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Harding Elementary School

Q: Is Harding Elementary School a good school?

Harding Elementary School ranks 352 nd of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

352^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Harding Elementary School is a public elementary school in Mason City, Iowa, serving 357 students in grades PK-4. The school is part of the Mason City Community School District, which is ranked 273 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Harding Elementary has faced some challenges in recent years, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 17.2% to 30.0%, which are significantly higher than the state average. The school's academic performance has been mixed, with test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics fluctuating compared to the district and state averages. However, the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.6 to 15.5 in recent years, which is lower than the district and state averages. Additionally, Harding Elementary serves a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students, with 53.95% to 61.06% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

When comparing Harding Elementary to other nearby schools within the Mason City Community School District, it appears to be performing similarly or slightly below the district averages in terms of test scores and other metrics. However, one notable exception is Jefferson Elementary School, which has consistently outperformed Harding Elementary and the district as a whole, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

387

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,224

Per pupil spending ?

45.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1239 N. Rhode Island Ave
Mason City, IA 50401-1441

(641) 421-4406

District: Mason City Community School District

Students who attend Harding Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	John Adams Middle School
	Lincoln Intermediate
High:	Mason City High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.3%

Hispanic:

12.7%

African American:

5.7%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Harding Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 46th percentile in 2022 → 39th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 46th-percentile peak (2022) to 39th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg70%

Iowa avg73%

352^nd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▲ up 29 pts since 2015

From bottom 10% (2015) to bottom 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Mason City Community School District

273^rd of 313Mason City Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	47.2	352 of 576	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.8	445 of 557	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.9	437 of 565	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.7	310 of 574	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.0	421 of 567	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.2	565 of 603	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.4	533 of 567	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.0	509 of 574	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.3	512 of 599	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.2	553 of 616	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.1	544 of 603	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	34.0	496 of 624	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.6	477 of 626	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics72%-3 vs state

English Language Arts72%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Harding Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)				ISASP Mathematics (2025)				ISASP Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Harding Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1239 N. Rhode Island Ave	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 421-4406	387	27	14.5	45.2%	276 (71.3%)	22 (5.7%)	49 (12.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (5.2%)	17 (4.4%)	47.2	352^nd of 576 public elementary schools	38.9%		28.8	445^th of 557 public elementary schools	20.1%	93	70.5	73.3			77.3	66.7				$16,224	$857	$15,366
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1421 4th St. SE	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 421-4411	292	27	10.9	39.4%	226 (77.4%)	17 (5.8%)	19 (6.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.1%)	16 (5.5%)	73.8	132^nd of 576 public elementary schools	77.1%		75.3	110^th of 557 public elementary schools	80.3%	22	74.6	82.5			86.6	86.0				$13,852	$384	$13,468
Hoover Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1123 8th St. NW	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 421-4408	361	27	13.3	55.4%	219 (60.7%)	25 (6.9%)	47 (13.0%)	4 (1.1%)	5 (1.4%)	31 (8.6%)	30 (8.3%)	23.2	483^rd of 576 public elementary schools	16.1%		49	340^th of 557 public elementary schools	39.0%	143	47.8	68.5			60.9	66.7				$17,471	$971	$16,499
Roosevelt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	313 15th St. SE	Mason City	50401	Cerro Gordo County	Mason City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 421-4415	348	29	12.2	60.6%	208 (59.8%)	25 (7.2%)	57 (16.4%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	24 (6.9%)	31 (8.9%)	29.9	458^th of 576 public elementary schools	20.5%		36.4	405^th of 557 public elementary schools	27.3%	53	53.4	75.0			63.0	66.7				$16,656	$1,259	$15,396
Central Springs Elementary Manly Campus	Public	PK, KG-3	105 S East St	Manly	50456	Worth County	Central Springs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 454-3283	143	12	12.1	43.4%	134 (93.7%)	4 (2.8%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)								(n/a)	64.7				88.2					$15,896	$878	$15,018
Central Springs Elementary School - Nora Springs	Public	PK, KG-3	509 N Iowa Ave	Nora Springs	50458	Floyd County	Central Springs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 749-5301	145	11	13.4	29.7%	135 (93.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	2 (1.4%)								(n/a)	73.0				86.5					$15,709	$1,273	$14,436
Clear Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	901 S 14th St	Clear Lake	50428	Cerro Gordo County	Clear Lake Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 357-5288	685	47	14.4	32.1%	572 (83.5%)	7 (1.0%)	58 (8.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (6.6%)	77.1	106^th of 576 public elementary schools	81.6%		76	102^nd of 557 public elementary schools	81.7%	4	72.5	89.1	90.8		79.1	80.2	86.2		79.8	$13,164	$528	$12,636
West Fork Elementary at Rockwell	Public	PK, KG-5	210 S 2nd St	Rockwell	50469	Cerro Gordo County	West Fork Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 822-3234	388	29	13.3	38.9%	367 (94.6%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.6%)	54.8	291^st of 576 public elementary schools	49.5%		61.1	238^th of 557 public elementary schools	57.3%	53	83.9	77.4	65.0		82.1	73.6	63.3		66.7	$13,507	$518	$12,988
RRMR Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1460 210th Street	Rockford	50468	Floyd County	Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 756-3508	235	16	14.3	57.4%	206 (87.7%)	10 (4.3%)	12 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	58.7	270^th of 576 public elementary schools	53.1%		42.5	379^th of 557 public elementary schools	32.0%	109	58.3	80.0	82.6	76.2	62.5	83.3	82.6	71.4	78.3	$13,669	$546	$13,123
Northwood-Kensett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1200 1st Ave North	Northwood	50459	Worth County	Northwood-Kensett Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 324-1127	287	19	15.0	30.0%	262 (91.3%)	2 (0.7%)	16 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	50	332^nd of 576 public elementary schools	42.4%		45.6	359^th of 557 public elementary schools	35.5%	27	63.6	61.0	68.6		81.8	82.9	71.4		65.7	$10,614	$468	$10,147

Frequently Asked Questions about Harding Elementary School

How many students attend Harding Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 387 students attended Harding Elementary School.

What district is Harding Elementary School in?

Mason City Community School District

Is Harding Elementary School a good school?

Harding Elementary School ranks 352^nd of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Harding Elementary School?

Students at Harding Elementary School are 71% White, 13% Hispanic, 6% African American, 5% Pacific Islander, 4% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Harding Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Harding Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : John Adams Middle School
Middle : Lincoln Intermediate
High : Mason City High School

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.