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Dayton Center

Q: Is Dayton Center a good school?

Dayton Center ranks 341 st of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

341^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Dayton Center is an elementary school located in Dayton, Iowa, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 205 students. It is part of the Southeast Valley Community School District, which is ranked 221 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dayton Center has shown fluctuating academic performance, with its 3rd grade students performing below the district and state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, but its 4th grade students outperforming the district and state in both subjects. The school has also experienced a concerning trend of increasing chronic absenteeism, rising from 13.6% in 2021-2022 to 21.6% in 2023-2024, which is significantly higher than the state average. Dayton Center has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 37.98% to 46.34% over the past few years, indicating a higher proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Compared to nearby schools, Southeast Valley Elementary has a similar performance profile to Dayton Center, while Sunset Heights Elementary consistently outperforms Dayton Center and the state in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. The Fort Dodge Community School District generally underperforms compared to Dayton Center and the state. Despite these challenges, Dayton Center's smaller school size and relatively low student-teacher ratio of 11 to 11.4 may provide a more personalized learning environment for its students.

200

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,497

Per pupil spending ?

51%

Free/discounted lunch ?

104 2nd St. NW
Dayton, IA 50530

(515) 547-2314

District: Southeast Valley Community School District

Students who attend Dayton Center usually attend:

Middle:

Southeast Valley Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.5%

Hispanic:

7.5%

Two or more races:

3.0%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Dayton Center to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 95th percentile in 2015 → 41st in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 54 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg76%

Iowa avg73%

341^st of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 55 pts since 2015

From top 5% (2015) to bottom 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

221^st of 313Southeast 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	48.2	341 of 576	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.1	222 of 557	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.3	114 of 565	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	54.3	296 of 574	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	77.6	104 of 567	81.7%	★★★★☆
2019	79.1	100 of 603	83.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.6	239 of 567	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.1	250 of 574	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.8	373 of 599	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	84.2	28 of 616	95.5%	★★★★★

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics81%+6 vs state

English Language Arts62%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dayton Center

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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dayton Center	Public	PK, KG-4	104 2nd St. NW	Dayton	50530	Webster County	Southeast Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 547-2314	200	17	11.9	51.0%	177 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	48.2	341^st of 576 public elementary schools	40.8%		63.1	222^nd of 557 public elementary schools	60.1%	119	46.7	74.4		73.3	87.2			$14,497	$498	$13,999
Stratford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1000 Shakespeare Ave	Stratford	50249	Hamilton County	Stratford Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 838-2208	74	7	9.9	39.2%	65 (87.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)								(n/a)								$28,246	$1,224	$27,022
Ogden Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	313 W Sycamore	Ogden	50212	Boone County	Ogden Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 275-2795	321	25	12.9	25.5%	297 (92.5%)	2 (0.6%)	13 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	90.1	15^th of 576 public elementary schools	97.4%		90.4	12^th of 557 public elementary schools	97.8%	3	88.0	95.6	86.7	98.0	88.9	91.1	84.4	$10,746	$419	$10,328
Franklin Elementary School	Public	2-4	1903 Crawford Street	Boone	50036	Boone County	Boone Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 433-0860	329	28	11.8	45.9%	278 (84.5%)	4 (1.2%)	27 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.8%)	54	303^rd of 576 public elementary schools	47.4%		72.3	137^th of 557 public elementary schools	75.4%	166	60.2	83.5		74.1	80.4			$14,326	$1,063	$13,262
Butler Elementary School	Public	1-5	945 South 18th Street	Fort Dodge	50501	Webster County	Fort Dodge Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 574-5882	328	25	13.2	65.9%	209 (63.7%)	25 (7.6%)	50 (15.2%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	39 (11.9%)	9.4	531^st of 576 public elementary schools	7.8%		7.3	525^th of 557 public elementary schools	5.7%	6	34.5	54.0	46.8	34.5	47.6	59.7	51.6	$15,434	$1,605	$13,830
Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	104 So. 17th St.	Fort Dodge	50501	Webster County	Fort Dodge Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 574-5740	376	28	13.5	42.0%	237 (63.0%)	28 (7.4%)	64 (17.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (12.2%)								(n/a)
Duncombe Elementary School	Public	1-5	1620 6th Avenue North	Fort Dodge	50501	Webster County	Fort Dodge Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 574-5623	438	30	14.3	70.1%	224 (51.1%)	32 (7.3%)	113 (25.8%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (14.6%)	5.4	546^th of 576 public elementary schools	5.2%		6.7	529^th of 557 public elementary schools	5.0%	17	43.5	46.2	45.2	45.6	32.3	52.1	45.2	$15,271	$1,808	$13,463
Southeast Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	3116 Zearing Ave	Farnhamville	50538	Calhoun County	Southeast Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(515) 370-2861	223	16	13.9	51.1%	197 (88.3%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.7%)	63.3	234^th of 576 public elementary schools	59.4%					(n/a)	71.8	69.8		87.2	86.0
Cooper Elementary School	Public	1-5	2420 14th Avenue North	Fort Dodge	50501	Webster County	Fort Dodge Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 574-5602	231	16	14.2	43.7%	180 (77.9%)	9 (3.9%)	20 (8.7%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.7%)	3	566^th of 576 public elementary schools	1.7%		14.4	491^st of 557 public elementary schools	11.8%	75	34.1	45.7	44.2	48.8	34.8	44.2	37.2	$18,249	$1,339	$16,910
Sunset Heights Elementary School	Public	2-4	1101 Boone St	Webster City	50595	Hamilton County	Webster City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 832-9245	311	22	14.1	48.6%	208 (66.9%)	2 (0.6%)	82 (26.4%)	7 (2.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.9%)	54	300^th of 576 public elementary schools	47.9%		50.5	323^rd of 557 public elementary schools	42.0%	23	72.3	74.7		77.2	73.7			$13,832	$828	$13,004

Frequently Asked Questions about Dayton Center

What is the racial makeup of Dayton Center?

Students at Dayton Center are 89% White, 8% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Dayton Center in?

Southeast Valley Community School District

How many students attend Dayton Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 200 students attended Dayton Center.

Is Dayton Center a good school?

Dayton Center ranks 341^st of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Dayton Center attend?

Students who attend Dayton Center usually go on to attend:

Middle : Southeast Valley Middle 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.