Tilford Elementary School

Set in Vinton, Iowa, Tilford Elementary School is a heavily attended elementary campus, operated by Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District. It instructs 544 students across grades pre-K through 4. Enrollment runs roughly 67% larger than the state mean of about 325.

Across the 4 schools in Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District (1,558 students total), Tilford Elementary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Tilford Elementary School lists that 92% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Beyond that, the school shows 3% Hispanic, 2% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with Benton County as a whole.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 40 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.5:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 13.7:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 53% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Benton County runs at roughly 37%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Tilford Elementary School sits in the top 10% of Iowa schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 65.2%; actual is 76.9%, +11.7 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the broader community, census data for Benton County shows median household earnings sit near $86,962, about 26% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. Tilford Elementary School is one of 12 public schools in Benton County (combined enrollment of about 3,919 students).

The closest other public school is Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School, roughly 0.4 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Tilford Elementary School at 5th of 7; the average score across the group is 78.3%.

Geographically, the school is in an outlying area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Tilford Elementary School's enrollment has expanded 21% since 2018, when it stood at 448 (now 544). White enrollment moved from 96% to 92% across the same window.

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