Enrollment
317
Elementary
DISTRICT 278 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FAIRFIELD COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 191134000698
Pence Elementary
1000 South 6th Street, Fairfield, IA 52556 · (641) 472-2957 · Jefferson County
GRADES 02–04ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL317 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 25% of Iowa public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats 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
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.0:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
56%
179 students
DISTRICT 47% · STATE 41%
Community
0
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 2 | 110 | 35% |
| Grade 3 | 103 | 32% |
| Grade 4 | 104 | 33% |
Student demographics
36%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 36% · 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
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Fairfield Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
67.7%
IA avg 73.6% . +8.1pp since 2023
Math
60.9%
IA avg 70.9% . -2.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 68 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 61 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 8 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 2 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 67.7% | 60.9% |
| 2023-24 | 59.6% | 63.3% |
% 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
62.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
63.7%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 63% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 64% 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 Pence Elementary
Pence Elementary's state test result (62.8% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pence Elementary this school | 317 | 56.5% | 62.8% |
| Lincoln Elementary School Spencer | 442 | 53.6% | 69.9% |
| Emerson Hough Elementary School Newton | 336 | 57.1% | 68.6% |
| Lincoln Elementary School Charles City | 280 | 61.4% | 59.1% |
| Washington Elementary Fairfield | 239 | 51.9% | N/A |
| Van Allen Elementary School Mount Pleasant | 362 | 49.7% | 61.1% |
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 Pence Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 62.8% | #437 of 564 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 60.9% | #472 of 564 ▼ 22 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 67.7% | #373 of 564 ▲ 66 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 317 | #341 of 705 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.9:1 | #101 of 561 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 36.5% | #289 of 561 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 56.5% | #156 of 666 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.6% | #240 of 359 |
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
317
+12 (+4%) vs 2020
+1% since 1990-91, when it was 315
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
was 11.3:1
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 | 317 | 26.7 | 11.9:1 | 56% (179) |
| 2023-24 | 339 | 26.3 | 12.9:1 | 50% (171) |
| 2022-23 | 333 | 28.1 | 11.8:1 | 52% (172) |
| 2020-21 | 305 | 27 | 11.3:1 | 49% (149) |
| 2017-18 | 347 | 25.8 | 13.5:1 | 50% (172) |
| 2015-16 | 294 | 23 | 12.8:1 | 55% (163) |
| 2010-11 | 339 | 27 | 12.6:1 | 53% (181) |
| 2000-01 | 297 | 23 | 12.9:1 | 27% (79) |
| 1990-91 | 315 | 23 | 13.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Pence Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (347 to 317); teachers up 4% (25.8 to 26.7).
About Pence Elementary
Pence Elementary sits in Fairfield, Iowa, and is classified as an elementary school. The student body numbers 317 students, from grades 2 through 4.
Pence Elementary is run by Fairfield Comm School District, whose 4 schools enroll 1,408 students.
White students are the majority at Pence Elementary, with 79% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 8% multiracial, 7% Hispanic, and 4% Asian. The school's diversity index is 36%, meaning two students picked at random have a 36% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The school reported 26.7 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 11.9:1. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Iowa. Eligible students account for 56% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. The average for public schools in Jefferson County is 45%.
The allk12 Grade for Pence Elementary is C. Compared with Iowa public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 25% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Pence Elementary, the prediction is 63.7% and the result is 62.8%.
Among Jefferson County residents, the median household income is $61,620, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 43%, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. Besides Pence Elementary, Jefferson County has 5 other public schools.
The closest other public school is Fairfield Middle School, about 0.2 miles away. Within five miles are 3 other public schools. Of 8 schools in the immediate area with test results, Pence Elementary ranks 8th on average proficiency.
The federal government classifies Pence Elementary's location as Town: Remote.
Federal data show a 4% enrollment gain, from 305 in 2020-21 to 317 in 2024-25.
If you have questions about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at Pence Elementary, you can post them here. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Jefferson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
15,705
Census ACS
Median income
$61,620
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
6
1,974 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Fairfield Comm School District
- Fairfield High SchoolHigh · 442 students
- Fairfield Middle SchoolMiddle · 410 students
- Washington ElementaryElementary · 239 students
Other schools in Fairfield
- Fairfield High SchoolHigh · 442 students
- Fairfield Middle SchoolMiddle · 410 students
- Washington ElementaryElementary · 239 students
Nearby schools
- Fairfield Middle School0.2 mi · 410
- Washington Elementary0.8 mi · 239
- Fairfield High School1.1 mi · 442
- Van Buren County Community School District Douds Center12.9 mi · 292
- Cardinal High School14.1 mi · 270
- Cardinal Junior High14.1 mi · 314
Frequently asked questions
About Pence ElementaryHow large is Pence Elementary?
Pence Elementary enrolls approximately 317 students in grades 02-04.
Is Pence Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Pence Elementary is an elementary school covering grades 02-04.
How many teachers does Pence Elementary have?
Pence Elementary employs 27 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Pence Elementary?
Student demographics at Pence Elementary are roughly 79% White, 7% Hispanic, 2% Black, 4% Asian, 8% Two or more.
What district is Pence Elementary in?
Pence Elementary is part of Fairfield Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.