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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Madison Elementary School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
401
Elementary
DISTRICT 264 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PELLA COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 192247001508
Madison Elementary School
950 E. University St., Pella, IA 50219 · (641) 628-4638 · Marion County
GRADES PK–03ELEMENTARY32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL401 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 57% of Iowa public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats 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
11.9:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.1:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
21%
85 students
DISTRICT 16% · STATE 41%
Community
5
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 | 111 | 28% |
| Grade 1 | 85 | 21% |
| Grade 2 | 101 | 25% |
| Grade 3 | 104 | 26% |
Student demographics
24%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 24% · 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 Pella Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
73.0%
IA avg 73.6% . +2.5pp since 2023
Math
90.0%
IA avg 70.9% . +7.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 73 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 90 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are up about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 7 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 73.0% | 90.0% |
| 2023-24 | 70.5% | 82.9% |
% 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
79.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
81.3%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 79% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 81% 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 Madison Elementary School
Madison Elementary School's state test result (79.1% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Elementary School this school | 401 | 21.2% | 79.1% |
| North Ridge Elementary Waverly | 397 | 20.4% | N/A |
| Hoover Elementary School West Branch | 353 | 19.8% | 68.8% |
| Ballard East Elementary Cambridge | 417 | 23.5% | 76.9% |
| Atkins Elementary School Atkins | 394 | 19.3% | 83.0% |
| Ballard West Elementary Slater | 451 | 18.8% | N/A |
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 Madison Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Marion County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 79.1% | #150 of 564 | #2 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 90.0% | #37 of 564 ▲ 105 | #2 of 6 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 73.0% | #279 of 564 ▼ 3 | #4 of 6 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 401 | #219 of 705 | #3 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.9:1 | #108 of 561 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 24.1% | #381 of 561 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 21.2% | #585 of 666 | #6 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.6% | #185 of 359 | N/A |
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
401
-42 (-9%) vs 2020
-19% since 2010-11, when it was 493
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
was 14.8:1
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 | 401 | 33.6 | 11.9:1 | 21% (85) |
| 2023-24 | 486 | 34.3 | 14.2:1 | 24% (117) |
| 2022-23 | 490 | 34.1 | 14.4:1 | 23% (111) |
| 2020-21 | 443 | 30 | 14.8:1 | 18% (81) |
| 2017-18 | 459 | 30 | 15.3:1 | 16% (74) |
| 2015-16 | 517 | 34 | 15.2:1 | 20% (104) |
| 2010-11 | 493 | 31 | 15.9:1 | 20% (99) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Madison Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (459 to 401); teachers up 12% (30 to 33.6).
About Madison Elementary School
Madison Elementary School is an elementary school in Pella, Iowa, reachable at (641) 628-4638. It educates 401 students in pre-K through 3. The school's enrollment is 23% larger than the 325 average for elementary schools in Iowa.
Pella Comm School District is the district for Madison Elementary School. It has 6 schools and 2,462 students.
At Madison Elementary School, White students make up 87% of the student body. Other students are 5% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, and 2% Black. Madison Elementary School has a diversity index of 24%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
A ratio of 11.9:1 comes from the school's 33.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. For comparison, elementary schools in Iowa average 13.7:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 21% in 2024-25. It compares with 29% for public schools in Marion County.
Measured against Iowa public elementary schools, Madison Elementary 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.
Madison Elementary School's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (79.1%) and its predicted rate (81.3%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Iowa schools.
Among Marion County residents, median household income is about $78,680, roughly 32% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Federal data list 17 public schools in Marion County, with a combined enrollment of about 5,571.
The closest public school, Viersen Early Learning Center, is about 0.1 miles from Madison Elementary School. Around the school, 5 other public schools are within five miles. Madison Elementary School places 6th of 8 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
For locale, NCES codes Madison Elementary School as Town: Distant.
Madison Elementary School had 443 students in 2020-21 and 401 in 2024-25, a 9% decrease. The student-to-teacher ratio went down from 14.8:1 to 11.9:1.
Posts about school safety, transportation, and start times are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Marion County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
33,642
Census ACS
Median income
$78,680
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
17
5,571 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pella Comm School District
- Pella High SchoolHigh · 801 students
- Jefferson IntermediateMiddle · 494 students
- Pella Middle SchoolMiddle · 375 students
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolElementary · 254 students
- Viersen Early Learning CenterElementary · 137 students
Other schools in Pella
- Pella High SchoolHigh · 801 students
- Jefferson IntermediateMiddle · 494 students
- Pella Middle SchoolMiddle · 375 students
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolElementary · 254 students
- Viersen Early Learning CenterElementary · 137 students
Other Madison Elementary schools
59 other US public schools in 27 states are named Madison Elementary. Madison Elementary School is the 28th largest of the 60.
- Madison Elementary SchoolMuscatine, IA · 372 students
- Madison Elementary SchoolDavenport, IA · 318 students
- Madison Elementary SchoolDes Moines, IA · 285 students
- Madison Elementary SchoolCedar Rapids, IA · 153 students
- Madison ElementaryNorth Highlands, CA · 754 students
Nearby schools
- Viersen Early Learning Center0.1 mi · 137
- Pella Middle School0.4 mi · 375
- Pella High School0.4 mi · 801
- Jefferson Intermediate0.5 mi · 494
- Lincoln Elementary School1.4 mi · 254
- Northstar Elementary School11.9 mi · 348
Frequently asked questions
About Madison Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Madison Elementary School?
Madison Elementary School enrolls approximately 401 students in grades PK-03.
Is Madison Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Madison Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-03.
How many students per teacher at Madison Elementary School?
Approximately 11.9:1 students per teacher at Madison Elementary School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Madison Elementary School?
At Madison Elementary School, the student body is approximately 87% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Madison Elementary School public or private?
Madison Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Pella Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.