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Alta Elementary School

Q: Is Alta Elementary School a good school?

Alta Elementary School ranks 137 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

137^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 76% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Alta Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-4 in the Alta-Aurelia Community School District in Alta, Iowa. With 267 students and a student-teacher ratio of 14.2, the school has seen its statewide ranking fluctuate over the years, ranging from 29th out of 557 Iowa elementary schools in 2023-2024 (5-star rating) to 486th out of 574 in 2016-2017 (1-star rating).

Alta Elementary consistently outperforms the state and its own district in standardized test scores, with 76.7% of 3rd graders and 92.5% of 4th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts in 2024-2025, compared to 67.9% and 76% statewide, respectively. In mathematics, 83.7% of 3rd graders and 77.5% of 4th graders were proficient or better, compared to 75.8% and 74.3% statewide. However, the school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 7.2% in 2020-2021 to 21.6% in 2023-2024, which is an area of concern.

Compared to nearby schools, Alta Elementary stands out for its consistently strong academic performance. For example, in 2024-2025, its 3rd grade English Language Arts proficiency rate of 76.7% was significantly higher than the rates of nearby schools like Aurelia Elementary (65.2%), Albert City-Truesdale Elementary (90.9%), and Galva-Holstein Elementary (60.5%). Additionally, Alta Elementary's spending per student of $13,449 in 2018-2019 was lower than the spending of some nearby schools, suggesting the school is able to achieve strong academic results with relatively lower per-student spending.

256

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,449

Per pupil spending ?

40.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1009 Main St
Alta, IA 51002

(712) 200-1400

District: Alta-Aurelia Community School District

Students who attend Alta Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Alta-Aurelia Middle School
High:	Alta-Aurelia High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.5%

Hispanic:

21.5%

Pacific Islander:

7.4%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Alta Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 20th percentile in 2014 → 76th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (83% vs 73% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of Iowa elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 56 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school83%

District avg80%

Iowa avg73%

137^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 24%▲ up 55 pts since 2015

From bottom 21% (2015) to top 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Alta-Aurelia Community School District

137^th of 313Alta-Aurelia 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	73.3	137 of 576	76.2%	★★★★☆
2024	86.2	29 of 557	94.8%	★★★★★
2022	64.3	214 of 574	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.4	261 of 567	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.1	390 of 603	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.4	393 of 567	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	22.2	486 of 574	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.3	505 of 599	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.9	485 of 616	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	32.7	481 of 603	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	27.2	535 of 624	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	29.2	526 of 626	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts84%+12 vs state

Mathematics81%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Alta Elementary School

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
Alta Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1009 Main St	Alta	51002	Buena Vista County	Alta-Aurelia Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 200-1400	256	17	15.3	40.6%	165 (64.5%)	8 (3.1%)	55 (21.5%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.4%)	6 (2.3%)	73.3	137^th of 576 public elementary schools	76.2%		86.2	29^th of 557 public elementary schools	94.8%	108	76.7	92.5			83.7	77.5				$13,449	$572	$12,877
Storm Lake Early Elementary School	Public	K-1	5950 90th Avenue	Storm lake	50588	Buena Vista County	Storm Lake Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(712) 213-2110	437	34	12.9	73.7%	48 (11.0%)	21 (4.8%)	239 (54.7%)	40 (9.2%)	1 (0.2%)	84 (19.2%)	4 (0.9%)								(n/a)
Storm Lake Elementary	Public	2-5	1810 Hyland Drive	Storm Lake	50588	Buena Vista County	Storm Lake Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 732-8074	822	50	16.3	75.4%	86 (10.5%)	39 (4.7%)	456 (55.5%)	112 (13.6%)	1 (0.1%)	110 (13.4%)	18 (2.2%)	5	551^st of 576 public elementary schools	4.3%		1.9	549^th of 557 public elementary schools	1.4%	2	48.7	46.0	35.9		58.8	39.9	45.9		35.7	$12,446	$1,029	$11,417
Aurelia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	300 Ash St	Aurelia	51005	Cherokee County	Alta-Aurelia Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 434-5595	124	9	14.1	24.2%	107 (86.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (8.1%)	3 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.2%)	53.5	305^th of 576 public elementary schools	47.0%					(n/a)	65.2	92.9			69.6	78.6				$16,210	$697	$15,513
Schaller-Crestland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	300 S Berwick	Schaller	51053	Sac County	Schaller-Crestland Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 275-4267	159	13	12.1	50.3%	104 (65.4%)	1 (0.6%)	36 (22.6%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	12 (7.5%)	4 (2.5%)	80.9	66^th of 576 public elementary schools	88.5%		80.9	66^th of 557 public elementary schools	88.2%		81.3	82.8	80.0		100.0	79.3	100.0		90.0	$14,410	$990	$13,420
Cherokee Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	204 E. Indian Street	Cherokee	51012	Cherokee County	Cherokee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 225-6760	468	33	14.0	50.0%	383 (81.8%)	3 (0.6%)	61 (13.0%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.9%)	11 (2.4%)	21.6	487^th of 576 public elementary schools	15.5%		53.7	304^th of 557 public elementary schools	45.4%	183	47.8	64.5			62.3	66.7				$10,621	$458	$10,163
Newell-Fonda Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	205 Clark St	Newell	50568	Buena Vista County	Newell-Fonda Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 272-3324	280	18	15.7	46.8%	201 (71.8%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (18.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.6%)	3 (1.1%)	43.7	380^th of 576 public elementary schools	34.0%		46.2	353^rd of 557 public elementary schools	36.6%	27	62.2	76.5	53.7		91.1	88.2	53.7		51.2	$12,429	$641	$11,789
Sioux Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4440 U.S. Hwy 71	Sioux Rapids	50585	Buena Vista County	Sioux Central Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 283-2571	229	21	10.9	45.4%	179 (78.2%)	1 (0.4%)	42 (18.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (2.2%)	48.4	339^th of 576 public elementary schools	41.1%		58.6	266^th of 557 public elementary schools	52.2%	73	52.4	95.2	70.6		57.1	76.2	73.5		61.8	$12,124	$630	$11,494
Galva-Holstein Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	519 E Maple	Holstein	51025	Ida County	Galva-Holstein Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 368-4353	175	11	15.8	37.1%	148 (84.6%)	4 (2.3%)	17 (9.7%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.7%)	1 (0.6%)								(n/a)	60.5				78.9					$12,328	$718	$11,610
Albert City-Truesdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	300 Orchard	Albert City	50510	Buena Vista County	Albert City-Truesdale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 843-5416	100	11	9.5	51.0%	69 (69.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (29.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)	67.3	196^th of 576 public elementary schools	66.0%		64.5	203^rd of 557 public elementary schools	63.6%	7	90.9	83.3	81.8	88.2	90.9	66.7	63.6	94.1	45.5	$21,016	$963	$20,052

Frequently Asked Questions about Alta Elementary School

What district is Alta Elementary School in?

Alta-Aurelia Community School District

Is Alta Elementary School a good school?

Alta Elementary School ranks 137^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Alta Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 256 students attended Alta Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Alta Elementary School?

Students at Alta Elementary School are 64% White, 21% Hispanic, 7% Pacific Islander, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Alta Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Alta Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Alta-Aurelia Middle School
High : Alta-Aurelia High School

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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.