Red Oak Early Childhood Center

Red Oak Early Childhood Center, a very small K-5 school in Red Oak, Iowa, part of Red Oak Comm School District, serves 51 students, covering grade pre-K. Compared to the state average of about 325 students per school, that is 84% smaller than typical.

Red Oak Comm School District runs 3 schools in total, collectively educating 932 students. Red Oak Early Childhood Center is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Red Oak Early Childhood Center shows that 82% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Beyond that, the school records 12% Hispanic, 6% multiracial. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 92%.

On the resource side, Red Oak Early Childhood Center lists 4 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.8:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.7:1 average. An estimated 53% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Montgomery County put the typical household earns roughly $63,666 per year, about 20% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Across Montgomery County's 7 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,473 students), Red Oak Early Childhood Center is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Inman Elementary School, around 1.0 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Red Oak Early Childhood Center.

Red Oak Early Childhood Center operates from a small-town location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 70%: 171 students in 2018 compared to 51 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share contracted from 88% to 82%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 17.8:1 in 2018 to 12.8:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.