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Fairbank Elementary School

Q: Is Fairbank Elementary School a good school?

Fairbank Elementary School ranks 297 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

297^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Fairbank Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in the Wapsie Valley Community School District in Fairbank, Iowa. With 184 students and a student-teacher ratio of 12.4, the school has consistently outperformed the district and state in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates across multiple grade levels.

For example, in 2024-2025, 84.6% of 5th graders at Fairbank Elementary were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 75% for the district and 69.8% for the state. Additionally, Fairbank Elementary has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 22.83% to 28.21% over the past few years, lower than the nearby rural elementary schools. However, the school's statewide ranking has declined from a high of 69th in 2018-2019 to 297th in 2024-2025, despite its strong academic performance.

Interestingly, the smaller, more rural elementary schools in the Wapsie Valley Community School District demonstrate comparable or even higher academic performance in some areas compared to Fairbank Elementary, despite having significantly lower spending per student. This suggests that school size and spending may not be the only factors driving academic success. Additionally, the schools in the Oelwein Community School District, located about 7-8 miles from Fairbank Elementary, generally perform worse on academic measures and have higher rates of free/reduced lunch and chronic absenteeism, highlighting the relative strength of Fairbank Elementary.

187

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,840

Per pupil spending ?

18.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

311 5th St N
Fairbank, IA 50629

(319) 635-2071

District: Wapsie Valley Community School District

Students who attend Fairbank Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Wapsie Valley High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.6%

Hispanic:

3.7%

Two or more races:

2.1%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Fairbank Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 56th percentile in 2012 → 48th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2012

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg75%

Iowa avg72%

297^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Wapsie Valley Community School District

172^nd of 313Wapsie Valley 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	54.3	297 of 576	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	83.1	69 of 603	88.6%	★★★★☆
2016	66.2	227 of 599	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.5	319 of 616	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	73.4	126 of 603	79.1%	★★★★☆
2013	73.5	109 of 624	82.5%	★★★★☆
2012	60.1	275 of 626	56.1%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics75%~ state avg

English Language Arts74%+3 vs state

Science62%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Fairbank 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
Fairbank Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	311 5th St N	Fairbank	50629	Buchanan County	Wapsie Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 635-2071	187	14	13.6	18.7%	175 (93.6%)	1 (0.5%)	7 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	54.3	297^th of 576 public elementary schools	48.4%					(n/a)	77.3	76.0	84.6	50.0	72.7	72.0	84.6	68.8	61.5	$6,840	$108	$6,733
Rural Elementary School #4	Public	K-8	1153 Denison Ave	Fairbank	50629	Buchanan County	Wapsie Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 635-2071	17	2	8.4	17.6%	17 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$6,792	$108	$6,685
Rural Elementary School #1	Public	K-8	1099 Amish Blvd	Fairbank	50629	Buchanan County	Wapsie Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 635-2071	29	2	14.3	10.3%	29 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$9,040	$108	$8,933
Rural Elementary School #2	Public	K-8	1198 Fairbank Amish Blvd	Fairbank	50629	Buchanan County	Wapsie Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 635-2071	24	2	13.3	12.5%	24 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$8,228	$108	$8,121
Triumph Elementary School	Public	K-8	1348 145th St	Fairbank	50641	Buchanan County	Jesup Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 827-1700	42	2	21.2	7.1%	42 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$7,346	$118	$7,228
Prairie Grove Elementary School	Public	K-8	1501 150th St	Hazleton	50641	Buchanan County	Jesup Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 827-1700	23	2	11.5	13.0%	23 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$8,123	$118	$8,005
Little Husky Learning Center	Public	PK-K	317 8th Ave SE Suite D	Oelwein	50622	Fayette County	Oelwein Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 283-2302	173	10	16.5	49.1%	140 (80.9%)	2 (1.2%)	12 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (11.0%)								(n/a)										$11,663	$762	$10,901
Wings Park Elementary School	Public	1-4	111 8th Ave NE	Oelwein	50662	Fayette County	Oelwein Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 283-1982	294	31	9.6	59.2%	231 (78.6%)	3 (1.0%)	30 (10.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.5%)	50.7	325^th of 576 public elementary schools	43.6%		28	449^th of 557 public elementary schools	19.4%	124	68.3	74.7			80.0	71.1				$14,020	$762	$13,258
Dunkerton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	509 Canfield	Dunkerton	50626	Black Hawk County	Dunkerton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 822-4295	215	16	13.6	38.6%	193 (89.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.6%)	71	161^st of 576 public elementary schools	72.0%		62.4	226^th of 557 public elementary schools	59.4%	65	75.0	83.9	71.4		86.1	83.9	85.7		66.7	$16,160	$483	$15,676
Perry #1 Elementary School	Public	K-8	1726 Fairbank Amish Blvd	Independence	50644	Buchanan County	Jesup Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 827-1700	29	2	14.7	10.3%	29 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$7,564	$118	$7,446

Frequently Asked Questions about Fairbank Elementary School

How many students attend Fairbank Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 187 students attended Fairbank Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Fairbank Elementary School?

Students at Fairbank Elementary School are 94% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Fairbank Elementary School in?

Wapsie Valley Community School District

What schools do graduates of Fairbank Elementary School attend?

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

High : Wapsie Valley High School

Is Fairbank Elementary School a good school?

Fairbank Elementary School ranks 297^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Fairbank Elementary 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.