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South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center

Public Grades PK, KG-6

313^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

South O'Brien Elementary School Primghar Center is a public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in Primghar, Iowa, with 316 students enrolled. The school is part of the South O'Brien Community School District, which is ranked 88 out of 313 school districts in Iowa and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, South O'Brien Elementary has shown a mixed performance, with its statewide ranking ranging from 157 to 333 out of over 500 Iowa elementary schools. However, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally higher than the state averages, particularly in 3rd, 5th, and 6th grades. Compared to nearby schools, such as Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Elementary School and East Elementary School in the Sheldon Community School District, South O'Brien Elementary performs well.

One area of concern is the school's chronic absenteeism rate, which has increased significantly from 10.1% in 2021-2022 to 21.6% in 2023-2024, higher than the rates at nearby Clay Central-Everly Elementary and East Elementary schools. Additionally, South O'Brien Elementary has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 37.2% to 39.24% over the past few years, which is lower than the 61.9% rate at Clay Central-Everly Elementary but higher than the 44.57% rate at East Elementary.

328

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,661

Per pupil spending ?

38.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

155 3rd St NE
Primghar, IA 51245

(712) 957-3755

District: South O'Brien Community School District

Students who attend South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center usually attend:

High:

South O'Brien Secondary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.3%

Hispanic:

5.5%

Two or more races:

3.7%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 49th percentile in 2015 → 46th in 2025

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg72%

Iowa avg72%

313^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 49% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

88^th of 313South O'Brien 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	52.3	313 of 576	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.1	281 of 557	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.3	264 of 565	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.3	157 of 574	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	54.6	290 of 567	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.8	333 of 603	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.8	330 of 567	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	58.6	283 of 574	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.5	330 of 599	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	56.8	314 of 616	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	74.1	116 of 603	80.8%	★★★★☆
2013	58.3	296 of 624	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.0	157 of 626	74.9%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts74%~ state avg

Mathematics71%~ state avg

Science67%+3 vs state

1.0

1 rating

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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Schools Near South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center

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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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th 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
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	400 3rd St NW	Hartley	51346	O'Brien County	Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 928-2020	261	22	11.9	50.2%	212 (81.2%)	5 (1.9%)	40 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	70.1	172^nd of 576 public elementary schools	70.1%		78.1	82^nd of 557 public elementary schools	85.3%	90	72.1	90.2			79.1	82.9				$32,082	$769	$31,314
East Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	501 Normal College Ave	Sheldon	51201	O'Brien County	Sheldon Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 324-4337	468	34	13.8	42.3%	307 (65.6%)	4 (0.9%)	132 (28.2%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)	16 (3.4%)	93.2	5^th of 576 public elementary schools	99.1%		91	10^th of 557 public elementary schools	98.2%	5	92.0	98.9			93.2	96.8				$12,647	$270	$12,377
Clay Central-Everly Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	401 Church St	Royal	51357	Clay County	Clay Central-Everly Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 933-2241	53	8	6.7	64.2%	47 (88.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.8%)								(n/a)										$19,042	$975	$18,066

Frequently Asked Questions about South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center

What is the racial makeup of South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center?

Students at South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center are 89% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What district is South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center in?

South O'Brien Community School District

Is South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center a good school?

South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center ranks 313^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center attend?

Students who attend South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center usually go on to attend:

High : South O'Brien Secondary School

How many students attend South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 328 students attended South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center.

Rate South O'Brien Elementary School - Primghar Center!

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Latest Iowa data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 ISASP test scoresAug 20, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesApr 1, 2025

2017–18 through 2023–24 attendance dataNov 15, 2024

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.