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Duncombe Elementary School

Public Grades 1-5

546^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Duncombe Elementary School is a public elementary school in Fort Dodge, Iowa, serving 454 students in grades 1-5. The school is part of the Fort Dodge Community School District, which is ranked 307 out of 313 school districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Duncombe Elementary faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 34.8% over the past few years, which is much higher than the state average and the rates of nearby schools like Cooper Elementary (21.6%) and Feelhaver Elementary (21.6%). The school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are also consistently lower than the state averages and the scores of nearby schools. For example, in 2024-2025, Duncombe's 3rd-grade ELA proficiency rate was 43.5%, compared to the state average of 67.9%, and its 5th-grade Math proficiency rate was 52.1%, compared to the state average of 71.5%.

Additionally, Duncombe Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 70.26% to 78.96% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the rates of nearby schools like Feelhaver Elementary (36.2%) and Cooper Elementary (46.22%). Despite the school's high spending per student, at $15,271, the academic performance at Duncombe remains significantly lower than that of nearby schools, such as Taft Elementary in the Humboldt Community School District, which is ranked 26th out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 5-star rating.

438

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,271

Per pupil spending ?

70.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1620 6th Avenue North
Fort Dodge, IA 50501

(515) 574-5623

District: Fort Dodge Community School District

Students who attend Duncombe Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.1%

Hispanic:

25.8%

Two or more races:

14.6%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Duncombe Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 1st percentile in 2015 → 5th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (44% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg48%

Iowa avg71%

546^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 1% (2015) to bottom 5% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	5.4	546 of 576	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.7	529 of 557	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	507 of 565	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.8	530 of 574	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.8	503 of 567	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.3	549 of 603	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	504 of 567	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.2	505 of 574	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	10.4	553 of 599	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	1.6	609 of 616	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	7.8	567 of 603	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	18.9	560 of 624	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	21.9	557 of 626	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Science45%-19 vs state

English Language Arts45%-26 vs state

Mathematics42%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Duncombe 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
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
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)
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
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
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
Eagle Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	425 North Fort	Eagle Grove	50533	Wright County	Eagle Grove Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 448-3126	435	39	11.0	59.8%	218 (50.1%)	7 (1.6%)	197 (45.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.3%)	23.6	482^nd of 576 public elementary schools	16.3%		33.4	425^th of 557 public elementary schools	23.7%	57	54.5	58.5			65.2	69.2				$12,163	$848	$11,316
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Duncombe Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Duncombe Elementary School attend?

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

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

Is Duncombe Elementary School a good school?

Duncombe Elementary School ranks in the bottom 5.2% of Iowa elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Duncombe Elementary School?

Students at Duncombe Elementary School are 51% White, 26% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 7% African American.

What district is Duncombe Elementary School in?

Fort Dodge Community School District

How many students attend Duncombe Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 438 students attended Duncombe Elementary School.

Rate Duncombe Elementary 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.