Newell-Fonda Elementary

As a reasonably sized elementary school in Newell, Iowa, Newell-Fonda Elementary enrolls 280 students from grades pre-K through 5, one of the schools within Newell-Fonda Comm School District.

Within Newell-Fonda Comm School District, which oversees 3 schools and 542 students, Newell-Fonda Elementary is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Newell-Fonda Elementary shows that 72% of the student body identifies as White; the rest consists of 19% Hispanic, 9% Pacific Islander. The wider county runs roughly 60% White, putting the school's mix noticeably more White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.7:1. The state averages around 13.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 47% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Buena Vista County runs at roughly 60%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Newell-Fonda Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 68.5%, the actual is 67.0%, a residual of -1.6 points.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Buena Vista County put median household income runs about $71,719, roughly 22% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Newell-Fonda Elementary is one of 15 public schools in Buena Vista County (combined enrollment of about 4,691 students).

Nearest neighbor: Newell-Fonda Middle School, around 0.0 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Newell-Fonda Elementary. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Newell-Fonda Elementary ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 54.2%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count climbed 15%: 243 students in 2018 compared to 280 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share contracted from 82% to 72%. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 13.8:1 in 2018 to 15.7:1 today.

On the community side, the feed for Newell-Fonda Elementary typically covers classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.