Paton-Churdan Elementary

Paton-Churdan Elementary is one of the tiny elementary campuss in Churdan, Iowa, run under Paton-Churdan Comm School District, with 86 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 325 students per school, that is 74% smaller than typical.

Across the 2 schools in Paton-Churdan Comm School District (185 students total), Paton-Churdan Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Paton-Churdan Elementary lists that the student body is overwhelmingly White (93%). Other groups include 6% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Greene County as a whole.

On the resource side, The school employs 8 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 10.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting Paton-Churdan Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 56% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Greene County runs at roughly 48%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Paton-Churdan Elementary 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 64.0%; this one delivers 75.2%, a residual of +11.2 points.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Greene County put median household income runs about $63,409, about 21% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. Across Greene County's 5 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,425 students), Paton-Churdan Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Paton-Churdan Jr-Sr 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 ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Paton-Churdan Elementary at 2nd of 8; the average score across the group is 67.3%.

Paton-Churdan Elementary operates from an outlying location.

Looking at the recent track record. Paton-Churdan Elementary's enrollment has edged down 31% since 2018, when it stood at 125 (now 86). The White share of enrollment climbed from 89% to 93% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 13.4:1 in 2018 to 10.7:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.