Enrollment
293
Elementary
DISTRICT 242 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·EMMETSBURG COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 191095000678
West Elementary School
602 Call St, Emmetsburg, IA 50536 · (712) 852-4485 · Palo Alto County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL293 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 81% of Iowa public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats 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
39.6:1
7 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 54.8:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
43%
127 students
DISTRICT 40% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 49 | 17% |
| Kindergarten | 46 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 48 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 45 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 45 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 60 | 20% |
This year's kindergarten class (46) is 23% smaller than its 4th grade class (60).
Student demographics
20%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 22% · 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 Emmetsburg Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
80.8%
IA avg 73.6% . +4.8pp since 2023
Math
79.1%
IA avg 70.9% . +0.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 81 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 79 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 5 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 80.8% | 79.1% |
| 2023-24 | 76.0% | 78.2% |
% 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
78.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
70.3%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 79% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 70% 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 Elementary School
West Elementary School's state test result (78.7% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Elementary School this school | 293 | 43.3% | 78.7% |
| WACO Elementary School Crawfordsville | 317 | 42.9% | N/A |
| Easton Valley Elementary School Miles | 287 | 43.2% | 74.3% |
| Mount Ayr Elementary Mount Ayr | 280 | 41.4% | 76.6% |
| West Campus Elementary School Waukon | 265 | 43.0% | N/A |
| Pekin Elementary School Packwood | 308 | 45.1% | 73.7% |
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 West Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 78.7% | #155 of 564 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 79.1% | #237 of 564 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 80.8% | #138 of 564 ▲ 41 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 293 | #391 of 705 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 39.6:1 | #561 of 561 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 20.2% | #419 of 561 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 43.3% | #311 of 666 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.2% | #301 of 359 |
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
293
+8 (+3%) vs 2020
+14% since 1990-91, when it was 256
Student : Teacher
39.6:1
was 13.6:1
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 | 293 | 7.4 | 39.6:1 | 43% (127) |
| 2023-24 | 285 | 5 | 56.7:1 | 45% (127) |
| 2022-23 | 300 | 20.4 | 14.7:1 | 41% (122) |
| 2020-21 | 285 | 21 | 13.6:1 | 48% (137) |
| 2017-18 | 306 | 23.9 | 12.8:1 | 41% (126) |
| 2015-16 | 311 | 23 | 13.5:1 | 46% (143) |
| 2010-11 | 342 | 20 | 17.1:1 | 44% (152) |
| 2000-01 | 198 | 18 | 11.0:1 | 26% (52) |
| 1990-91 | 256 | 17 | 15.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (306 to 293); teachers down 69% (23.9 to 7.4).
About West Elementary School
West Elementary School is the name of a mid-sized elementary school in Emmetsburg, Iowa. The school covers pre-K through 4 and reported 293 students in 2024-25.
Emmetsburg Comm School District runs 3 schools with a combined 727 students. West Elementary School is one of them.
By race and ethnicity, West Elementary School is 89% White. Other groups include 6% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. In Palo Alto County overall, the White share is about 92%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 20, compared with 70 nationally.
The student-to-teacher ratio at West Elementary School is 39.6:1, based on 7.4 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for elementary schools in Iowa, 13.7:1, is lower. West Elementary School counts 43% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 41% average for public schools in Palo Alto County.
Among Iowa public elementary schools, West Elementary School outscored 81%, which works out to an A- on the allk12 Grade.
On BeatsExpectations, West Elementary School is 8.5 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Iowa schools.
In Palo Alto County, home to about 8,863 people, the median household earns about $72,781 a year, roughly 19% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Palo Alto County number 10, with about 1,472 students.
Among nearby public schools, Emmetsburg High School is closest at about 0.5 miles. Other public schools within five miles number 2. West Elementary School comes in 1st of 9 nearby schools on average proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes West Elementary School as Rural: Remote.
Enrollment increased by 3% across 4 years, from 285 in 2020-21 to 293 in 2024-25. The ratio was 13.6:1 in 2020-21 and 39.6:1 in 2024-25.
Anyone can start a thread about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures at West Elementary School. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Palo Alto County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
8,863
Census ACS
Median income
$72,781
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
10
1,472 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Emmetsburg Comm School District
- Emmetsburg High SchoolHigh · 235 students
- Emmetsburg Middle SchoolMiddle · 199 students
Other schools in Emmetsburg
- Emmetsburg High SchoolHigh · 235 students
- Emmetsburg Middle SchoolMiddle · 199 students
Other West Elementary schools
50 other US public schools in 25 states are named West Elementary. West Elementary School is the 36th largest of the 51.
- West ElementaryKnoxville, IA · 485 students
- West Elementary SchoolGlenwood, IA · 440 students
- West Elementary SchoolIndependence, IA · 360 students
- West ElementaryMt Juliet, TN · 849 students
- West ElementaryBixby, OK · 757 students
Nearby schools
- Emmetsburg High School0.5 mi · 235
- Emmetsburg Middle School0.5 mi · 199
- Graettinger-Terril Middle School9.2 mi · 48
- Graettinger-Terril High School9.2 mi · 128
- Ruthven-Ayrshire High School11.0 mi · 58
- Ruthven-Ayrshire Elementary School11.0 mi · 89
Frequently asked questions
About West Elementary SchoolHow many students attend West Elementary School?
West Elementary School enrolls approximately 293 students in grades PK-04.
Is West Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
West Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-04.
How many teachers does West Elementary School have?
West Elementary School employs 7 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 39.6:1.
How diverse is West Elementary School?
West Elementary School reports a student body of 89% White, 6% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees West Elementary School?
West Elementary School is overseen by Emmetsburg Comm School District in Palo Alto County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.