Enrollment
249
Elementary
DISTRICT 351 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·OTTUMWA COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 192211001320
James Elementary School
1001 N Benton, Ottumwa, IA 52501 · (641) 684-5411 · Wapello County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL249 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 2% of Iowa public elementary schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- FBeats 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
13.1:1
19 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
68%
170 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 41 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 34 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 44 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 47 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 37 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 46 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (41) is 11% smaller than its 5th grade class (46).
Student demographics
76%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 67% · 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 Ottumwa Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
44.4%
IA avg 73.6% . -1.8pp since 2023
Math
43.3%
IA avg 70.9% . +3.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 43 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 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 4 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 44.4% | 43.3% |
| 2023-24 | 46.2% | 39.8% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of IA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
41.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.8%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-16.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 42% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 58% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
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 James Elementary School
James Elementary School's state test result (41.5% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Elementary School this school | 249 | 68.3% | 41.5% |
| Wright Elementary School Cedar Rapids | 282 | 68.8% | 58.9% |
| McKee Elementary School Des Moines | 235 | 66.0% | N/A |
| Pleasant Hill Elementary School Des Moines | 241 | 68.9% | 61.2% |
| Harrison Elementary School Cedar Rapids | 277 | 65.7% | 45.5% |
| Hayes Elementary School Davenport | 377 | 63.9% | 42.0% |
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 James Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Wapello County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 41.5% | #546 of 564 | #7 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 43.3% | #547 of 564 ▲ 5 | #7 of 7 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 44.4% | #537 of 564 ▼ 16 | #7 of 7 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 249 | #480 of 705 | #8 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.1:1 | #234 of 561 | #5 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 75.5% | #11 of 561 | #2 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 68.3% | #82 of 666 | #1 of 10 |
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
249
+14 (+6%) vs 2020
+12% since 1990-91, when it was 223
Student : Teacher
13.1:1
was 15.7:1
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 | 249 | 19.1 | 13.1:1 | 68% (170) |
| 2023-24 | 228 | 18 | 12.6:1 | 78% (177) |
| 2022-23 | 229 | 16.9 | 13.5:1 | 64% (146) |
| 2020-21 | 235 | 15 | 15.7:1 | 17% (41) |
| 2017-18 | 185 | 16.5 | 11.2:1 | 56% (103) |
| 2015-16 | 213 | 17 | 12.5:1 | 61% (129) |
| 2010-11 | 228 | 17 | 13.4:1 | 73% (166) |
| 2000-01 | 231 | 18 | 12.8:1 | 69% (160) |
| 1990-91 | 223 | 14 | 15.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 35% (185 to 249); teachers up 15% (16.5 to 19.1).
About James Elementary School
James Elementary School, a small elementary school, is located in Ottumwa, Iowa. It reports enrollment of 249 students in kindergarten through 5. The school is 23% below the average for elementary schools in Iowa.
Ottumwa Comm School District runs 12 schools with a combined 5,005 students. James Elementary School is one of them.
White students make up 34% of enrollment at James Elementary School, the largest share of any group. Beyond that, enrollment is 23% Hispanic, 22% Pacific Islander, 16% Black, and 3% multiracial. In Wapello County overall, about 79% of residents are White. A diversity index of 76% means there is a 76% chance two randomly chosen students at James Elementary School are from different groups.
There are about 13.1 students for every full-time-equivalent teacher at James Elementary School, which has 19.1. The 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Iowa is close to this figure. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at James Elementary School is about 68%. For comparison, public schools in Wapello County average 48%.
James Elementary School earns an F on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 2% of Iowa public elementary schools.
James Elementary School posts an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 41.5%. Schools with its free or reduced-price lunch share in Iowa are predicted to post 57.8%, so the school is 16.3 points behind and in the state's bottom 10%.
American Community Survey estimates for Wapello County show that median household income comes to about $64,766, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 20% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 12%. Wapello County counts 18 public schools with about 6,892 students.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, Gateway High School, is about 0.6 miles. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Among the 7 closest schools with test data, this one included, James Elementary School ranks 6th on average proficiency.
The school is in a town far from an urbanized area, according to its NCES locale (Town: Remote).
Enrollment rose 6% over 4 years, reaching 249 in 2024-25. The ratio of students to teachers went from 15.7:1 to 13.1:1 over the same years.
This community page is for conversations about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Wapello County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
35,362
Census ACS
Median income
$64,766
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
18
6,892 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Ottumwa Comm School District
- Ottumwa High SchoolHigh · 910 students
- Evans Junior High SchoolHigh · 684 students
- Liberty Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 633 students
- Pickwick Early Childhood CenterElementary · 560 students
- Fahrney ElementaryElementary · 490 students
- Wilson Elementary SchoolElementary · 335 students
Other schools in Ottumwa
- Ottumwa High SchoolHigh · 910 students
- Evans Junior High SchoolHigh · 684 students
- Liberty Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 633 students
- Pickwick Early Childhood CenterElementary · 560 students
- Fahrney ElementaryElementary · 490 students
- Wilson Elementary SchoolElementary · 335 students
Other James Elementary schools
4 other US public schools in 5 states are named James Elementary. James Elementary School is the 5th largest of the 5.
- James Elementary SchoolPRINCETON, TX · 477 students
- JAMES ELEMENTARY SCHOOLTAMPA, FL · 388 students
- JAMES ELEMENTARYPORTALES, NM · 364 students
- JAMES ELEMENTARYKANSAS CITY, MO · 328 students
Nearby schools
- Gateway High School0.6 mi · 213
- Horace Mann Elementary School0.8 mi · 250
- Ottumwa High School1.4 mi · 910
- Wilson Elementary School1.6 mi · 335
- Eisenhower Elementary School1.8 mi · 248
- Evans Junior High School2.1 mi · 684
Frequently asked questions
About James Elementary SchoolHow large is James Elementary School?
James Elementary School enrolls approximately 249 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does James Elementary School serve?
James Elementary School serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at James Elementary School?
Approximately 13.1:1 students per teacher at James Elementary School.
What is the student diversity at James Elementary School?
Student demographics at James Elementary School are roughly 34% White, 23% Hispanic, 16% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is James Elementary School in?
James Elementary School is part of Ottumwa Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.