Enrollment
241
High
DISTRICT 285 · STATE 468
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH O'BRIEN COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190002601341
South O'Brien Secondary School
307 W Groesbeck, Paullina, IA 51046 · (712) 949-3454 · O'Brien County
GRADES 07–12HIGH43-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL241 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 92% of Iowa public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats 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 high schools
Student : Teacher
11.7:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.4:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
29%
70 students
DISTRICT 34% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 36 | 15% |
| Grade 8 | 39 | 16% |
| Grade 9 | 41 | 17% |
| Grade 10 | 35 | 15% |
| Grade 11 | 46 | 19% |
| Grade 12 | 44 | 18% |
Student demographics
17%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 19% · 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
Based on grade levels within South O'Brien Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at South O'Brien Secondary School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
86.9%
IA avg 73.6% . -2.6pp since 2023
Math
84.8%
IA avg 70.9% . +5.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 87 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 85 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are down about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 86.9% | 84.8% |
| 2023-24 | 89.5% | 79.6% |
% 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
82.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
77.4%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 83% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 77% 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 South O'Brien Secondary School
South O'Brien Secondary School's state test result (82.9% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South O'Brien Secondary School this school | 241 | 29.0% | 82.9% |
| Sumner-Fredericksburg High School Sumner | 243 | 29.6% | 70.6% |
| Central Springs High School Manly | 236 | 29.7% | 76.7% |
| MMCRU High School Marcus | 213 | 29.1% | 79.3% |
| Lone Tree Middle-Senior High School Lone Tree | 205 | 29.8% | 64.4% |
| Iowa Valley Jr-Sr High School Marengo | 229 | 30.6% | 75.1% |
Matched among Iowa high 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 South O'Brien Secondary School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 82.9% | #31 of 313 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 84.8% | #20 of 314 ▲ 21 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 86.9% | #40 of 314 ▼ 20 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 241 | #223 of 340 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.7:1 | #31 of 259 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 17.0% | #177 of 260 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 29.0% | #219 of 320 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.8% | #35 of 125 |
Ranked against other public high 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
241
-32 (-12%) vs 2020
-14% since 2000-01, when it was 280
Student : Teacher
11.7:1
was 12.4:1
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 | 241 | 20.6 | 11.7:1 | 29% (70) |
| 2023-24 | 242 | 21.3 | 11.4:1 | 31% (74) |
| 2022-23 | 252 | 20.3 | 12.4:1 | 30% (76) |
| 2020-21 | 273 | 22 | 12.4:1 | 33% (89) |
| 2017-18 | 283 | 24.9 | 11.4:1 | 23% (65) |
| 2015-16 | 290 | 23 | 12.6:1 | 26% (76) |
| 2010-11 | 302 | 24 | 12.6:1 | 25% (77) |
| 2000-01 | 280 | 16 | 17.5:1 | 18% (51) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South O'Brien Secondary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (283 to 241); teachers down 17% (24.9 to 20.6).
About South O'Brien Secondary School
Families in Paullina, Iowa, are served by South O'Brien Secondary School, a low-enrollment high school. The school serves grades 7 through 12. Enrollment is 241 students. By comparison, high schools in Iowa enroll about 468 students on average.
South O'Brien Comm School District runs South O'Brien Secondary School along with 1 other school, enrolling 569 students in total.
White students are 91% of those enrolled at South O'Brien Secondary School. Other reported shares: 6% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. That is in line with O'Brien County, where about 88% of residents are White. A diversity index of 17% means there is a 17% chance two randomly chosen students at South O'Brien Secondary School are from different groups.
For every teacher at South O'Brien Secondary School, there are about 11.7 students; the school has 20.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. Compared with the 17.3:1 average for high schools in Iowa, this school's ratio is lower. The eligibility rate for free or reduced-price meals is 29%. By comparison, the figure for public schools in O'Brien County is 40%.
On the allk12 Grade, South O'Brien Secondary School lands at A, ahead of 92% of Iowa public high schools.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, South O'Brien Secondary School is 5.5 points above its prediction. Actual: 82.9%. Predicted: 77.4%.
For the population of O'Brien County, median household income comes to about $68,356, 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 9% of people live in poverty. O'Brien County's 9 public schools enroll about 2,377 students and include South O'Brien Secondary School.
Measured in a straight line, South O'Brien Elem School - Primghar Center is about 8.3 miles from South O'Brien Secondary School. South O'Brien Secondary School comes in 3rd of 8 nearby schools on average proficiency.
Locale data from NCES put South O'Brien Secondary School in rural territory far from an urban area (Rural: Remote).
Enrollment was 241 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 273.
The allk12 page for South O'Brien Secondary School lets the school community talk about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
O'Brien County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
14,126
Census ACS
Median income
$68,356
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
9
2,377 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in South O'Brien Comm School District
- South O'Brien Elem School - Primghar CenterElementary · 328 students
Nearby schools
- South O'Brien Elem School - Primghar Center8.3 mi · 328
- MMCRU Marcus Elementary12.3 mi · 166
- MMCRU High School12.4 mi · 213
- Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle School14.5 mi · 165
- Sheldon Middle School15.9 mi · 312
- Sheldon High School16.0 mi · 356
Frequently asked questions
About South O'Brien Secondary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at South O'Brien Secondary School?
South O'Brien Secondary School enrolls approximately 241 students in grades 07-12.
Is South O'Brien Secondary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
South O'Brien Secondary School is a high school covering grades 07-12.
How many teachers does South O'Brien Secondary School have?
South O'Brien Secondary School employs 21 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.7:1.
What is the student diversity at South O'Brien Secondary School?
Student demographics at South O'Brien Secondary School are roughly 91% White, 6% Hispanic, 0% Black, 3% Two or more.
What district is South O'Brien Secondary School in?
South O'Brien Secondary School is part of South O'Brien Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.