After World War II, the population of Dubuque moved further out to the west. The children born during the post-war baby boom also were in their late teens at the time. The community found that Senior High School would no longer be enough to serve the needs of the community. In 1966, district employees were encouraged to offer their thoughts on the design of the new building. In the spring of 1967, a $6.7mio bond issue was approved to cover the costs of the building. The school opened in 1969. Classes for students were initially held at Senior High School. In the spring of 1970, students began receiving education at Hempstead for the first time. In 1970, there was no graduating class because there was no senior class that first year. In the 1990s and mid 2005, structural improvements and expansions were made to the buildings. Over the next several years the school district has formulated plans to completely remodel the school.
Campus
The building is a three-level structure with an open courtyard in the center of the school. The second level contains classrooms, an indoor pool, gyms, art, music, driver education, and FHACS classrooms. The third level holds the administrative offices, library/media center, math, science, business classrooms, a physical fitness room, cafeteria/commons area, industrial technology, wood working, and automobile shops. The third level also features an auditorium complex. Hempstead features a 25-yard indoor swimming pool. The city recreation department also allows the general public to use the pool when school is not in session. There is also an auditorium were musicals, plays, and concerts are performed throughout the school year.
Students
In the 2007–2008 school year, HHS enrolled 1,824 students. Of those, 1,754 were White, 30 were Black, 21 were Asian, and 3 were American Indian. 16 students were Hispanic, and may be of any race. Additionally, 943 were male, and 881 were female.
Extracurricular activities
Theatre
Hempstead had the distinction of being one of the first schools to perform a stage version of High School Musical, which was presented in January 2007.
Sports
Hempstead competes in Class 4A, the largest classification in Iowa, and in the Mississippi Valley Conference. The conference consists of schools in Dubuque, Cedar Rapids/Marion, Waterloo/Cedar Falls and Iowa City.
Renovation
In 2004, a renovation program began using proceeds from a one-cent sales tax approved by Dubuque County voters in December 2002. The seven-phase program is projected to eventually cost $30 million, roughly five times the original cost of constructing the school in the 1960s.
