Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Northstar Elementary School

Q: Is Northstar Elementary School a good school?

Northstar Elementary School ranks 391 st of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

391^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 32% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Northstar Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Knoxville, Iowa, serving grades 3-5 with a total enrollment of 342 students. The school is part of the Knoxville Community School District, which is ranked 256 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Northstar Elementary School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 25.6% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are also generally lower than the state and district averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's 3rd-grade ELA proficiency rate was 48.6%, compared to the state average of 67.9%. Additionally, Northstar Elementary has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 47.58% to 55.43% over the past few years, suggesting a higher proportion of students from low-income families.

When comparing Northstar Elementary School to nearby schools, such as Runnells Elementary, which is part of the Southeast Polk Community School District, it becomes evident that Northstar Elementary is underperforming. Runnells Elementary consistently outperforms Northstar Elementary in test scores, with significantly higher proficiency rates in ELA, Math, and Science. To address these challenges, Northstar Elementary School could benefit from a focus on improving student attendance, implementing more effective instructional strategies, and providing additional support and resources for students from low-income families.

348

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,116

Per pupil spending ?

49.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

407 W Larson
Knoxville, IA 50138

(641) 842-6527

District: Knoxville Community School District

Students who attend Northstar Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Knoxville Middle School
High:	Knoxville High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.4%

Two or more races:

4.3%

Hispanic:

4.0%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Northstar Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 22nd percentile in 2015 → 32nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school67%

District avg67%

Iowa avg71%

391^st of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 22% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

256^th of 313Knoxville 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	41.5	391 of 576	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	415 of 557	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	455 of 565	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.3	422 of 574	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.0	435 of 567	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.8	417 of 603	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.1	363 of 567	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.7	400 of 574	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	40.6	431 of 599	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.0	483 of 616	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	56.6	313 of 603	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	57.6	303 of 624	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.8	299 of 626	52.2%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics75%~ state avg

English Language Arts62%-9 vs state

Science56%-8 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Northstar Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Northstar Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Northstar Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

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
Northstar Elementary School	Public	3-5	407 W Larson	Knoxville	50138	Marion County	Knoxville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 842-6527	348	25	14.0	49.1%	311 (89.4%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.0%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.3%)	41.5	391^st of 576 public elementary schools	32.1%		34.9	415^th of 557 public elementary schools	25.5%	24	48.6	72.8	66.4		64.9	80.6	79.5		55.7	$13,116	$644	$12,471
West Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	306 S Park Lane Dr	Knoxville	50138	Marion County	Knoxville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 842-2185	485	31	15.8	46.4%	434 (89.5%)	6 (1.2%)	11 (2.3%)	5 (1.0%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.2%)								(n/a)										$13,948	$757	$13,191
Melcher-Dallas Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1003 E Park St	Dallas	50062	Marion County	Melcher-Dallas Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 947-3151	157	12	13.1	38.9%	153 (97.5%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)	37.9	416^th of 576 public elementary schools	27.8%		39.2	390^th of 557 public elementary schools	30.0%	26	22.7	83.3	60.0	88.9	40.9	75.0	40.0	88.9	50.0	$11,236	$776	$10,459
Pleasantville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	414 Jones St	Pleasantville	50225	Marion County	Pleasantville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 848-0566	456	34	13.3	29.8%	428 (93.9%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	73.8	131^st of 576 public elementary schools	77.3%		58.4	267^th of 557 public elementary schools	52.1%	136	88.9	84.7	78.3	67.3	88.9	86.4	89.1	80.0	78.3	$13,230	$553	$12,677
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	1111 North Main Street	Pella	50219	Marion County	Pella Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 628-3970	254	21	11.9	17.3%	211 (83.1%)	1 (0.4%)	13 (5.1%)	6 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.5%)	9 (3.5%)								(n/a)	78.6				91.1					$9,627	$201	$9,425
Madison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	950 E. University St.	Pella	50219	Marion County	Pella Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 628-4638	401	34	11.9	21.2%	348 (86.8%)	9 (2.2%)	21 (5.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.7%)								(n/a)	73.0				90.0					$10,607	$378	$10,228
Twin Cedars Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2204 Highway G71	Bussey	50044	Marion County	Twin Cedars Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 944-5245	170	12	14.3	34.1%	158 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.5%)	51.9	318^th of 576 public elementary schools	44.8%		31.3	437^th of 557 public elementary schools	21.5%	119	75.0	73.3	73.9	77.8	81.3	66.7	56.5	72.2	73.9	$12,458	$838	$11,621
Monroe Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	400 N Jasper	Monroe	50170	Jasper County	PCM Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 994-8222	257	17	15.1	25.3%	238 (92.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)								(n/a)										$13,431	$534	$12,897
Southeast Warren Primary	Public	PK, KG-4	316 N 5th	Milo	50166	Warren County	Southeast Warren Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 942-6216	162	16	10.3	35.8%	157 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69.3	180^th of 576 public elementary schools	68.8%					(n/a)	75.9	81.8			79.3	86.4				$12,545	$574	$11,972
Hartford Upper Elementary	Public	4-5	500 N. Vine	Hartford	50118	Warren County	Carlisle Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 989-0316	303	21	14.5	27.1%	248 (81.8%)	4 (1.3%)	24 (7.9%)	16 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.3%)	73.8	130^th of 576 public elementary schools	77.4%		66	191^st of 557 public elementary schools	65.7%	61		82.4	78.5			84.9	84.7		70.8	$9,940	$408	$9,531

Frequently Asked Questions about Northstar Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Northstar Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Knoxville Middle School
High : Knoxville High School

What is the racial makeup of Northstar Elementary School?

Students at Northstar Elementary School are 89% White, 4% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

Is Northstar Elementary School a good school?

Northstar Elementary School ranks 391^st of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Northstar Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 348 students attended Northstar Elementary School.

What district is Northstar Elementary School in?

Knoxville Community School District

Rate Northstar Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

IAIowa Elementary School Rankings

IAIowa District Rankings

Schools in Knoxville, IA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Northstar Elementary School!

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.