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South Winneshiek Elementary School

Q: Is South Winneshiek Elementary School a good school?

South Winneshiek Elementary School ranks 223 rd of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

223^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

South Winneshiek Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 207 students in grades PK-4 in Ossian, Iowa, which is part of the South Winneshiek Community School District. This school consistently outperforms the state average on academic assessments and has a strong reputation in the region.

South Winneshiek Elementary School has maintained high academic performance, with 78.8% of 3rd graders and 67.9% of 4th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, and 90.9% of 3rd graders and 78.6% of 4th graders proficient or better in Mathematics, exceeding the state averages. However, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 7.5% in 2021-2022 to 21.6% in 2023-2024, which is significantly higher than nearby schools.

Compared to other local schools, South Winneshiek Elementary stands out for its consistent academic excellence, ranking in the top 20% of Iowa elementary schools, while nearby schools like Turkey Valley Elementary and Valley Elementary have seen more fluctuation in their performance. Additionally, the Postville Community School District schools, which are located near South Winneshiek Elementary, consistently rank near the bottom of the state and struggle with lower academic achievement and higher poverty levels.

198

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,802

Per pupil spending ?

33.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

208 E Brooks St
Ossian, IA 52161-0298

(563) 532-9365

District: South Winneshiek Community School District

Students who attend South Winneshiek Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	South Winneshiek Middle School
High:	South Winneshiek High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.4%

Hispanic:

4.0%

Two or more races:

1.0%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare South Winneshiek Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 88th percentile in 2023 → 61st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (80% vs 73% meeting standards)

✓Above the Iowa median (61st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 88th-percentile peak (2023) to 61st (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school80%

District avg80%

Iowa avg73%

223^rd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 12 pts since 2015

From top 50% (2015) to top 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

73^rd of 313South Winneshiek 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	65.1	223 of 576	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.1	139 of 557	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	82.2	66 of 565	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	79.3	85 of 574	85.2%	★★★★☆
2021	37.4	402 of 567	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	66.3	202 of 603	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.4	101 of 567	82.2%	★★★★☆
2017	77.8	95 of 574	83.4%	★★★★☆
2016	44.7	402 of 599	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	57.2	310 of 616	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.3	346 of 603	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	48.8	392 of 624	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.1	426 of 626	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics85%+10 vs state

English Language Arts74%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near South Winneshiek Elementary School

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
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
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
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
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
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
Turkey Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3219 St Hwy 24	Jackson Junction	52171	Winneshiek County	Turkey Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 776-6011	198	18	11.0	28.8%	191 (96.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	77.1	107^th of 576 public elementary schools	81.4%		80.6	68^th of 557 public elementary schools	87.8%	39	73.7	90.0	85.7	82.6	73.7	95.0	81.0	82.6	90.5	$14,773	$743	$14,030
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about South Winneshiek Elementary School

Is South Winneshiek Elementary School a good school?

South Winneshiek Elementary School ranks 223^rd of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of South Winneshiek Elementary School?

Students at South Winneshiek Elementary School are 94% White, 4% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend South Winneshiek Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 198 students attended South Winneshiek Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of South Winneshiek Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Winneshiek Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : South Winneshiek Middle School
High : South Winneshiek High School

What district is South Winneshiek Elementary School in?

South Winneshiek Community School District

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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.