Lenihan Intermediate School

Located at 212 W Ingledue St, in Marshalltown, Iowa, Lenihan Intermediate School is a sizable junior high that works with 655 students (grades 5 through 6), operated by Marshalltown Comm School District. Enrollment runs roughly 64% bigger than the state mean of about 400.

Marshalltown Comm School District comprises 10 schools with combined enrollment of 5,099 students; Lenihan Intermediate School is among them.

On the student-mix side, Lenihan Intermediate School lists that 56% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 27% White, 7% Asian, 4% Black, 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 25% Hispanic, putting the school's mix visibly more Hispanic than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 53 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.4:1. The state averages around 15.2:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 78% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Marshall County (around 65%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

With demographic context factored in, Lenihan Intermediate School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 52.8%, the actual is 53.6%, a residual of +0.8 points.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Marshall County put median household income runs about $73,315, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Marshall County's 17 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,903 students), Lenihan Intermediate School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Marshalltown High School, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Lenihan Intermediate School ranks 7th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 59.9%.

The school occupies a town-center site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 12%: 741 students in 2018 compared to 655 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 13.5:1 in 2018 to 12.4:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Lenihan Intermediate School community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.