Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School

Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School is one of the medium-sized elementary campuss in Clarion, Iowa, operated by Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Comm School District, with 469 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 4. Enrollment runs roughly 44% larger than the state mean of about 325.

Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Comm School District runs 2 schools in total, collectively educating 760 students. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School records that the most-represented group is White (50%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. The remainder reads as 46% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 77%.

On the resource side, The school currently runs with 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.2:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 57% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 63.5%; this one delivers 65.5%.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Wright County indicate median household earnings sit near $67,190, roughly 25% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 14%. Across Wright County's 9 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,451 students), Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School at 4th of 9; the average score across the group is 61.9%.

The campus sits in an outlying setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School's enrollment has declined 8% since 2018, when it stood at 508 (now 469). Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 60% to 50%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 15.9:1 in 2018 to 13.2:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.