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What's the best and worst thing about the food at Perry Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
816
Elementary
DISTRICT 578 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PERRY COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 192253000051
Perry Elementary
1600 8th Street, Perry, IA 50220 · (515) 465-5656 · Dallas County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL816 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 56% 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.
- A-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
12.9:1
63 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.9:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
60%
490 students
DISTRICT 57% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 73 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 120 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 115 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 118 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 143 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 130 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 117 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (120) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (117).
Student demographics
59%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · 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 Perry Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
70.2%
IA avg 73.6%
Math
73.1%
IA avg 70.9%
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 70 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 73 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71.
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
68.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
61.9%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 69% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 62% 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 Perry Elementary
Perry Elementary's state test result (68.8% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Elementary this school | 816 | 60.0% | 68.8% |
| Clarke Community Elementary School Osceola | 652 | 60.1% | 51.1% |
| South Tama County Elementary School Tama | 534 | 60.9% | 70.5% |
| Spalding Park Elementary Sioux City | 683 | 63.7% | 64.1% |
| Kinsey Elementary School Sioux Center | 483 | 54.0% | 81.1% |
| Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School Clarion | 469 | 56.9% | 65.5% |
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 Perry Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Dallas County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 68.8% | #354 of 564 | #15 of 15 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 73.1% | #335 of 564 | #15 of 15 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 70.2% | #328 of 564 | #15 of 15 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 816 | #6 of 705 | #1 of 20 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.9:1 | #210 of 561 | #2 of 18 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.1% | #145 of 561 | #4 of 18 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 60.0% | #127 of 666 | #1 of 20 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +9.5% | #91 of 168 | 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
816
+45 (+6%) vs 2020
-9% since 2000-01, when it was 895
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
was 12.8:1
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 | 816 | 63.2 | 12.9:1 | 60% (490) |
| 2023-24 | 869 | 66.7 | 13.0:1 | 58% (504) |
| 2022-23 | 815 | 69.3 | 11.8:1 | 60% (486) |
| 2020-21 | 771 | 60 | 12.8:1 | 55% (427) |
| 2017-18 | 745 | 60.1 | 12.4:1 | 73% (543) |
| 2015-16 | 758 | 63 | 12.0:1 | 79% (602) |
| 2010-11 | 883 | 64 | 13.8:1 | 69% (613) |
| 2000-01 | 895 | 64 | 14.0:1 | 50% (444) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Perry Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (745 to 816); teachers up 5% (60.1 to 63.2).
About Perry Elementary
Perry Elementary is the name of a large elementary school in Perry, Iowa. Grades offered run from pre-K through 5, with 816 students enrolled. The average among elementary schools in Iowa is roughly 325 students; this school is 151% bigger than that.
District-wide, Perry Comm School District has 3 schools and 1,735 students.
By race and ethnicity, the largest group at Perry Elementary is Hispanic (49%). Other groups include 40% White, 5% Black, and 3% multiracial. The county population is about 7% Hispanic. By the diversity index, Perry Elementary comes in at 59%.
Federal staffing data show 63.2 full-time-equivalent teachers at Perry Elementary and a ratio of 12.9:1. That ratio is under the 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Iowa. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 60% of students. On average, public schools in Dallas County report 22%.
Measured against Iowa public elementary schools, Perry Elementary 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.
Perry Elementary's average proficiency rate on state tests of 68.8% is 6.9 points above the 61.9% the model predicts from its lunch-eligibility share.
County data help place the school in context: in Dallas County, median household income is about $102,379, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 52%, and roughly 5% of residents are in poverty. Perry Elementary is among the 41 public schools in Dallas County.
The closest other public school is Perry Middle School, about 0.8 miles away. Around the school, 2 other public schools are within five miles. On proficiency, Perry Elementary is behind the 75.6% nearby average, ranking 7th of 8.
NCES describes the area around Perry Elementary as Town: Distant, meaning in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
Enrollment was 771 in 2020-21 and 816 in 2024-25, a gain of 45 students.
Questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Dallas County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
107,968
Census ACS
Median income
$102,379
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
52%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
41
22,938 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Perry Comm School District
- Perry High SchoolHigh · 549 students
- Perry Middle SchoolMiddle · 370 students
Other schools in Perry
- Perry High SchoolHigh · 549 students
- Perry Middle SchoolMiddle · 370 students
Other Perry Elementary schools
12 other US public schools in 9 states are named Perry Elementary. Perry Elementary is the largest of the 13.
- Perry Elementary SchoolPerry, OK · 573 students
- Perry Elementary SchoolPerry, OH · 538 students
- Perry Elementary SchoolErie, PA · 466 students
- PERRY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPERRY, NY · 411 students
- Perry Elementary SchoolLima, OH · 408 students
Nearby schools
- Perry Middle School0.8 mi · 370
- Perry High School0.8 mi · 549
- Woodward-Granger Middle School8.7 mi · 248
- Woodward-Granger High School8.7 mi · 270
- Woodward Academy9.4 mi · 110
- Dallas Center-Grimes Middle School13.2 mi · 586
Frequently asked questions
About Perry ElementaryHow large is Perry Elementary?
Perry Elementary enrolls approximately 816 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Perry Elementary serve?
Perry Elementary serves grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Perry Elementary?
Approximately 12.9:1 students per teacher at Perry Elementary.
How diverse is Perry Elementary?
Perry Elementary reports a student body of 40% White, 49% Hispanic, 5% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Perry Elementary?
Perry Elementary is overseen by Perry Comm School District in Dallas County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.