Enrollment
292
Elementary
DISTRICT 297 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHARITON COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190705000317
Van Allen Elementary School
1129 Ashland, Chariton, IA 50049 · (641) 774-5047 · Lucas County
GRADES 03–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL292 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 43% of Iowa public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats 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
16.2:1
18 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.7:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
60%
175 students
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 41%
Community
0
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 102 | 35% |
| Grade 4 | 102 | 35% |
| Grade 5 | 88 | 30% |
Student demographics
19%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 20% · 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
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Chariton Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
71.8%
IA avg 73.6% . +8.6pp since 2023
Math
66.0%
IA avg 70.9% . -0.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 72 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 66 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are up about 9 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 71.8% | 66.0% |
| 2023-24 | 63.2% | 66.2% |
% 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
65.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
62.0%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 66% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 62% 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 Van Allen Elementary School
Van Allen Elementary School's state test result (65.7% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Allen Elementary School this school | 292 | 59.9% | 65.7% |
| Sidney Elementary School Sidney | 241 | 57.7% | 77.3% |
| Crestwood Elementary School Cresco | 349 | 59.0% | 75.2% |
| Wings Park Elementary School Oelwein | 294 | 59.2% | 67.4% |
| Cardinal Elementary School Maquoketa | 260 | 60.8% | N/A |
| Columbus Elementary School Chariton | 301 | 65.4% | N/A |
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 Van Allen Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 65.7% | #397 of 564 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 66.0% | #438 of 564 ▼ 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 71.8% | #304 of 564 ▲ 91 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 292 | #396 of 705 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.2:1 | #515 of 561 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 18.8% | #442 of 561 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 59.9% | #129 of 666 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.8% | #142 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
292
+26 (+10%) vs 2020
-11% since 1990-91, when it was 328
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
was 13.3:1
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 | 292 | 18.1 | 16.2:1 | 60% (175) |
| 2023-24 | 276 | 18.2 | 15.2:1 | 53% (146) |
| 2022-23 | 254 | 19 | 13.4:1 | 52% (132) |
| 2020-21 | 266 | 20 | 13.3:1 | 56% (150) |
| 2017-18 | 284 | 20.5 | 13.8:1 | 55% (157) |
| 2015-16 | 282 | 20 | 14.1:1 | 55% (155) |
| 2010-11 | 322 | 25 | 12.9:1 | 57% (183) |
| 2000-01 | 316 | 20 | 15.8:1 | 37% (118) |
| 1990-91 | 328 | 21 | 15.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Van Allen Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (284 to 292); teachers down 12% (20.5 to 18.1).
About Van Allen Elementary School
Federal records list Van Allen Elementary School as an elementary school in Chariton, Iowa. Enrolled students number 292 students, in grades 3 through 5.
The district, Chariton Comm School District, has 1,249 students enrolled across 4 schools.
About 90% of the student body at Van Allen Elementary School is White. Beyond that, enrollment is 8% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. Van Allen Elementary School's diversity index is 19%, against a US figure of 70%.
Dividing enrollment by its 18.1 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 16.2:1. That is higher than the 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Iowa. Eligible students account for 60% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. That tracks the 58% average for public schools in Lucas County.
Measured against Iowa public elementary schools, Van Allen Elementary School receives a C+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
The school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 65.7%. For its free or reduced-price lunch share, the predicted value is 62.0%.
In Lucas County (population about 8,716), the median household income is $61,793, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 16% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 12%. There are 4 public schools in Lucas County, enrolling about 1,249 students in all.
The closest public school to Van Allen Elementary School is Chariton High School, about 0.3 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, 3 other public schools are within five miles. Its average proficiency rate of 65.7% is below the 66.2% average for nearby schools.
Locale: Rural: Remote. In NCES terms, the school is in rural territory far from an urban area.
2024-25 enrollment was 292, a 10% gain from 266 in 2020-21. The ratio of students to teachers went from 13.3:1 to 16.2:1 over the same years.
Threads on this page can be about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Lucas County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
8,716
Census ACS
Median income
$61,793
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
4
1,249 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Chariton Comm School District
- Chariton High SchoolHigh · 372 students
- Columbus Elementary SchoolElementary · 301 students
- Chariton Middle SchoolMiddle · 284 students
Other schools in Chariton
- Chariton High SchoolHigh · 372 students
- Columbus Elementary SchoolElementary · 301 students
- Chariton Middle SchoolMiddle · 284 students
Other Van Allen Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 2 states are named Van Allen Elementary. Van Allen Elementary School is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- Van Allen Elementary SchoolMount Pleasant, IA · 362 students
- Van Allen ElementaryEscalon, CA · 325 students
Nearby schools
- Chariton High School0.3 mi · 372
- Chariton Middle School0.5 mi · 284
- Columbus Elementary School0.7 mi · 301
- Southeast Warren Intermediate12.4 mi · 95
- Melcher-Dallas High School14.2 mi · 151
- Melcher-Dallas Elementary15.1 mi · 157
Frequently asked questions
About Van Allen Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Van Allen Elementary School?
Van Allen Elementary School enrolls approximately 292 students in grades 03-05.
Is Van Allen Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Van Allen Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades 03-05.
How many teachers does Van Allen Elementary School have?
Van Allen Elementary School employs 18 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.2:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Van Allen Elementary School?
At Van Allen Elementary School, the student body is approximately 90% White, 8% Hispanic, 0% Black, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees Van Allen Elementary School?
Van Allen Elementary School is overseen by Chariton Comm School District in Lucas County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.