Benton Community Middle School

Benton Community Middle School is a middle-grades school of close-knit scale in Van Horne, Iowa, operated by Benton Comm School District, enrolling 235 students in grades 7 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 41% leaner than the state mean of about 400.

Benton Comm School District runs 5 schools in total, collectively educating 1,614 students. Benton Community Middle School is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Benton Community Middle School records that the student body is overwhelmingly White (91%). Beyond that, the school shows 3% multiracial, 3% Hispanic, 3% Black. That composition is broadly in line with Benton County as a whole.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Benton Community Middle School has 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 16.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.2:1, putting Benton Community Middle School higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 22% of students at Benton Community Middle School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is lower than Benton County's rate of about 37%.

After controlling for student poverty, Benton Community Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 81.1%, the actual is 76.6%, a residual of -4.5 points.

In the broader community, Benton County reports that median household income runs about $86,962, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. Across Benton County's 12 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,919 students), Benton Community Middle School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Benton Community Senior High School, roughly 0.0 miles away. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Benton Community Middle School at 7th of 9; the average score across the group is 78.3%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Benton Community Middle School has edged up 5%, going from 223 students in 2018 to 235 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 96% to 91% across the same window.

On this page, members of the Benton Community Middle School community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.