Iowa K-12 Email Security Intelligence:
DNS Authentication Profiling of 339 School District LEAs

Lokentra Research Team
Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series
April 22, 2026
research@monitorworkspace.com • monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Abstract

We present DNS email security profiling for 339 K-12 LEAs in Iowa, of which 329 have active domains (97.1% coverage). Domains were scored on the Lokentra 100-point Email Security Index (ESI) rubric (SPF 30 pts + DKIM 30 pts + DMARC 40 pts). Iowa K-12 districts achieve an average ESI score of 56.3/100, with 38.6% earning Grade A or B (strong posture) and 26.1% receiving Grade F (minimal authentication). Only 61.7% have any DMARC record, and just 36.8% have DMARC at an enforcement level (quarantine or reject) — leaving 38.3% of districts fully vulnerable to email domain spoofing. This report provides entity-level data for all 329 scored domains including provider classification, authentication status, and ESI score, sourced from NCES CCD 2024-2025 and live DNS resolution conducted April 22, 2026.

Keywords: Iowa, K-12 email security, DMARC, SPF, school district cybersecurity, DNS authentication, Google Workspace, education technology

1. Dataset Overview

Table 1. Iowa K-12 Dataset Summary
MetricValue
Total K-12 LEAs in state339
Regular school districts328
Charter LEAs2
Other LEA types (state-operated, regional, etc.)9
LEAs with active internet domain329 (97.1%)
Domains DNS-profiled329
Data freshness (NCES CCD)2024-2025 school year
DNS scan dateApril 22, 2026

2. The Human Impact: Populations at Risk

To estimate human exposure, NCES national averages are applied to CCD 2024-2025 operational school counts: 381 students per school, 51 staff per school, and 2 parents or guardians per student. Iowa K-12 districts collectively operate approximately 1,316 schools.

Table 2. Estimated Population Exposure from K-12 Email Security Gaps — Iowa
PopulationTotal in DatasetAt Risk (No DMARC, 38.3%)Critically Exposed (Grade F, 26.1%)
Students501,396192,034130,864
Parents and guardians1,002,792384,069261,728
Staff and educators67,11625,70517,517
Total people1,571,304601,809410,110

Estimates based on NCES national averages. Individual district enrollment data can be linked via NCES LEAID for precise counts.

3. Authentication Findings

3.1 Protocol Adoption

Table 3. Email Authentication Protocol Adoption — Iowa K-12
ProtocolIowaNational K-12 (ESI)vs. National
SPF (any configuration)76.6%79.7%-3.1pp
DKIM (key published)66.0%59.6%+6.4pp
DMARC (any policy)61.7%55.5%+6.2pp
DMARC at enforcement (quarantine/reject)36.8%~21.0%+15.8pp
DMARC at reject (full enforcement)17.6%~12.2%+5.4pp
No MX records (not receiving email)8.5%~10.0%-1.5pp

3.2 ESI Grade Distribution

Table 4. ESI Score Grade Distribution — Iowa K-12
GradeScoreDistrictsShareInterpretation
A90–1005617.0%Full enforcement
B70–897121.6%Strong posture
C50–698927.1%Partial protection
D30–49278.2%Weak configuration
F0–298626.1%Minimal/no authentication
Average score56.3 / 100

3.3 Email Provider Distribution

Table 5. Email Provider Distribution — Iowa K-12 (top providers)
ProviderDistrictsShare
Google Workspace26379.9%
Microsoft 365103.0%
Mailgun20.6%
Mimecast10.3%
GoDaddy10.3%

4. District-Level Data

4.1 Top Performing Districts (Best ESI Scores)

Table 6. Top 15 Iowa K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
South Central Calhoun Comm School District scc.k12.ia.us Calhoun County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
South O'Brien Comm School District soswolverines.org O'Brien County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Albert City-Truesdale Comm School District albertct.k12.ia.us Buena Vista County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Clay Central-Everly Comm School District claycentraleverly.org Clay County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Dubuque Comm School District dbqschools.org Dubuque County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Gilmore City-Bradgate Comm School District gcbschools.org Humboldt County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Indianola Comm School District indianola.k12.ia.us Warren County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Lawton-Bronson Comm School District lb-eagles.org Woodbury County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Mount Pleasant Comm School District mtpcsd.org Henry County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Northwood-Kensett Comm School District nwood-kensett.k12.ia.us Worth County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Paton-Churdan Comm School District paton-churdan.k12.ia.us Greene County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Schleswig Comm School District schleswig.k12.ia.us Crawford County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Storm Lake Comm School District slcsd.org Buena Vista County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Stratford Comm School District stratford.k12.ia.us Hamilton County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Twin Rivers Comm School District tr.k12.ia.us Humboldt County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A

4.2 Districts Most in Need of Improvement (Lowest ESI Scores)

Table 7. Bottom 15 Iowa K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
Colfax-Mingo Comm School District colfax-mingo.k12.ia.us Jasper County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Panorama Comm School District panoramaschools.org Guthrie County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Riverside Comm School District riversideschools.org Pottawattamie County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
GMG Comm School District gmgschools.socs.net Marshall County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
East Marshall Comm School District emmustangs.org Marshall County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Albia Comm School District albiacsd.org Monroe County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Baxter Comm School District baxter.k12.ia.us Jasper County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
CAM Comm School District camcougars.org Cass County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Chariton Comm School District charitonschools.org Lucas County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Boone Comm School District boonecsd.org Boone County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Clarinda Comm School District clarinda.k12.ia.us Page County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Colo-NESCO Comm School District colonesco.org Story County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Denver Comm School District denver-cyclones.com Bremer County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Diagonal Comm School District diagonal.k12.ia.us Ringgold County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Denison Comm School District denison.k12.ia.us Crawford County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F

4.3 County-Level Summary (Top 10 Counties by District Count)

Table 8. Iowa County Distribution
CountyDistrictsWebsite Coverage
Polk County12100.0%
Linn County11100.0%
Pottawattamie County8100.0%
Story County7100.0%
Woodbury County7100.0%
Black Hawk County6100.0%
Hardin County6100.0%
Dallas County6100.0%
Clinton County6100.0%
Bremer County6100.0%

5. Policy Implications

These findings identify specific, actionable gaps in Iowa's K-12 email security posture. The 38.3% DMARC gap represents districts that can be impersonated by any sender, enabling phishing campaigns targeting parents, students, and educators with no authentication failure. Key observations:

6. Data Availability

The full Iowa K-12 dataset — 339 entities with NCES CCD enrichment (phone, address, grade span, school count, LEAID) and DNS authentication profiles — is available as part of the Lokentra ESI State Pack.

Table 9. Licensing Tiers
TierScopeSuggested Use
State Pack: IowaAll 339 K-12 LEAs, full DNS profile + CCD enrichmentRegional studies, state policy, outreach
K-12 NationalAll 50 states, 20,021+ K-12 LEAsNational K-12 cybersecurity research
Full Registry801,359+ entities across all sectorsComprehensive multi-sector research
API + UpdatesQuarterly re-scan, REST APILongitudinal studies, live dashboards

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Citation: Lokentra Research Team (2026). Iowa K-12 Email Security Intelligence: DNS Authentication Profiling of 339 School District LEAs. Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series. https://lokentra-site.web.app/research/states/ia-k12-paper.html

Data sources: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-2025; DNS records resolved via Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). All entity data derived from publicly accessible government registries.

National baseline figures from Lokentra U.S. Education Sector Email Security Intelligence Dataset (March 2026). See education-dataset-paper.html for full methodology.