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Cora B Darling Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6

464^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Cora B Darling Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in Postville, Iowa, with around 350 students. The school faces several challenges that set it apart from nearby schools, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, below-average test scores, and a very high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Cora B Darling Elementary's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are generally below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd grade English Language Arts proficiency rate was 61.5%, compared to the state average of 67.9%. The school also has a very high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 72.12% to 80.29% over the past few years, much higher than the state average. This indicates a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population, which may be contributing to the school's lower academic performance.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Carrie Lee Elementary in Decorah and Central Elementary in Elkader, Cora B Darling Elementary performs significantly worse, with higher chronic absenteeism rates and lower test scores. The school's performance is also closely tied to the overall performance of the Postville Community School District, which is ranked near the bottom of all school districts in Iowa, suggesting systemic issues within the district that are impacting the school's outcomes.

363

Students ?

11.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,595

Per pupil spending ?

83.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

312 W Post
Postville, IA 52162-0717

(563) 864-7653

District: Postville Community School District

Students who attend Cora B Darling Elementary usually attend:

High:

John R Mott Junior/High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.0%

White:

17.9%

African American:

3.6%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Cora B Darling Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2015 → 19th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (56% vs 72% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 17 pts below the Iowa average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg56%

Iowa avg72%

464^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

304^th of 313Postville 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	27.8	464 of 576	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	488 of 557	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	485 of 565	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	490 of 574	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.6	513 of 567	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	543 of 603	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.0	538 of 567	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.2	537 of 574	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	13.9	537 of 599	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.6	551 of 616	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.2	527 of 603	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	33.7	497 of 624	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.3	514 of 626	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics58%-15 vs state

English Language Arts55%-17 vs state

Science53%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cora B Darling Elementary

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
Cora B Darling Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	312 W Post	Postville	52162	Allamakee County	Postville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 864-7653	363	33	11.0	83.7%	65 (17.9%)	13 (3.6%)	283 (78.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	27.8	464^th of 576 public elementary schools	19.4%		15.2	488^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.4%	24	61.5	33.3	52.9	75.0	73.7	26.2	55.9	80.6	52.9	$14,595	$1,723	$12,871
Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	23493 Canoe Rd	Elgin	52141	Fayette County	North Fayette Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 422-3851	169	10	17.1	36.7%	157 (92.9%)	3 (1.8%)	7 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	71.8	151^st of 576 public elementary schools	73.8%		74.1	116^th of 557 public elementary schools	79.2%	35	70.8	86.8			79.2	82.4				$15,786	$707	$15,080
MFL MarMac Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	700 S Page St.	Monona	52159	Clayton County	MFL MarMac Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 539-2032	318	23	13.6	28.6%	299 (94.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.5%)								(n/a)	76.5				76.5					$12,542	$631	$11,911
South Winneshiek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	208 E Brooks St	Ossian	52161	Winneshiek County	South Winneshiek Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 532-9365	198	14	14.2	33.3%	187 (94.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	65.1	223^rd of 576 public elementary schools	61.3%		72.1	139^th of 557 public elementary schools	75.0%	84	78.8	67.9			90.9	78.6				$16,802	$789	$16,014
East Campus Elementary School	Public	3-5	107 6th St NW	Waukon	52172	Allamakee County	Allamakee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 568-6304	220	18	12.2	42.7%	203 (92.3%)	2 (0.9%)	11 (5.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	73.6	134^th of 576 public elementary schools	76.7%		72	143^rd of 557 public elementary schools	74.3%	9	82.2	91.5	73.2		90.4	70.8	84.5		74.6	$13,714	$690	$13,024
West Campus Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	953 3rd Ave NW	Waukon	52172	Allamakee County	Allamakee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 568-6375	265	21	12.4	43.0%	237 (89.4%)	2 (0.8%)	17 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)								(n/a)										$15,736	$1,509	$14,227
West Union Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	400 North Pine	West Union	52175	Fayette County	North Fayette Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 422-3851	228	19	12.0	36.0%	209 (91.7%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)								(n/a)	77.1				81.3					$15,834	$254	$15,582
Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	400 1st Street NW	Elkader	52043	Clayton County	Central Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 245-1472	292	19	15.3	47.3%	257 (88.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.5%)	73.5	135^th of 576 public elementary schools	76.6%		70.8	152^nd of 557 public elementary schools	72.7%	17	73.7	72.5	75.9	80.6	89.5	90.0	86.2	87.1	82.8	$15,237	$509	$14,727
Carrie Lee Elementary	Public	3-4	210 Vernon Street	Decorah	52101	Winneshiek County	Decorah Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(563) 382-3771	215	17	12.9	30.7%	187 (87.0%)	1 (0.5%)	22 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.3%)	71.7	152^nd of 576 public elementary schools	73.6%		76.6	95^th of 557 public elementary schools	82.9%	57	75.0	84.8			82.3	83.0				$13,351	$329	$13,022
John Cline Elementary School	Public	K-2	101 Claiborne Drive	Decorah	52101	Winneshiek County	Decorah Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 382-3125	300	26	11.5	22.3%	269 (89.7%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)								(n/a)										$14,070	$725	$13,345

Frequently Asked Questions about Cora B Darling Elementary

What district is Cora B Darling Elementary in?

Postville Community School District

How many students attend Cora B Darling Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 363 students attended Cora B Darling Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Cora B Darling Elementary?

Students at Cora B Darling Elementary are 78% Hispanic, 18% White, 4% African American.

Is Cora B Darling Elementary a good school?

Cora B Darling Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.4% of Iowa elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Cora B Darling Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cora B Darling Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : John R Mott Junior/High School

Rate Cora B Darling Elementary!

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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.