South Winneshiek Elementary School

South Winneshiek Elementary School operates as a small elementary school in Ossian, Iowa, run under South Winneshiek Comm School District. Current enrollment sits at 198 students spanning grades pre-K through 4. By comparison, Iowa's public schools average about 325 students each, so South Winneshiek Elementary School sits 39% leaner than that benchmark.

Within South Winneshiek Comm School District, which oversees 3 schools and 529 students, South Winneshiek Elementary School is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, South Winneshiek Elementary School logs that 94% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder breaks down as 4% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Winneshiek County as a whole.

On the income-and-resources front, South Winneshiek Elementary School reports 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.3:1. The state averages about 13.7:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 33% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), South Winneshiek Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 75.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 79.7%.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Winneshiek County put median household income runs about $79,066, roughly 31% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. Across Winneshiek County's 10 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,434 students), South Winneshiek Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: South Winneshiek Middle School, around 0.0 miles off. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), South Winneshiek Elementary School ranks 4th on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 72.3%.

The school occupies a low-density site.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count climbed 3%: 192 students in 2018 compared to 198 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 90% to 94% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio loosened from 12.1:1 in 2018 to 14.3:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.