Oelwein Middle School

Oelwein Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 5-8 in Oelwein, Iowa, with 365 students. The school is part of the Oelwein Community School District, which is ranked 300 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Oelwein Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Iowa middle schools over the past several years, with a ranking between 289 and 327 out of 318-349 schools.

Oelwein Middle School faces several challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 21.6% to 32.7% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. The school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are also consistently below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with proficiency rates ranging from 31.1% to 69.7% in math and 46.7% to 69.7% in English Language Arts, compared to state averages of 71.5% to 74.4% in math and 69.8% to 80.2% in ELA. Additionally, Oelwein Middle School has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 50.42% to 60.17% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average.

Interestingly, the nearby middle schools, such as Jesup Middle School, East Buchanan Middle School, and Starmont Middle School, have significantly higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and lower percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting that Oelwein Middle School is underperforming compared to its peers, despite having higher per-student spending.