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Butler Elementary School

Public Grades 1-5

531^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Butler Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Fort Dodge, Iowa, serving grades 1-5 with a total enrollment of 344 students. The school is part of the Fort Dodge Community School District, which is ranked 307 out of 313 school districts in Iowa and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Butler Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Iowa elementary schools, with a ranking between 500-550 out of over 600 schools in recent years.

Butler Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 21.6% to 34.8% in recent years, which are significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are consistently lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics around 10-20 percentage points below the state averages. Additionally, Butler Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 69.19% to 76.52% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.

When comparing Butler Elementary to other schools in the Fort Dodge Community School District, it becomes clear that Butler is one of the lower-performing schools. For example, Feelhaver Elementary and Duncombe Elementary have significantly higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates than Butler. Looking outside the district, schools like Sunset Heights Elementary in Webster City and Taft Elementary in Humboldt appear to be higher-performing and may provide useful insights or best practices for Butler Elementary to consider.

328

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,434

Per pupil spending ?

65.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

945 South 18th Street
Fort Dodge, IA 50501

(515) 574-5882

District: Fort Dodge Community School District

Students who attend Butler Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Fort Dodge Middle School
High:	Fort Dodge High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.7%

Hispanic:

15.2%

Two or more races:

11.9%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Butler Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 14th percentile in 2015 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (47% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg48%

Iowa avg71%

531^st of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Fort Dodge Community School District

307^th of 313Fort Dodge 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	9.4	531 of 576	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.3	525 of 557	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.7	540 of 565	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.6	544 of 574	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.0	506 of 567	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.8	504 of 603	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.8	519 of 567	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.7	519 of 574	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.4	550 of 599	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	19.9	530 of 616	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	30.6	489 of 603	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.6	509 of 624	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.0	551 of 626	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Science52%-13 vs state

Mathematics48%-26 vs state

English Language Arts45%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Butler 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
Butler Elementary School	Public	1-5	945 South 18th Street	Fort Dodge	50501	Webster County	Fort Dodge Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 574-5882	328	25	13.2	65.9%	209 (63.7%)	25 (7.6%)	50 (15.2%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	39 (11.9%)	9.4	531^st of 576 public elementary schools	7.8%		7.3	525^th of 557 public elementary schools	5.7%	6	34.5	54.0	46.8		34.5	47.6	59.7		51.6	$15,434	$1,605	$13,830
Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	104 So. 17th St.	Fort Dodge	50501	Webster County	Fort Dodge Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 574-5740	376	28	13.5	42.0%	237 (63.0%)	28 (7.4%)	64 (17.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (12.2%)								(n/a)
Duncombe Elementary School	Public	1-5	1620 6th Avenue North	Fort Dodge	50501	Webster County	Fort Dodge Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 574-5623	438	30	14.3	70.1%	224 (51.1%)	32 (7.3%)	113 (25.8%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (14.6%)	5.4	546^th of 576 public elementary schools	5.2%		6.7	529^th of 557 public elementary schools	5.0%	17	43.5	46.2	45.2		45.6	32.3	52.1		45.2	$15,271	$1,808	$13,463
Cooper Elementary School	Public	1-5	2420 14th Avenue North	Fort Dodge	50501	Webster County	Fort Dodge Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 574-5602	231	16	14.2	43.7%	180 (77.9%)	9 (3.9%)	20 (8.7%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.7%)	3	566^th of 576 public elementary schools	1.7%		14.4	491^st of 557 public elementary schools	11.8%	75	34.1	45.7	44.2		48.8	34.8	44.2		37.2	$18,249	$1,339	$16,910
Feelhaver Elementary School	Public	1-5	1300 14th Ave N	Fort Dodge	50501	Webster County	Fort Dodge Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 574-5680	227	13	17.0	33.5%	181 (79.7%)	10 (4.4%)	20 (8.8%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.2%)	35.5	431^st of 576 public elementary schools	25.2%		45.3	362^nd of 557 public elementary schools	35.0%	69	56.0	68.6	81.4		62.0	60.0	58.1		67.4	$15,454	$1,136	$14,318
Manson Northwest Webster Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	303 Pierce Street	Barnum	50518	Webster County	Manson Northwest Webster Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 542-3211	439	30	14.8	31.7%	402 (91.6%)	4 (0.9%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.5%)	61.5	249^th of 576 public elementary schools	56.8%					(n/a)	82.1	76.1	74.4	85.5	87.2	76.1	72.1	75.8	58.1	$12,033	$373	$11,659
Clyde D Mease Elementary School	Public	PK-K	23 3rd St No	Dakota City	50529	Humboldt County	Humboldt Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 332-3578	139	7	19.3	30.2%	111 (79.9%)	1 (0.7%)	19 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.8%)								(n/a)										$13,645	$431	$13,214
Taft Elementary School	Public	1-4	612 2nd Ave North	Humboldt	50548	Humboldt County	Humboldt Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 332-3216	369	34	10.9	30.6%	307 (83.2%)	2 (0.5%)	47 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.3%)	81.1	62^nd of 576 public elementary schools	89.2%		79.1	77^th of 557 public elementary schools	86.2%	15	82.4	87.5			84.7	89.4				$12,984	$826	$12,158
Southeast Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	3116 Zearing Ave	Farnhamville	50538	Calhoun County	Southeast Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(515) 370-2861	223	16	13.9	51.1%	197 (88.3%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.7%)	63.3	234^th of 576 public elementary schools	59.4%					(n/a)	71.8	69.8			87.2	86.0
Dayton Center	Public	PK, KG-4	104 2nd St. NW	Dayton	50530	Webster County	Southeast Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 547-2314	200	17	11.9	51.0%	177 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	48.2	341^st of 576 public elementary schools	40.8%		63.1	222^nd of 557 public elementary schools	60.1%	119	46.7	74.4			73.3	87.2				$14,497	$498	$13,999

Frequently Asked Questions about Butler Elementary School

Is Butler Elementary School a good school?

Butler Elementary School ranks in the bottom 7.8% of Iowa elementary schools.

What district is Butler Elementary School in?

Fort Dodge Community School District

How many students attend Butler Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 328 students attended Butler Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Butler Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Fort Dodge Middle School
High : Fort Dodge High School

What is the racial makeup of Butler Elementary School?

Students at Butler Elementary School are 64% White, 15% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 8% African American.

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Schools in Fort Dodge, IA

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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.