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Best Public Schools in Clarion, IA

At a glance

Schools

760

Students

Top rankedClarion-Goldfield-Dows Middle School175^th of 344 Iowa middle schools

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Summary:

The city of Clarion, Iowa is home to three schools that serve students from elementary through high school: Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School, and Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Middle School. These schools are part of the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District.

Among the three schools, the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Middle School stands out, ranking 143 out of 337 Iowa middle schools in 2023-2024 with a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. The middle school excelled in 7th and 8th grade Mathematics, with 86.2% proficiency compared to the state average of 71.9% and 74.4%. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School also performed well, ranking 229 out of 338 Iowa high schools and achieving a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 88.3% in 2023-2024.

However, the district as a whole faces some challenges, with all three schools having a significantly higher chronic absenteeism rate of 21.6% compared to the state average. Additionally, the elementary and middle schools have higher free/reduced lunch rates, which may be contributing to lower test scores in certain grade levels. The district should focus on addressing these issues and leveraging the success of the middle school's Mathematics program to drive improvement across the district.

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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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	319 3rd Ave NE	Clarion	50525	Wright County	Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 532-2873	469	36	13.1	56.9%	235 (50.1%)	3 (0.6%)	216 (46.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.6%)	35.2	434^th of 576 public elementary schools	24.7%		44.1	370^th of 557 public elementary schools	33.6%	64	54.5	69.6								74.2	69.6											$13,085	$750	$12,335
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School	Public	9-12	1111 Willow Dr	Clarion	50525	Wright County	Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 532-2895	291	23	12.6	51.2%	172 (59.1%)	0 (0.0%)	111 (38.1%)	4 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	41.6	233^rd of 340 public high schools	31.5%		43.7	229^th of 338 public high schools	32.2%	4							78.5	70.5	59.5							63.1	75.4	55.4			65.6	$16,263	$555	$15,708
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Middle School	Public	5-8	300 3rd Ave NE	Clarion	50525	Wright County	Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 532-2412	0	12	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	54.6	175^th of 344 public middle schools	49.1%		60.7	143^rd of 337 public middle schools	57.6%	32			74.6	73.1	74.2	72.4						68.3	73.1	86.2	86.2				63.5	74.1		$14,040	$467	$13,572

Cities Near Clarion

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Eagle Grove	9.81 mi	3	396^th
Belmond	10.58 mi	3	331^st
Kanawha	14.6 mi	1	123^rd
Blairsburg	17.96 mi	4
Latimer	18.59 mi	1	56^th

See the top IA Iowa cities

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.