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Pekin Elementary School

Q: Is Pekin Elementary School a good school?

Pekin Elementary School ranks 383 rd of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

383^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 34% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Pekin Elementary School is a public elementary school in Packwood, Iowa, serving 336 students in grades PK-6 as part of the Pekin Community School District. The school has consistently demonstrated strong academic performance, with the majority of grades scoring above the state average in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

Despite its academic success, Pekin Elementary School has faced some challenges, including relatively high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 21.3% to 25.8% over the past few years, which is higher than the state average. Additionally, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch has increased significantly, from 26.67% in 2021-2022 to 45.54% in 2023-2024, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students. Compared to nearby schools, Pekin Elementary generally outperforms the Ottumwa Community School District and the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Central School District on academic measures, but the Sigourney Elementary School in the Sigourney Community School District also demonstrates strong academic performance and a lower chronic absenteeism rate.

Despite the school's declining statewide ranking, from 12th out of 616 Iowa elementary schools in 2013-2014 to 383rd out of 576 in 2024-2025, Pekin Elementary School remains a high-performing institution that is effectively supporting student learning and achievement. The school's performance and the comparison to nearby schools provide valuable insights for the district and community to consider in their efforts to address the needs of their students and ensure continued academic success.

308

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,602

Per pupil spending ?

45.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1062 Birch Ave
Packwood, IA 52580-8542

(641) 661-2351

District: Pekin Community School District

Students who attend Pekin Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Pekin Community Junior/ Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.6%

Hispanic:

5.5%

Two or more races:

1.6%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Pekin Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 62nd percentile in 2013 → 34th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 28 percentile points since 2013

!Science scores 14 pts below the Iowa average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school69%

District avg69%

Iowa avg72%

383^rd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 65 pts since 2015

From top 2% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

170^th of 313Pekin 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	43.0	383 of 576	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	71.9	144 of 557	74.1%	★★★★☆
2023	66.6	189 of 565	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	82.9	67 of 574	88.3%	★★★★☆
2021	78.6	96 of 567	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	53.0	317 of 603	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	85.5	25 of 599	95.8%	★★★★★
2015	88.2	12 of 616	98.1%	★★★★★
2014	85.5	21 of 603	96.5%	★★★★★
2013	63.5	236 of 624	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	85.7	18 of 626	97.1%	★★★★★

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts73%~ state avg

Mathematics70%-4 vs state

Science50%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pekin 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	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
Pekin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1062 Birch Ave	Packwood	52580	Jefferson County	Pekin Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 661-2351	308	23	13.1	45.1%	282 (91.6%)	4 (1.3%)	17 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	43	383^rd of 576 public elementary schools	33.5%		71.9	144^th of 557 public elementary schools	74.1%	239	84.2	78.1	62.5	70.4	84.2	62.5	60.0	70.4	50.0	$12,602	$753	$11,850
Sigourney Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	509 S Jefferson St	Sigourney	52591	Keokuk County	Sigourney Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 622-2350	318	21	15.4	41.5%	291 (91.5%)	5 (1.6%)	11 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.5%)	56.4	282^nd of 576 public elementary schools	51.0%		44.5	367^th of 557 public elementary schools	34.1%	85	86.0	67.6	52.3	63.4	88.4	78.4	75.0	85.4	72.7	$12,791	$666	$12,124
Cardinal Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	5414 Hwy 16	Eldon	52554	Wapello County	Cardinal Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 652-3591	495	38	12.9	64.4%	439 (88.7%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.2%)	37.5	419^th of 576 public elementary schools	27.3%		31.1	439^th of 557 public elementary schools	21.2%	20	62.2	73.5			66.2	69.9				$10,997	$435	$10,563
Fremont Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	525 East Main Street	Fremont	52561	Mahaska County	Eddyville-Blakesburg- Fremont Central School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 933-4211	108	10	10.7	45.4%	95 (88.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.7%)	35.4	433^rd of 576 public elementary schools	24.8%					(n/a)	50.0	42.9	41.2	83.3	90.0	78.6	52.9	83.3	52.9	$14,187	$580	$13,607
Eisenhower Elementary School	Public	K-5	2624 Marilyn Rd	Ottumwa	52501	Wapello County	Ottumwa Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 684-5617	248	18	13.7	29.4%	179 (72.2%)	14 (5.6%)	29 (11.7%)	6 (2.4%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.5%)	3 (1.2%)	59.9	262^nd of 576 public elementary schools	54.5%		66.3	188^th of 557 public elementary schools	66.2%	74	66.7	76.2	76.7		76.2	81.0	72.1		74.4	$12,778	$1,167	$11,611
Pence Elementary	Public	2-4	1000 South 6th Street	Fairfield	52556	Jefferson County	Fairfield Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 472-2957	317	27	11.8	56.5%	250 (78.9%)	6 (1.9%)	23 (7.3%)	13 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.9%)	29.1	463^rd of 576 public elementary schools	19.6%		27.4	450^th of 557 public elementary schools	19.2%	13	64.9	70.5			60.8	61.1				$13,433	$1,191	$12,242
Washington Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	406 East Madison Avenue	Fairfield	52556	Jefferson County	Fairfield Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 472-2110	239	20	12.1	51.9%	176 (73.6%)	6 (2.5%)	18 (7.5%)	15 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	23 (9.6%)								(n/a)										$14,800	$991	$13,809
Horace Mann Elementary School	Public	K-5	1523 N Court St	Ottumwa	52501	Wapello County	Ottumwa Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 684-4661	250	19	13.1	33.6%	138 (55.2%)	38 (15.2%)	47 (18.8%)	6 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.2%)	3 (1.2%)	35.7	430^th of 576 public elementary schools	25.3%		42.9	376^th of 557 public elementary schools	32.5%	54	44.7	79.1	63.9		65.8	67.4	61.1		66.7	$13,776	$1,167	$12,609
Wilson Elementary School	Public	K-5	1102 E. 4th St.	Ottumwa	52501	Wapello County	Ottumwa Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 684-5441	335	27	12.4	59.7%	85 (25.4%)	56 (16.7%)	113 (33.7%)	11 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (18.5%)	8 (2.4%)	14.6	510^th of 576 public elementary schools	11.5%		26.3	453^rd of 557 public elementary schools	18.7%	57	60.0	74.5	25.5		60.0	53.2	34.0		19.1	$13,451	$1,167	$12,284
James Elementary School	Public	K-5	1001 N Benton	Ottumwa	52501	Wapello County	Ottumwa Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 684-5411	249	19	13.0	68.3%	85 (34.1%)	40 (16.1%)	57 (22.9%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	55 (22.1%)	8 (3.2%)	4.3	555^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.6%		7	527^th of 557 public elementary schools	5.4%	28	41.2	55.6	38.9		35.3	55.6	41.7		34.3	$13,974	$1,218	$12,755

Frequently Asked Questions about Pekin Elementary School

Is Pekin Elementary School a good school?

Pekin Elementary School ranks 383^rd of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Pekin Elementary School in?

Pekin Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Pekin Elementary School?

Students at Pekin Elementary School are 92% White, 6% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend Pekin Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 308 students attended Pekin Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Pekin Elementary School attend?

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

High : Pekin Community Junior/ Senior High 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.