Clay Elementary

Set in Altoona, Iowa, Clay Elementary is a roomy elementary campus, run under Southeast Polk Comm School District. It caters to 700 students across grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 325 students per school, that is 115% bigger than typical.

Across the 10 schools in Southeast Polk Comm School District (6,359 students total), Clay Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Clay Elementary records that the largest single group is White, at 60% of enrollment. Other groups include 15% Hispanic, 14% Black, 8% multiracial, 3% Asian. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 76%.

On the resource side, Clay Elementary records 43 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 16.4:1. The state averages around 13.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 36% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is south of Polk County's rate of about 49%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Clay Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 73.9%; this one delivers 71.3%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Polk County indicate the typical household earns roughly $83,576 per year, about 40% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Across Polk County's 137 public schools (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students), Clay Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Centennial Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.4 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Clay Elementary comes 6th of 9 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 70.5%.

Clay Elementary operates from a commuter-belt location.

Looking at the recent track record. Clay Elementary's enrollment has edged up 9% since 2018, when it stood at 644 (now 700). The White share of enrollment ticked down from 79% to 60% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 17.8:1 in 2018 to 16.4:1 today.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.