North Elementary School

North Elementary School is an elementary campus of low-enrollment scale in Leon, Iowa, one of the schools within Central Decatur Comm School District, works with 168 students in grades 3 through 6. Compared to the state average of about 325 students per school, that is 48% leaner than typical.

Central Decatur Comm School District runs 3 schools in total, collectively educating 632 students. North Elementary School is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, North Elementary School reports that nearly all students (92%) are White. Beyond that, the school shows 4% multiracial, 4% Hispanic. Compared to Decatur County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.3:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.7:1 average. Around 65% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), North Elementary School is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 59.2%; this one delivers 73.3%, a residual of +14.1 points.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Decatur County put median household earnings sit near $59,044, about 24% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. North Elementary School is one of 6 public schools in Decatur County (combined enrollment of about 967 students).

Central Decatur MS/HS High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), North Elementary School ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 61.4%.

Geographically, the school is in a low-density area.

Trend over the last 7 years. North Elementary School's enrollment has declined 24% since 2018, when it stood at 222 (now 168). Class-load math has fell: from 13.8:1 in 2018 to 11.3:1 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.