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South O'Brien Community School District

At a glance

88^thof 313 Iowa districts▼ 9

Better than 71% of Iowa districts

Elementary 1 High 1Grades PK, KG-12

216 S Rutledge
Paullina, IA 51046-0638·(712) 949-2115·All Iowa district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2025

2025: better than 71.9% of districts

Schools

569

Students

Top rankedSouth O'Brien Secondary School74^th of 340 Iowa high schools

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Biggest riser

South O'Brien Secondary School up 22 spots statewide this year

Compare Iowa districts →See the top-ranked Iowa schools →

Summary:

The South O'Brien Community School District operates two schools: South O'Brien Elementary School Primghar Center and South O'Brien Secondary School. The district is ranked 88 out of 313 districts in Iowa and is rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

South O'Brien Secondary School stands out as a high-performing school, ranked 74 out of 340 Iowa high schools for the 2024-2025 school year with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school maintains a strong 4-star rating over the past 3 school years and boasts an impressive 88.3% four-year graduation rate for the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, the school demonstrates high proficiency rates in ISASP English Language Arts and Mathematics across multiple grade levels, often exceeding the state averages.

While the South O'Brien Elementary School Primghar Center has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger for the 2022-2023 school year, an improvement from the previous two years, it outperforms the state average in ISASP English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates for several grade levels, particularly in 3rd, 6th, and 5th grades. Both schools, however, face a challenge with higher-than-average chronic absenteeism rates of 21.6% for the 2023-2024 school year.

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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
South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center	Public	PK, KG-6	155 3rd St NE	Primghar	51245	O'Brien County	South O'Brien Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 957-3755	328	22	15.1	38.1%	293 (89.3%)	2 (0.6%)	18 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	12 (3.7%)	52.3	313^th of 576 public elementary schools	45.7%		57.1	281^st of 557 public elementary schools	49.6%	32	77.4	64.7	67.4	90.0						90.3	50.0	60.5	90.0						67.4			$13,661	$610	$13,051
South O'Brien Secondary School	Public	7-12	307 W Groesbeck	Paullina	51046	O'Brien County	South O'Brien Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 949-3454	241	21	11.7	29.0%	219 (90.9%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.9%)	72.5	74^th of 340 public high schools	78.2%		69.4	96^th of 338 public high schools	71.6%	22					80.0	90.0	92.1	72.7	95.6					85.7	90.0	89.5	66.7	88.9		82.5	60.6	$15,447	$108	$15,339

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District	6.81 mi	3	138^th
Sheldon Community School District	12.08 mi	4	46^th
Clay Central-Everly Community School District	17.37 mi	1
Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Community School District	19.54 mi	4	27^th
Boyden-Hull Community School District	20.16 mi	2	128^th

See the top IA Iowa districts

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.