Enrollment
239
Middle
DISTRICT 220 · STATE 400
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEST BRANCH COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 193075001773
West Branch Middle School
900 W. Main St., West Branch, IA 52358 · (319) 643-5324 · Cedar County
GRADES 05–08MIDDLE41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL239 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 30% of Iowa public middle schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
14.3:1
17 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 15.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
22%
52 students
DISTRICT 20% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 63 | 26% |
| Grade 6 | 44 | 18% |
| Grade 7 | 66 | 28% |
| Grade 8 | 66 | 28% |
Student demographics
28%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 25% · 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
West Branch Middle School→West Branch High School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within West Branch Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
80.0%
IA avg 73.6% . -1.0pp since 2023
Math
74.1%
IA avg 70.9% . -0.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 80 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 74 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 1 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 80.0% | 74.1% |
| 2023-24 | 81.0% | 74.3% |
% 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
75.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
81.1%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 76% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 81% 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 West Branch Middle School
West Branch Middle School's state test result (75.5% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Branch Middle School this school | 239 | 21.8% | 75.5% |
| Woodward-Granger Middle School Woodward | 248 | 24.2% | 81.2% |
| Tipton Middle School Tipton | 256 | 23.8% | 74.4% |
| Benton Community Middle School Van Horne | 235 | 21.7% | 76.6% |
| PCM Middle School Prairie City | 232 | 24.1% | 77.4% |
| DeSoto Intermediate School DeSoto | 337 | 20.2% | 87.1% |
Matched among Iowa middle 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 West Branch Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 75.5% | #117 of 224 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 74.1% | #124 of 224 ▼ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 80.0% | #96 of 224 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 239 | #170 of 246 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.3:1 | #94 of 180 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 27.5% | #106 of 180 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 21.8% | #204 of 237 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +5.3% | #42 of 61 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
239
-8 (-3%) vs 2020
+20% since 1990-91, when it was 200
Student : Teacher
14.3:1
was 16.5:1
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 | 239 | 16.7 | 14.3:1 | 22% (52) |
| 2023-24 | 229 | 15.6 | 14.7:1 | 23% (52) |
| 2022-23 | 257 | 16.6 | 15.5:1 | 26% (68) |
| 2020-21 | 247 | 15 | 16.5:1 | 28% (69) |
| 2017-18 | 227 | 15.7 | 14.5:1 | 15% (35) |
| 2015-16 | 241 | 19 | 12.7:1 | 23% (56) |
| 2010-11 | 172 | 11 | 15.6:1 | 26% (44) |
| 2000-01 | 186 | 14 | 13.3:1 | 9% (16) |
| 1990-91 | 200 | 11 | 18.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Branch Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (227 to 239); teachers up 7% (15.7 to 16.7).
About West Branch Middle School
West Branch Middle School runs as a small middle school in West Branch, Iowa. The school's 239 students are in grades 5 through 8. Enrollment is 40% lower than the average for middle schools in Iowa, which is about 400.
West Branch Comm School District counts 880 students in its 4 schools, and West Branch Middle School is one of them.
At West Branch Middle School, White students make up 85% of the student body. It is also 10% Hispanic, 3% multiracial, and 2% Black. Cedar County's residents are about 94% White, 9 points above the school's share. By the diversity index, West Branch Middle School comes in at 28%.
Federal records show a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.3:1 at West Branch Middle School, with 16.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. The 15.2:1 average for middle schools in Iowa is higher than this school's figure. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 22%.
Measured against Iowa public middle schools, West Branch Middle 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.
Schools in Iowa with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 81.1%. West Branch Middle School scores 75.5%.
West Branch Middle School is located in Cedar County, where median household income is about $80,602, about 24% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 5% of residents are in poverty. West Branch Middle School is one of 13 public schools in Cedar County, which together enroll about 3,030 students.
The nearest other public school, West Branch High School, is less than a tenth of a mile away. In all, 3 other public schools sit within five miles of West Branch Middle School. West Branch Middle School places 1st of 8 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
NCES describes the area around West Branch Middle School as Rural: Fringe, meaning in rural territory close to an urban area.
Enrollment was 247 in 2020-21 and 239 in 2024-25, a decrease of 8 students. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (14.3:1) than in 2020-21 (16.5:1).
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for West Branch Middle School covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Cedar County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
18,349
Census ACS
Median income
$80,602
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
13
3,030 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in West Branch Comm School District
- Hoover Elementary SchoolElementary · 353 students
- West Branch High SchoolHigh · 273 students
- West Branch Community Early Learning CenterElementary · 15 students
Other schools in West Branch
- Hoover Elementary SchoolElementary · 353 students
- West Branch High SchoolHigh · 273 students
- West Branch Community Early Learning CenterElementary · 15 students
Other West Branch Middle schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named West Branch Middle. West Branch Middle School is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- West Branch Middle SchoolBeloit, OH · 627 students
- West Branch Middle SchoolMorrisdale, PA · 191 students
Nearby schools
- West Branch High School0.0 mi · 273
- West Branch Community Early Learning Center0.7 mi · 15
- Hoover Elementary School0.8 mi · 353
- Herbert Hoover Elementary School5.6 mi · 464
- Helen Lemme Elementary School6.4 mi · 340
- Robert Lucas Elementary School6.7 mi · 245
Frequently asked questions
About West Branch Middle SchoolHow many students attend West Branch Middle School?
West Branch Middle School enrolls approximately 239 students in grades 05-08.
What grades does West Branch Middle School serve?
West Branch Middle School serves grades 05-08.
How many students per teacher at West Branch Middle School?
Approximately 14.3:1 students per teacher at West Branch Middle School.
How diverse is West Branch Middle School?
West Branch Middle School reports a student body of 85% White, 10% Hispanic, 2% Black, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees West Branch Middle School?
West Branch Middle School is overseen by West Branch Comm School District in Cedar County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.