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What advice would you give to incoming students at Spirit Lake Elementary School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
547
Elementary
DISTRICT 440 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SPIRIT LAKE COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 192700001584
Spirit Lake Elementary School
709 28th Street, Spirit Lake, IA 51360 · (712) 336-2822 · Dickinson County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY33-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL547 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 93% of Iowa public elementary schools
- ATest 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
14.4:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
28%
151 students
DISTRICT 26% · 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 | 74 | 14% |
| Kindergarten | 118 | 22% |
| Grade 1 | 94 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 80 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 93 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 88 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (118) is 34% larger than its 4th grade class (88).
Student demographics
23%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 23% · 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 Spirit Lake Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
84.0%
IA avg 73.6% . -4.8pp since 2023
Math
84.7%
IA avg 70.9% . +1.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 84 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 5 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 1 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 84.0% | 84.7% |
| 2023-24 | 88.8% | 83.4% |
% 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
85.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
78.1%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 85% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 78% 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 Spirit Lake Elementary School
Spirit Lake Elementary School's state test result (85.3% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Lake Elementary School this school | 547 | 27.6% | 85.3% |
| Edward White Elementary School Eldridge | 556 | 28.6% | 81.9% |
| Hudson Elementary School Hudson | 562 | 25.8% | 80.9% |
| West Lyon Elementary School Inwood | 561 | 26.2% | 84.6% |
| Ekstrand Elementary School De Witt | 464 | 30.2% | 77.3% |
| Orchard Hills Elementary Norwalk | 558 | 23.8% | 81.8% |
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 Spirit Lake Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 85.3% | #49 of 564 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 84.7% | #131 of 564 ▲ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 84.0% | #79 of 564 ▼ 60 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 547 | #72 of 705 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.4:1 | #393 of 561 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 23.4% | #388 of 561 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 27.6% | #531 of 666 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +5.4% | #113 of 168 |
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
547
-1 (0%) vs 2020
-19% since 1990-91, when it was 674
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
was 15.7:1
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 | 547 | 38 | 14.4:1 | 28% (151) |
| 2023-24 | 568 | 37.4 | 15.2:1 | 26% (145) |
| 2022-23 | 537 | 36.7 | 14.7:1 | 28% (153) |
| 2020-21 | 548 | 35 | 15.7:1 | 28% (152) |
| 2017-18 | 519 | 33.2 | 15.6:1 | 29% (148) |
| 2015-16 | 491 | 30 | 16.4:1 | 30% (147) |
| 2010-11 | 427 | 29 | 14.7:1 | 27% (116) |
| 2000-01 | 467 | 33 | 14.2:1 | 21% (99) |
| 1990-91 | 674 | 30 | 22.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Spirit Lake Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (519 to 547); teachers up 14% (33.2 to 38).
About Spirit Lake Elementary School
Federal records list Spirit Lake Elementary School as an elementary school in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Students in pre-K through 4 attend the school, which enrolls 547 students. The average among elementary schools in Iowa is roughly 325 students; this school is 68% above that.
Spirit Lake Comm School District is made up of 3 schools with 1,319 students in all.
Most students at Spirit Lake Elementary School are White: 87% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 6% Hispanic, 3% multiracial, and 2% Black. By the diversity index, Spirit Lake Elementary School comes in at 23%.
Teachers at the school number 38 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 14.4:1. Across elementary schools in Iowa, the average ratio is about 13.7:1. The school's lunch program data list 28% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. That is close to the 31% average for public schools in Dickinson County.
The allk12 Grade for Spirit Lake Elementary School is A. Compared with Iowa public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 93% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the BeatsExpectations model predicts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 78.1% for Spirit Lake Elementary School. The school posts 85.3%, 7.1 points above the prediction.
Dickinson County census figures show that median household income is about $75,432, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 31% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 5%. A total of 9 public schools operate in Dickinson County, serving about 3,005 students.
The shortest distance from Spirit Lake Elementary School to another public school is less than a tenth of a mile, to Spirit Lake Middle School. The five-mile area around Spirit Lake Elementary School holds 2 other public schools. The nearest schools with test data average 75.9%, lower than Spirit Lake Elementary School's 85.3%.
Locale data from NCES put Spirit Lake Elementary School in a town far from an urbanized area (Town: Remote).
Federal data show 548 students in 2020-21 and 547 in 2024-25, a difference of under 3%. Federal data show the ratio falling from 15.7:1 to 14.4:1.
The discussion area below is open to posts about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Dickinson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
17,990
Census ACS
Median income
$75,432
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
9
3,005 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Spirit Lake Comm School District
- Spirit Lake High SchoolHigh · 393 students
- Spirit Lake Middle SchoolMiddle · 379 students
Other schools in Spirit Lake
- Spirit Lake High SchoolHigh · 393 students
- Spirit Lake Middle SchoolMiddle · 379 students
Other Spirit Lake Elementary schools
One other US public school is named Spirit Lake Elementary. Spirit Lake Elementary School is the largest of the 2.
- SPIRIT LAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSPIRIT LAKE, ID · 290 students
Nearby schools
- Spirit Lake Middle School0.1 mi · 379
- Spirit Lake High School0.2 mi · 393
- Okoboji Elementary School6.8 mi · 491
- Okoboji High School6.8 mi · 366
- Okoboji Middle School7.0 mi · 339
- Graettinger-Terril Elementary School9.8 mi · 149
Frequently asked questions
About Spirit Lake Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Spirit Lake Elementary School?
Spirit Lake Elementary School enrolls approximately 547 students in grades PK-04.
Is Spirit Lake Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Spirit Lake Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-04.
How many teachers does Spirit Lake Elementary School have?
Spirit Lake Elementary School employs 38 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.4:1.
How diverse is Spirit Lake Elementary School?
Spirit Lake Elementary School reports a student body of 87% White, 6% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Spirit Lake Elementary School public or private?
Spirit Lake Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Spirit Lake Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.