Ballard West Elementary

Ballard West Elementary is one of the middle-of-the-pack elementary campuss in Slater, Iowa, run under Ballard Comm School District, with 451 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 2. By comparison, Iowa's public schools average about 325 students each, so Ballard West Elementary sits 39% bigger than that benchmark.

Across the 4 schools in Ballard Comm School District (1,872 students total), Ballard West Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Ballard West Elementary records that the student body is overwhelmingly White (91%). Other groups include 5% Hispanic, 2% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 82% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully more White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.0:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.7:1 average. Roughly 19% of students at Ballard West Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Story County (around 28%), the school's rate is south of typical.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Story County put the typical household earns roughly $69,685 per year, 55% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. In all, Story County runs 26 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,665 students), of which Ballard West Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Ballard High School, around 3.3 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Ballard West Elementary.

The school occupies an outlying site.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Ballard West Elementary has rose 13%, going from 398 students in 2018 to 451 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio loosened from 13.7:1 in 2018 to 15.0:1 today.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.