Elementary Schools in Fairfield Community School District

Summary:

The Fairfield Community School District in Iowa is home to two elementary schools: Pence Elementary and Washington Elementary. While both schools serve students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, their academic performance and rankings within the state have diverged in recent years.

Pence Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Iowa elementary schools, with a low 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Its test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally lower than the district and state averages, particularly in 3rd grade. In contrast, Washington Elementary had a stronger ranking in the past, earning a 4-star rating, but its performance has since declined, with its ranking now around 300 out of 600 schools and a 2-3 star rating.

Both Pence Elementary and Washington Elementary face the challenge of high chronic absenteeism rates, exceeding 21% for the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, Washington Elementary has a higher spending per student at $14,800, compared to $13,433 at Pence Elementary, raising questions about the effective allocation of resources to support student learning.

District Detail

403 South 20th Street
Fairfield, IA 52556

(641) 472-2655

SchoolDigger Rank:
187^th of 313 Iowa districts

See the 2025 Iowa District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 1,408

Primary Schools: 2
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

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)		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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pence Elementary	Public	2-4	1000 South 6th Street	Fairfield	52556	Jefferson County	Fairfield Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 472-2957	317	27	11.8	56.5%	250 (78.9%)	6 (1.9%)	23 (7.3%)	13 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.9%)	29.1	463^rd of 576 public elementary schools	19.6%		27.4	450^th of 557 public elementary schools	19.2%	13	64.9	70.5	60.8	61.1	$13,433	$1,191	$12,242
Washington Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	406 East Madison Avenue	Fairfield	52556	Jefferson County	Fairfield Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 472-2110	239	20	12.1	51.9%	176 (73.6%)	6 (2.5%)	18 (7.5%)	15 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	23 (9.6%)								(n/a)					$14,800	$991	$13,809

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Van Buren County Community School District	14 mi	3	235^th
Pekin Community School District	14.75 mi	2	170^th
Cardinal Community School District	15.1 mi	3	248^th
Waco Community School District	18.37 mi	2	284^th
Mount Pleasant Community School District	20.75 mi	7	190^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.