kids into the future

The Dive Award honor comes after Degner landed a spot on Education Insider’s “Top 10 School District Superintendents" in October.

Dive cited Degner’s pandemic navigation, boosting the district’s competitive edge amid Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) and school choice vouchers, and expanding preschool and postsecondary opportunities. Degner oversees Iowa’s second-largest district, behind Des Moines Public Schools, with more than 14,000 students at four high schools, 20 elementary schools, and three middle schools.

“He will always credit the team around him, as it takes all of us to do what we’re doing,” said Kristin Pedersen, the district’s executive director of community relations, in a news release.

Reversing open enrollment losses by expanding pre-k

The Iowa City Community School District’s enrollment declined this year to 14,392, down 189 students from the year before, though enrollment has grown by 2 percent since 2020.

The district’s approach? Facing declining enrollment head-on with an “aggressive enrollment campaign."

“We were losers on the open enrollment end,” Degner said in the news release. “We were losing students choosing to go to other school districts. And now, we actually gain on that number, where we have more students coming into our district than leaving.”

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The community-wide campaign includes a robust preschool program with full-day offerings in each of its 20 elementary schools, despite the state only funding half-day pre-K. The district offers free half-day preschool at all elementary schools and afternoon sessions at some. Many students can attend full-day preschool for free by qualifying for the Shared Visions Preschool program.

“We’re talking about it through the lens of capturing families and getting a great first experience with our district and then choosing to stay with us,” Degner said.

Iowa City Community School District Superintendent Matt Degner and President of Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa Christine Landa, cut a ribbon on the Dream Accelerator Jan. 15, 2026 at the district Educational Services Center in Iowa City, Iowa.

Expanding postsecondary and community-focused mindset

The district recently celebrated the opening of its Center for Innovation to strengthen its community connection and student outcomes.

The Center for Innovation houses new Kirkwood Career Academy classrooms, which “bring dual credit career cadence directly on site."

Notably, the Center for Innovation features a unique partnership with nonprofit Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa for the second-of-its-kind Dream Accelerator. The Dream Accelerator is a “hands-on, immersive career exploration experience” that helps develop financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and career-readiness skills.

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Degner has been with the Iowa City school district since 2013, previously serving as assistant superintendent and principal of Southeast Junior High.

His connections run deep: two of his children are currently enrolled in the district, and another is an ICCSD graduate. His wife, Dr. Kate Degner, is a district teacher and an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa.

“Matt did a lot of that rebuilding of that community relationship by going out to events, whether that be building-level PTO meetings or communitywide events,” ICCSD Board of Directors President Ruthina Malone said in news release. “People saw him more and were able to talk to him more about some of the things that he was doing within the district with his staff.”

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City's Matt Degner is National Superintendent of the Year

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