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West Elementary School

Q: Is West Elementary School a good school?

West Elementary School ranks 211 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

211^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

West Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Emmetsburg, Iowa, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 285 students. The school is part of the Emmetsburg Community School District, which is ranked 107 out of 313 school districts in Iowa and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

West Elementary School consistently outperforms the state average in both English Language Arts and Mathematics for 3rd and 4th-grade students. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 84.8% of 3rd-grade students and 77.6% of 4th-grade students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 67.9% and 76%, respectively. Similarly, in Mathematics, 84.8% of 3rd-grade students and 74.6% of 4th-grade students were proficient or better, compared to the state averages of 75.8% and 74.3%. However, the school has experienced a fluctuating chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 7.5% in 2021-2022 to 23.4% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the state average.

When compared to nearby elementary schools, such as Graettinger-Terril Elementary School and Laurens-Marathon Elementary School, West Elementary School generally outperforms its peers in terms of test scores and academic performance. Additionally, the school has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 40.67% to 44.56% over the past few years, suggesting a higher proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds compared to the state average.

293

Students ?

39.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,570

Per pupil spending ?

43.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

602 Call St
Emmetsburg, IA 50536

(712) 852-4485

District: Emmetsburg Community School District

Students who attend West Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Emmetsburg Middle School
High:	Emmetsburg High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.1%

Hispanic:

6.5%

Two or more races:

2.0%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare West Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 83rd percentile in 2022 → 63rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (80% vs 73% meeting standards)

✓Above the Iowa median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 83rd-percentile peak (2022) to 63rd (2025)

!Large classes — about 40 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school80%

District avg80%

Iowa avg73%

211^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▲ up 45 pts since 2015

From bottom 18% (2015) to top 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

107^th of 313Emmetsburg 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	65.9	211 of 576	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.1	190 of 557	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.9	278 of 565	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.5	99 of 574	82.8%	★★★★☆
2021	71.4	146 of 567	74.3%	★★★★☆
2019	41.8	394 of 603	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.5	339 of 567	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.2	386 of 574	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	24.7	499 of 599	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	26.6	504 of 616	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	48.3	389 of 603	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.6	453 of 624	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	36.2	486 of 626	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts81%+9 vs state

Mathematics79%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near West 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
West Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	602 Call St	Emmetsburg	50536	Palo Alto County	Emmetsburg Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 852-4485	293	7	39.5	43.3%	261 (89.1%)	4 (1.4%)	19 (6.5%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	65.9	211^th of 576 public elementary schools	63.4%		66.1	190^th of 557 public elementary schools	65.9%	21	84.8	77.6			84.8	74.6				$12,570	$823	$11,748
Ruthven-Ayrshire Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1505 Washington St	Ruthven	51358	Palo Alto County	Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 837-5211	89	9	9.8	49.4%	75 (84.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (9.0%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.5%)	9.1	533^rd of 576 public elementary schools	7.5%		13.6	495^th of 557 public elementary schools	11.1%	38			53.3				46.7		40.0	$16,696	$876	$15,821
West Bend-Mallard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	300 3rd Ave SW	West Bend	50597	Palo Alto County	West Bend-Mallard Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 887-7821	173	10	17.6	35.8%	155 (89.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	54.4	296^th of 576 public elementary schools	48.6%		57.6	274^th of 557 public elementary schools	50.8%	22	73.3	73.9			76.7	73.9				$14,589	$617	$13,971
North Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	308 310th Street	Fenton	50539	Kossuth County	North Union Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 889-2261	130	14	9.3	54.6%	121 (93.1%)	2 (1.5%)	5 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.5%)	84.2	41^st of 576 public elementary schools	92.9%					(n/a)	86.7	92.9	88.9		80.0	92.9	83.3		83.3	$15,571	$1,136	$14,435
Graettinger-Terril Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	101 S. Schooley St.	Terril	51364	Dickinson County	Graettinger-Terril Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 853-6111	149	16	9.3	53.7%	138 (92.6%)	1 (0.7%)	9 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	51.2	322^nd of 576 public elementary schools	44.1%					(n/a)	81.8	80.0	62.5		86.4	56.7	68.8		62.5	$16,449	$451	$15,999
Laurens-Marathon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	300 W Garfield	Laurens	50554	Pocahontas County	Laurens-Marathon Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 841-5000	147	14	10.5	40.8%	97 (66.0%)	3 (2.0%)	31 (21.1%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (7.5%)	4 (2.7%)	1.9	571^st of 576 public elementary schools	0.9%		10.7	509^th of 557 public elementary schools	8.6%	62	33.3	50.0		52.9	40.0	37.5		35.3		$20,283	$1,719	$18,563

Frequently Asked Questions about West Elementary School

How many students attend West Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 293 students attended West Elementary School.

Is West Elementary School a good school?

West Elementary School ranks 211^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of West Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Emmetsburg Middle School
High : Emmetsburg High School

What district is West Elementary School in?

Emmetsburg Community School District

What is the racial makeup of West Elementary School?

Students at West Elementary School are 89% White, 6% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

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IAIowa Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Emmetsburg, IA

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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.