Harlan Intermediate School

Located at 1401 19th St, in Harlan, Iowa, Harlan Intermediate School is a medium-sized elementary campus that enrolls 309 students (grades 3 through 5), run under Harlan Comm School District.

Harlan Comm School District runs 4 schools in total, collectively educating 1,472 students. Harlan Intermediate School is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Harlan Intermediate School reports that 83% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder consists of 9% Hispanic, 7% multiracial. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 92%.

In terms of school funding signals, Harlan Intermediate School logs 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.3:1. The state averages about 13.7:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 43% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

With demographic context factored in, Harlan Intermediate School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 70.3%; this one delivers 68.7%.

In the area at large, Shelby County reports that the typical household earns roughly $72,738 per year, roughly 24% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Across Shelby County's 6 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,877 students), Harlan Intermediate School is one campus in the mix.

Harlan Primary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 3 other public schools cluster around Harlan Intermediate School. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Harlan Intermediate School ranks 7th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 78.4%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 5%: 326 students in 2018 compared to 309 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 90% to 83% across the same window. Class-load math has fell: from 17.9:1 in 2018 to 14.3:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.