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Emerson Hough Elementary School

Q: Is Emerson Hough Elementary School a good school?

Emerson Hough Elementary School ranks 421 st of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-4

421^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Emerson Hough Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades K-4 in Newton, Iowa, with an enrollment of 205 students. The school is part of the Newton Community School District, which is ranked 255 out of 313 school districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Emerson Hough Elementary faces several challenges compared to its peers. The school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 31.9% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average and other schools in the district. Additionally, the school's test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally lower than the district and state averages. For example, in 2024-2025, only 69.4% of 3rd graders and 62.1% of 4th graders were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the district scores of 79.2% and 68.4%, respectively. The school also has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 65.47% to 69.2% over the past few years, significantly higher than the nearby schools in the district.

When comparing Emerson Hough Elementary to other schools outside the Newton Community School District, such as those in the Grinnell-Newburg, East Marshall, and PCM Community School Districts, the performance gap becomes even more pronounced, with these schools generally having higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism, and lower free/reduced lunch rates. Additionally, Emerson Hough Elementary's statewide ranking has steadily declined over the past few years, from 374 out of 603 Iowa elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 421 out of 576 in 2024-2025, suggesting the school may be facing increasing challenges in maintaining or improving its performance.

336

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,675

Per pupil spending ?

57.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

700 N 4th Ave East
Newton, IA 50208

(641) 792-3982

District: Newton Community School District

Students who attend Emerson Hough Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Berg Middle School
High:	Newton Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.7%

Hispanic:

11.0%

Two or more races:

7.1%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Emerson Hough Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 12th percentile in 2022 → 27th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 27th (2025) from a 12th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (68% vs 73% meeting standards)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school68%

District avg74%

Iowa avg73%

421^st of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 11 pts since 2019

From bottom 38% (2019) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Newton Community School District

255^th of 313Newton 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	37.1	421 of 576	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.7	357 of 557	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.3	480 of 565	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.0	507 of 574	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.3	452 of 567	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.0	374 of 603	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts70%~ state avg

Mathematics66%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Emerson Hough 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
Emerson Hough Elementary School	Public	K-4	700 N 4th Ave East	Newton	50208	Jasper County	Newton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 792-3982	336	27	12.2	57.1%	251 (74.7%)	14 (4.2%)	37 (11.0%)	4 (1.2%)	3 (0.9%)	3 (0.9%)	24 (7.1%)	37.1	421^st of 576 public elementary schools	26.9%		45.7	357^th of 557 public elementary schools	35.9%	64	69.4	71.2			69.4	62.1				$16,675	$1,246	$15,429
Woodrow Wilson Elementary School	Public	K-4	801 S 8th Ave West	Newton	50208	Jasper County	Newton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 792-7311	306	20	15.4	57.5%	241 (78.8%)	7 (2.3%)	25 (8.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	31 (10.1%)	58.2	275^th of 576 public elementary schools	52.3%		61.1	237^th of 557 public elementary schools	57.5%	38	75.8	75.5			82.3	69.8				$14,588	$415	$14,173
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	112 Thomas Jefferson Dr	Newton	50208	Jasper County	Newton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 792-2498	380	26	14.5	45.0%	325 (85.5%)	5 (1.3%)	27 (7.1%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.3%)	60.7	258^th of 576 public elementary schools	55.2%		56.3	284^th of 557 public elementary schools	49.0%	26	72.1	75.9			85.3	74.1				$15,022	$900	$14,122
Baxter Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	202 E State	Baxter	50028	Jasper County	Baxter Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 227-3102	209	11	19.3	30.1%	193 (92.3%)	2 (1.0%)	9 (4.3%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	71.6	154^th of 576 public elementary schools	73.3%		58.3	268^th of 557 public elementary schools	51.9%	114	81.5	86.8	72.4		88.9	89.5	72.4		65.5	$16,144	$695	$15,449
Colfax-Mingo Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	20 West Broadway	Colfax	50054	Jasper County	Colfax-Mingo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 674-3465	399	30	13.2	42.9%	351 (88.0%)	4 (1.0%)	30 (7.5%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.5%)	51.3	321^st of 576 public elementary schools	44.3%		49.2	336^th of 557 public elementary schools	39.7%	15	65.2	80.9	74.5	64.0	87.0	80.9	70.6	68.0	59.6	$10,304	$451	$9,854
Prairie City Elementary School	Public	3-5	309 East Plainsmen Road	Prairie City	50228	Jasper County	PCM Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 994-8222	240	17	14.1	27.5%	221 (92.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.6%)	3 (1.3%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	50.6	326^th of 576 public elementary schools	43.4%		65.8	192^nd of 557 public elementary schools	65.5%	134	72.9	73.7	69.0		81.4	73.7	60.6		66.2	$14,507	$597	$13,910
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
Lynnville-Sully Elementary School	Public	K-5	12476 Hwy F62 E	Sully	50251	Jasper County	Lynnville-Sully Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 594-4445	224	20	11.4	29.0%	212 (94.6%)	2 (0.9%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	79.8	76^th of 576 public elementary schools	86.8%		80.9	65^th of 557 public elementary schools	88.3%	11	72.2	94.4	81.1		77.8	94.4	91.9		81.1	$11,124	$439	$10,685
East Marshall Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	201 E Weissenberger	Laurel	50141	Marshall County	East Marshall Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 476-3342	242	20	12.1	45.5%	209 (86.4%)	1 (0.4%)	27 (11.2%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	44.1	376^th of 576 public elementary schools	34.7%		50.8	322^nd of 557 public elementary schools	42.2%	54	64.7	73.5	73.8		73.5	75.5	61.9		54.8	$12,045	$693	$11,353
Bailey Park Elementary School	Public	K-2	210 8th Ave	Grinnell	50112	Poweshiek County	Grinnell-Newburg Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 236-2700	147	10	14.0	42.2%	124 (84.4%)	3 (2.0%)	15 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.4%)								(n/a)										$16,074	$1,524	$14,550

Frequently Asked Questions about Emerson Hough Elementary School

What district is Emerson Hough Elementary School in?

Newton Community School District

Is Emerson Hough Elementary School a good school?

Emerson Hough Elementary School ranks 421^st of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Emerson Hough Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Emerson Hough Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Berg Middle School
High : Newton Senior High School

How many students attend Emerson Hough Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 336 students attended Emerson Hough Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Emerson Hough Elementary School?

Students at Emerson Hough Elementary School are 75% White, 11% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 4% African American, 1% Asian.

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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.