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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Laurens-Marathon Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

571^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Laurens-Marathon Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 145 students in grades PK-6 in Laurens, Iowa, which is part of the Laurens-Marathon Community School District. The school faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, low academic achievement, and a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

In recent years, Laurens-Marathon Elementary has had chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 21.6% to 37.9%, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's students consistently perform below the state average in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science on the ISASP assessments. For example, in 2024-2025, only 33.3% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA, compared to the state average of 67.9%. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 41.38% to 55.81% in recent years.

Despite the higher spending per student at Laurens-Marathon Elementary, which was $20,283 per student in 2018-2019, the school's academic performance lags behind the nearby West Elementary in Emmetsburg, Newell-Fonda Elementary, and Albert City-Truesdale Elementary, which have lower per-student spending. This suggests that factors beyond just funding, such as instructional practices, school leadership, and community engagement, may be contributing to the school's underperformance.

147

Students ?

10.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,283

Per pupil spending ?

40.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 W Garfield
Laurens, IA 50554

(712) 841-5000

District: Laurens-Marathon Community School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.0%

Hispanic:

21.1%

Pacific Islander:

7.5%

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Compare Laurens-Marathon Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 37th percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (42% vs 73% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg42%

Iowa avg73%

571^st of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 36 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

313^th of 313Laurens-Marathon 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	1.9	571 of 576	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	509 of 557	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	54.7	285 of 565	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.4	359 of 574	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.7	301 of 567	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.1	422 of 603	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.4	458 of 567	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.5	525 of 574	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	22.3	508 of 599	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	50.3	387 of 616	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	41.7	440 of 603	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	18.1	564 of 624	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	39.6	458 of 626	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts46%-26 vs state

Mathematics38%-36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Laurens-Marathon 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 (2025)	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
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
Albert City-Truesdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	300 Orchard	Albert City	50510	Buena Vista County	Albert City-Truesdale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 843-5416	100	11	9.5	51.0%	69 (69.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (29.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)	67.3	196^th of 576 public elementary schools	66.0%		64.5	203^rd of 557 public elementary schools	63.6%	7	90.9	83.3	81.8	88.2	90.9	66.7	63.6	94.1	45.5	$21,016	$963	$20,052
Pocahontas Area Elementary School	Public	K-6	208 1st Ave SW	Pocahontas	50574	Pocahontas County	Pocahontas Area Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 335-4642	265	18	14.9	50.2%	224 (84.5%)	2 (0.8%)	28 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (3.8%)	49	335^th of 576 public elementary schools	41.8%		57.5	276^th of 557 public elementary schools	50.4%	59	56.8	75.0	64.1	84.3	75.7	82.1	61.5	78.4	56.4	$16,192	$791	$15,400
Sioux Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4440 U.S. Hwy 71	Sioux Rapids	50585	Buena Vista County	Sioux Central Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 283-2571	229	21	10.9	45.4%	179 (78.2%)	1 (0.4%)	42 (18.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (2.2%)	48.4	339^th of 576 public elementary schools	41.1%		58.6	266^th of 557 public elementary schools	52.2%	73	52.4	95.2	70.6		57.1	76.2	73.5		61.8	$12,124	$630	$11,494
Newell-Fonda Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	205 Clark St	Newell	50568	Buena Vista County	Newell-Fonda Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 272-3324	280	18	15.7	46.8%	201 (71.8%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (18.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.6%)	3 (1.1%)	43.7	380^th of 576 public elementary schools	34.0%		46.2	353^rd of 557 public elementary schools	36.6%	27	62.2	76.5	53.7		91.1	88.2	53.7		51.2	$12,429	$641	$11,789
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 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

Frequently Asked Questions about Laurens-Marathon Elementary School

Is Laurens-Marathon Elementary School a good school?

Laurens-Marathon Elementary School ranks in the bottom 0.9% of Iowa elementary schools.

How many students attend Laurens-Marathon Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 147 students attended Laurens-Marathon Elementary School.

What district is Laurens-Marathon Elementary School in?

Laurens-Marathon Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Laurens-Marathon Elementary School?

Students at Laurens-Marathon Elementary School are 66% White, 21% Hispanic, 7% Pacific Islander, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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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.