Enrollment
200
Elementary
DISTRICT 212 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTHEAST VALLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 199901902077
Dayton Center
104 2nd St. NW, Dayton, IA 50530 · (515) 547-2314 · Webster County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL200 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 69% of Iowa public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Iowa public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
17 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
51%
102 students
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 27 | 14% |
| Kindergarten | 42 | 21% |
| Grade 1 | 33 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 27 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 30 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 41 | 21% |
This year's kindergarten class (42) is about the same size as its 4th grade class (41).
Student demographics
21%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 17% · STATE 48% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Southeast Valley Community School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
62.4%
IA avg 73.6% . -6.8pp since 2023
Math
81.2%
IA avg 70.9% . -3.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 81 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are down about 7 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 3 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 62.4% | 81.2% |
| 2023-24 | 69.2% | 84.6% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
74.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
66.4%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 75% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 66% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Iowa's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Dayton Center
Dayton Center's state test result (74.8% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton Center this school | 200 | 51.0% | 74.8% |
| Southeast Valley Elementary Farnhamville | 223 | 51.1% | N/A |
| Schuler Elementary School Atlantic | 206 | 49.0% | 68.9% |
| AGWSR Elementary School Ackley | 227 | 50.7% | 67.4% |
| CR-B Elementary School Coon Rapids | 233 | 50.2% | 77.8% |
| Colo-Nesco Elementary School Zearing | 169 | 50.9% | 70.5% |
Matched among Iowa elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Dayton Center ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Webster County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 74.8% | #245 of 564 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 81.2% | #197 of 564 ▼ 81 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.4% | #435 of 564 ▼ 118 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 200 | #561 of 705 | #7 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.9:1 | #106 of 561 | #1 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 21.0% | #409 of 561 | #6 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 51.0% | #203 of 666 | #3 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.4% | #177 of 359 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
200
-5 (-2%) vs 2020
+28% since 2000-01, when it was 156
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
was 12.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 200 | 16.8 | 11.9:1 | 51% (102) |
| 2023-24 | 205 | 18 | 11.4:1 | 46% (95) |
| 2022-23 | 199 | 18 | 11.1:1 | 45% (89) |
| 2020-21 | 205 | 17 | 12.1:1 | 41% (84) |
| 2017-18 | 231 | 17.3 | 13.3:1 | 42% (97) |
| 2015-16 | 255 | 17 | 15.0:1 | 40% (103) |
| 2010-11 | 212 | 14 | 15.1:1 | 47% (100) |
| 2000-01 | 156 | 10 | 15.6:1 | 22% (35) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Dayton Center.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (231 to 200); teachers down 3% (17.3 to 16.8).
About Dayton Center
Dayton Center is a small elementary school in Iowa, with an address in Dayton. Enrollment totals 200 students across pre-K through 4. The school is 38% below the average for elementary schools in Iowa.
Within Southeast Valley Community School District, Dayton Center is one of 4 schools. The district enrolls 1,077 students.
Of every 100 students at Dayton Center, about 89 are White. Other students are 8% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. Census estimates put Webster County at about 86% White, close to the school's figure. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 21%.
There are 16.8 full-time-equivalent teachers at Dayton Center, giving a ratio of 11.9:1. The school's 11.9:1 compares with an average of 13.7:1 for elementary schools in Iowa. By family income, 51% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 50% average for public schools in Webster County.
Dayton Center earns a B+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 69% of Iowa public elementary schools.
Dayton Center scores 74.8% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 66.4%.
The school is in Webster County, where the median household earns about $68,975 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 22% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 6%. Across Webster County, 12 public schools serve about 4,678 students.
The closest school to Dayton Center is Southeast Valley Middle School, located about 5.7 miles away. There are 2 more public schools inside ten miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Dayton Center at 4th of 8.
Federal data place Dayton Center in the Rural: Distant locale, which means it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
There was little change in enrollment from 2020-21 (205) to 2024-25 (200).
The Dayton Center discussion page is a place for homework, tutoring, and testing dates. You can also rate the school on this page.
Webster County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
36,886
Census ACS
Median income
$68,975
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
12
4,678 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Southeast Valley Community School District
- Southeast Valley High SchoolHigh · 340 students
- Southeast Valley Middle SchoolMiddle · 314 students
- Southeast Valley ElementaryElementary · 223 students
Nearby schools
- Southeast Valley Middle School5.7 mi · 314
- Stratford Elementary7.4 mi · 74
- Southeast Valley High School11.6 mi · 340
- Ogden Elementary School15.5 mi · 321
- Franklin Elementary School16.0 mi · 329
- Ogden Middle School16.0 mi · 158
Frequently asked questions
About Dayton CenterHow many students attend Dayton Center?
Dayton Center enrolls approximately 200 students in grades PK-04.
Is Dayton Center an elementary, middle, or high school?
Dayton Center is an elementary school covering grades PK-04.
How many teachers does Dayton Center have?
Dayton Center employs 17 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.9:1.
How diverse is Dayton Center?
Dayton Center reports a student body of 89% White, 8% Hispanic, 3% Two or more.
What district is Dayton Center in?
Dayton Center is part of Southeast Valley Community School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.