Summary:
The city of Rock Rapids, Iowa is home to two high-performing schools, Central Lyon Secondary School and Central Lyon Elementary School, which serve students from kindergarten through 12th grade and are part of the Central Lyon Community School District. Both schools have consistently ranked among the top schools in Iowa, with the secondary school earning a 5-star rating and the elementary school earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Academically, both schools significantly outperform the state averages in ISASP test scores across various grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 85.4% of 3rd graders at the elementary school were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 67.9%. At the secondary school, 92.3% of 11th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 69.3%. However, both schools have higher-than-desired chronic absenteeism rates, which may be an area for improvement.
While the secondary school spends significantly more per student ($22,953) compared to the elementary school ($11,371), the elementary school has a lower student-teacher ratio of 13:1, compared to 14:1 at the secondary school. Additionally, the elementary school has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (31.86%) compared to the secondary school (23.9%), which may indicate a need to address potential equity and resource allocation issues between the two schools.
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