Galva-Holstein Upper Elementary

Set in Galva, Iowa, Galva-Holstein Upper Elementary is a tiny 6-8 campus, overseen by Galva-Holstein Comm School District. It caters to 105 students across grades 4 through 6. That puts it 74% smaller than the typical public school in Iowa, which averages around 400 students.

Galva-Holstein Upper Elementary is one of 3 schools operated by Galva-Holstein Comm School District, a district that hosts 522 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Galva-Holstein Upper Elementary reports that nearly all students (83%) are White. Other groups include 11% Hispanic, 4% Black. The wider county runs roughly 93% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully less White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Galva-Holstein Upper Elementary has 6 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.7:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 15.2:1 average. Roughly 44% of students at Galva-Holstein Upper Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Galva-Holstein Upper Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 70.0%; this one delivers 75.7%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Ida County put median household income runs about $63,073, roughly 22% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Galva-Holstein Upper Elementary is one of 5 public schools in Ida County (combined enrollment of about 1,156 students).

Schaller-Crestland Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 5.9 miles from this campus. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Galva-Holstein Upper Elementary ranks 5th on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 75.4%.

The campus sits in a rural setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count climbed 5%: 100 students in 2018 compared to 105 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share shrank from 92% to 83%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 22.5:1 in 2018 to 17.7:1 in 2025.

On allk12, members of the Galva-Holstein Upper Elementary community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.