Enrollment
203
High
DISTRICT 210 · STATE 468
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARTLEY-MELVIN-SANBORN COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 191366001963
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School
300 N 8th Ave W, Hartley, IA 51346 · (712) 928-3406 · O'Brien County
GRADES 09–12HIGH43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL203 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 60% of Iowa public high schools
- C+Test 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.
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 high schools
Student : Teacher
11.3:1
18 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.0:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
50%
102 students
DISTRICT 50% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 52 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 65 | 32% |
| Grade 11 | 46 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 40 | 20% |
Student demographics
36%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 33% · 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
Based on grade levels within Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
77.3%
IA avg 73.6% . -0.5pp since 2023
Math
70.0%
IA avg 70.9% . +5.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 77 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 70 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 77.3% | 70.0% |
| 2023-24 | 77.8% | 64.6% |
% 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
71.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
66.8%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 72% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 67% 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 Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School's state test result (71.7% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School this school | 203 | 50.2% | 71.7% |
| Sioux Central High School Sioux Rapids | 255 | 47.5% | 71.8% |
| Westside Junior-Senior High School Westside | 108 | 50.9% | 86.8% |
| Winfield-Mt Union Jr-Sr High School Winfield | 198 | 51.0% | 62.1% |
| Pocahontas Area Middle/ High School Pocahontas | 367 | 53.7% | 70.5% |
| Sidney High School Sidney | 196 | 48.0% | 75.6% |
Matched among Iowa high 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 Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 71.7% | #181 of 313 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 70.0% | #176 of 314 ▲ 40 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 77.3% | #163 of 314 ▼ 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 203 | #257 of 340 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.3:1 | #23 of 259 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 36.1% | #84 of 260 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 50.2% | #52 of 320 |
Ranked against other public high 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
203
+10 (+5%) vs 2020
-9% since 1990-91, when it was 224
Student : Teacher
11.3:1
was 10.2:1
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 | 203 | 18 | 11.3:1 | 50% (102) |
| 2023-24 | 208 | 19 | 10.9:1 | 52% (109) |
| 2022-23 | 203 | 19 | 10.7:1 | 47% (96) |
| 2020-21 | 193 | 19 | 10.2:1 | 39% (76) |
| 2017-18 | 184 | 18.4 | 10.0:1 | 33% (60) |
| 2015-16 | 179 | 17 | 10.5:1 | 23% (42) |
| 2010-11 | 208 | 18 | 11.6:1 | 20% (41) |
| 2000-01 | 302 | 22 | 13.7:1 | 20% (61) |
| 1990-91 | 224 | 18 | 12.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (184 to 203); teachers down 2% (18.4 to 18).
About Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School serves students in Hartley, Iowa, as a small high school. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 203 students in grades 9 through 12. Against the 468-student average for high schools in Iowa, enrollment here is 57% lower.
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Comm School District operates 3 schools. Combined enrollment is 629 students.
At 78%, White students outnumber all other groups at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School combined. It is also 15% Hispanic and 5% multiracial. O'Brien County's residents are about 88% White, 9 points above the school's share. By the diversity index, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School comes in at 36%.
Federal staffing data show 18 full-time-equivalent teachers at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School and a ratio of 11.3:1. That ratio is under the 17.3:1 average for high schools in Iowa. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 50% of students. On average, public schools in O'Brien County report 40%.
Measured against Iowa public high schools, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School receives a B. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School posts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 71.7%, compared with a predicted 66.8%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of Iowa schools on BeatsExpectations.
Census Bureau estimates for O'Brien County show that median household income is about $68,356, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 22%, and about 9% of people live in poverty. A total of 9 public schools operate in O'Brien County, serving about 2,377 students.
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Elementary School is the closest public school, less than a tenth of a mile away in a straight line. Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School is one of several public schools in the area, with 3 others within ten miles. The school's 71.7% average proficiency ranks 5th among 6 nearby schools.
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School has an NCES locale of Rural: Remote.
The number of students grew from 193 to 203 over 4 years. The number of students per teacher rose from 10.2 to 11.3 over 4 years.
To ask about school safety, transportation, and start times, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
O'Brien County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
14,126
Census ACS
Median income
$68,356
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
9
2,377 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Comm School District
- Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Elementary SchoolElementary · 261 students
- Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle SchoolMiddle · 165 students
Other schools in Hartley
- Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Elementary SchoolElementary · 261 students
Nearby schools
- Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Elementary School0.1 mi · 261
- Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle School8.7 mi · 165
- South O'Brien Elem School - Primghar Center9.9 mi · 328
- Clay Central-Everly Elementary13.2 mi · 53
- Johnson Elementary16.8 mi · 201
- Lincoln Elementary School17.2 mi · 442
Frequently asked questions
About Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High SchoolHow large is Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School?
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School enrolls approximately 203 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School serve?
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School is approximately 11.3:1 (18 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School?
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School reports a student body of 78% White, 15% Hispanic, 1% Black, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School?
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School is overseen by Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Comm School District in O'Brien County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.