Best Cheer Gyms in Iowa
Iowa's top all-star cheer programs, ranked by 2025-26 banners and podium finishes.
Iowa fields a modest but competitive all-star cheer scene, and ten programs earned a place in this ranking of the best cheer gyms in Iowa. Koach All Stars of Ankeny leads the state with 39 banners in 2025-26, well clear of the field, and Grimes places two gyms in the top three. Other ranked programs come from Cedar Rapids, Muscatine, Pleasant Hill, Dubuque, and Adel.
Every position comes from real 2025-26 season results: banners are first-place finishes in finals, and podiums are top-three finishes. In a state where most gyms run fewer than a dozen teams, those raw numbers tell the story of Iowa all-star cheer better than reputation ever could.
Map of the Top Cheer Gyms in Iowa
Some ranked gyms are not shown on the map because we don't have a verified location for them yet.
2025-26 Iowa Cheer Gym Rankings
| Rank | Gym | City | Banners | Podiums | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KOKoach All Stars | Ankeny | 39 | 52 | 8 |
| 2 | IOIowa Elite Cheer - Des Moines | Grimes | 22 | 44 | 6 |
| 3 | TRTribe Athletics | Grimes | 18 | 32 | 10 |
| 4 | IOIowa Elite Cheer - CR | Cedar Rapids | 18 | 28 | 11 |
| 5 | PEPearl City Cheer & Tumble | Muscatine | 4 | 10 | 4 |
| 6 | STStarstruck All Stars | Pleasant Hill | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| 7 | AIAirborne Academy | Dubuque | 1 | 10 | 4 |
| 8 | IOIowa Ambush Cheer | Adel | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 9 | RIRising Star Athletics | Pleasant Hill | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 10 | UNUnity Cheer | What Cheer | 1 | 1 | 7 |
The Top 10 Cheer Gyms in Iowa
1. Koach All Stars
Koach All Stars in Ankeny is the top gym in Iowa with 39 banners and 52 podium finishes in 2025-26, both state highs. The program runs just 8 teams spanning Level 1 through Level 5, and it holds 3 NCA titles, the only national championship hardware among ranked Iowa gyms.
2. Iowa Elite Cheer - Des Moines
Iowa Elite Cheer - Des Moines, based in Grimes, ranks second with 22 banners and 44 podiums. The gym runs a lean roster of 6 teams competing from Level 1 through Level 4.
3. Tribe Athletics
Tribe Athletics, also located in Grimes, takes third with 18 banners and 32 podium finishes this season. Its 10 teams compete across Level 1 through Level 4.
4. Iowa Elite Cheer - CR
Iowa Elite Cheer - CR in Cedar Rapids matched the Des Moines location with 18 banners while adding 28 podiums. The program fields 11 teams, the largest roster in the state ranking, competing from Level 1 through Level 3.
5. Pearl City Cheer & Tumble
Pearl City Cheer and Tumble of Muscatine earned 4 banners and 10 podium finishes in 2025-26. The gym runs 4 teams competing at Level 1 through Level 2.
6. Starstruck All Stars
Starstruck All Stars in Pleasant Hill posted 3 banners and 5 podiums this season. It is a focused program: 3 teams, all competing at Level 1.
7. Airborne Academy
Airborne Academy of Dubuque recorded a banner and 10 podium finishes, a podium total that matches Pearl City despite fewer wins. The gym fields 4 teams from Level 1 through Level 3.
8. Iowa Ambush Cheer
Iowa Ambush Cheer, based in Adel, earned a banner and 4 podiums in 2025-26. It is the smallest program in the ranking with 2 teams competing at Level 1 and Level 2.
9. Rising Star Athletics
Rising Star Athletics in Pleasant Hill also finished the season with a banner and 4 podium finishes. The gym competes 3 teams at Level 2 and Level 3.
10. Unity Cheer
Unity Cheer of What Cheer closes out the Iowa ranking with a banner and a podium finish on the season. Its 7 teams span Level 1 through Level 4, one of the wider level ranges in the state despite the modest results.
Other All-Star Cheer Gyms in Iowa
Beyond the ranked programs above, FullOut tracks these Iowa all-star gyms.
How These Rankings Work
FullOut ranks Iowa cheer gyms using real competition results, not reputation or reviews. A banner is a first-place finish in a finals round. A podium is a top-three finish. Every banner and podium earned by a gym's teams counts toward its ranking: banners order the list, and podiums break ties.
These rankings cover All Star Cheer divisions (Levels 1 through 7) during the 2025-26 season, which runs July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Results come from publicly available scoresheets and live results in FullOut's competition database, which tracks thousands of events across the country.
A gym's ranking reflects how often its teams won, not how big the program is. Team counts and levels are shown for context.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cheer gym in Iowa?
Koach All Stars in Ankeny tops FullOut's 2025-26 rankings for Iowa, with 39 event titles and 52 podium finishes across the season.
How many all-star cheer gyms are in Iowa?
FullOut tracks 50 all-star cheer programs in Iowa. 10 of them earned at least one podium finish during the 2025-26 season.
How are Iowa cheer gym rankings calculated?
Rankings count banners (first-place finishes in finals rounds) and podiums (top-three finishes) earned by each gym's teams in All Star Cheer Levels 1 through 7 during the 2025-26 season (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026), using publicly available competition results in FullOut's database. Banners rank first; podiums break ties.
Which Iowa cheer gyms won the most banners in 2025-26?
Koach All Stars (39), Iowa Elite Cheer - Des Moines (22), Tribe Athletics (18) led Iowa in banners during the 2025-26 season.