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Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

503^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in Belmond, Iowa, with 374 students. The school is part of the Belmond-Klemme Community School District, which is ranked 253 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite being part of the Belmond-Klemme district, Richard O. Jacobson Elementary faces several challenges. The school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism rates, rising from 6.3% in 2020-2021 to 21.6% in 2023-2024, which is notably higher than the state average and the rates of nearby schools like West Hancock Elementary (21.6%) and Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Elementary (21.6%). Additionally, the school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are consistently below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas.

Furthermore, Richard O. Jacobson Elementary has a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 47.06% to 54.7% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools. This suggests that the school may be serving a more economically disadvantaged population, which could be a contributing factor to the school's lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates. Addressing these issues and learning from the successes of the higher-performing nearby schools could be crucial for improving the educational outcomes at Richard O. Jacobson Elementary.

362

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,171

Per pupil spending ?

57.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1004 Seventh Street NE
Belmond, IA 50421-1610

(641) 444-4300

District: Belmond-Klemme Community School District

Students who attend Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Belmond-Klemme Community Junior-Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.4%

Hispanic:

41.2%

African American:

2.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 34th percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (52% vs 72% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg52%

Iowa avg72%

503^rd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 34% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

253^rd of 313Belmond-Klemme 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	15.5	503 of 576	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.1	497 of 557	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.3	457 of 565	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.5	432 of 574	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.2	335 of 567	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.0	344 of 603	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.2	441 of 567	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	33.5	440 of 574	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	39.8	441 of 599	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	47.5	407 of 616	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	60.1	281 of 603	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.4	197 of 624	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	53.7	349 of 626	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics57%-16 vs state

English Language Arts51%-20 vs state

Science39%-25 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

One the best elementary schools in the area! Close Quote

Schools Near Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School

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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
Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1004 Seventh Street NE	Belmond	50421	Wright County	Belmond-Klemme Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 444-4300	362	28	12.9	57.7%	197 (54.4%)	9 (2.5%)	149 (41.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	15.5	503^rd of 576 public elementary schools	12.7%		13.1	497^th of 557 public elementary schools	10.8%	6	48.8	59.5	62.7	30.0	61.0	64.3	60.8	42.5	39.2	$13,171	$879	$12,290
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	319 3rd Ave NE	Clarion	50525	Wright County	Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 532-2873	469	36	13.1	56.9%	235 (50.1%)	3 (0.6%)	216 (46.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.6%)	35.2	434^th of 576 public elementary schools	24.7%		44.1	370^th of 557 public elementary schools	33.6%	64	54.5	69.6			74.2	69.6				$13,085	$750	$12,335
CAL Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1441 Gull Ave	Latimer	50452	Franklin County	CAL Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 579-6085	180	15	12.0	47.2%	98 (54.4%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (42.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.2%)	79	85^th of 576 public elementary schools	85.2%		53.4	305^th of 557 public elementary schools	45.2%	220	83.3	87.5		78.9	95.8	87.5		78.9		$19,567	$939	$18,628
Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	620 W 11th St	Garner	50438	Hancock County	Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 923-2831	381	25	15.5	32.3%	349 (91.6%)	2 (0.5%)	23 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.3%)	82.2	55^th of 576 public elementary schools	90.5%		87.4	23^rd of 557 public elementary schools	95.9%	32	77.0	87.9			88.5	93.9				$13,537	$566	$12,972
West Hancock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	510 9th Ave SW	Britt	50423	Hancock County	West Hancock Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 843-3833	294	18	16.6	36.7%	220 (74.8%)	6 (2.0%)	60 (20.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	81.3	60^th of 576 public elementary schools	89.6%		87	26^th of 557 public elementary schools	95.3%	34	81.0	90.2			90.5	82.9				$13,535	$702	$12,833

Frequently Asked Questions about Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School

Is Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School a good school?

Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School ranks in the bottom 12.7% of Iowa elementary schools.

What district is Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School in?

Belmond-Klemme Community School District

What schools do graduates of Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Belmond-Klemme Community Junior-Senior High School

How many students attend Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 362 students attended Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School?

Students at Richard O. Jacobson Elementary School are 54% White, 41% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% Two or more races.

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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.