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Spirit Lake Elementary School

Q: Is Spirit Lake Elementary School a good school?

Spirit Lake Elementary School ranks 102 nd of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

102^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Spirit Lake Elementary School is a high-performing public elementary school serving grades PK-4 in the Spirit Lake Community School District in Spirit Lake, Iowa, with 568 students and a student-teacher ratio of 15.2.

Spirit Lake Elementary School consistently outperforms the state average on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, with 83.1% of 3rd graders and 84.9% of 4th graders proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 67.9% and 76%, respectively. In Mathematics, 89.9% of 3rd graders and 79.3% of 4th graders were proficient or better, compared to the state averages of 75.8% and 74.3%. The school also has relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.4% to 23.4% over the past few years, which is lower than the state average.

While Spirit Lake Elementary School has strong academic performance, the nearby schools, particularly those in the Spencer Community School District and Estherville Lincoln Central Community School District, have higher percentages of economically disadvantaged students and lower academic proficiency rates. This suggests there may be opportunities for Spirit Lake Elementary School to share best practices and collaborate with these schools to help improve educational outcomes across the region.

547

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,763

Per pupil spending ?

27.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

709 28th Street
Spirit Lake, IA 51360

(712) 336-2822

District: Spirit Lake Community School District

Students who attend Spirit Lake Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Spirit Lake Middle School
High:	Spirit Lake High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.2%

Hispanic:

6.0%

Two or more races:

3.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 83rd percentile in 2015 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (84% vs 73% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Iowa elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school84%

District avg84%

Iowa avg73%

102^nd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

82^nd of 313Spirit Lake 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	77.3	102 of 576	82.3%	★★★★☆
2024	82.1	58 of 557	89.6%	★★★★☆
2023	77.5	106 of 565	81.2%	★★★★☆
2022	87.3	30 of 574	94.8%	★★★★★
2021	69.8	159 of 567	72.0%	★★★★☆
2019	76.7	119 of 603	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	48.0	351 of 567	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	63.6	239 of 574	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	69.9	176 of 599	70.6%	★★★★☆
2015	76.6	104 of 616	83.1%	★★★★☆
2014	64.4	235 of 603	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	72.9	115 of 624	81.6%	★★★★☆
2012	68.6	165 of 626	73.6%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics85%+10 vs state

English Language Arts84%+12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Spirit Lake 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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Spirit Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	709 28th Street	Spirit Lake	51360	Dickinson County	Spirit Lake Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 336-2822	547	38	14.3	27.6%	477 (87.2%)	13 (2.4%)	33 (6.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.5%)	77.3	102^nd of 576 public elementary schools	82.3%		82.1	58^th of 557 public elementary schools	89.6%	44	83.1	84.9		89.9	79.3			$11,763	$432	$11,331
Okoboji Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	705 N Ave	Milford	51351	Dickinson County	Okoboji Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 338-2458	491	39	12.5	31.8%	424 (86.4%)	8 (1.6%)	40 (8.1%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	79.6	77^th of 576 public elementary schools	86.6%		70.2	159^th of 557 public elementary schools	71.5%	82	78.8	84.8		88.2	89.1			$13,036	$648	$12,387
Graettinger-Terril Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	101 S. Schooley St.	Terril	51364	Dickinson County	Graettinger-Terril Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 853-6111	149	16	9.3	53.7%	138 (92.6%)	1 (0.7%)	9 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	51.2	322^nd of 576 public elementary schools	44.1%					(n/a)	81.8	80.0	62.5	86.4	56.7	68.8	62.5	$16,449	$451	$15,999
Harris-Lake Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	105 Ave A West	Lake Park	51347	Dickinson County	Harris-Lake Park Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 832-3437	167	11	15.7	40.7%	153 (91.6%)	1 (0.6%)	7 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.6%)	38.5	410^th of 576 public elementary schools	28.8%		59.4	260^th of 557 public elementary schools	53.3%	150	25.0	72.7	75.0	71.9	81.8	62.5	58.3	$12,458	$1,128	$11,331
Demoney Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	109 S 17th Street	Estherville	51334	Emmet County	Estherville Lincoln Central Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 362-2181	460	40	11.4	55.2%	282 (61.3%)	6 (1.3%)	159 (34.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.8%)	12.5	516^th of 576 public elementary schools	10.4%		36.9	402^nd of 557 public elementary schools	27.8%	114	45.1	51.4		59.8	63.4			$13,659	$648	$13,013
Fairview Park Elementary	Public	1-2	1508 5th Ave. East	Spencer	51301	Clay County	Spencer Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 262-4842	249	21	12.0	59.8%	196 (78.7%)	7 (2.8%)	30 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.0%)								(n/a)								$14,305	$896	$13,408
Johnson Elementary	Public	PK-K	724 West 9th Street	Spencer	51301	Clay County	Spencer Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 262-2710	201	18	11.0	53.2%	163 (81.1%)	3 (1.5%)	20 (10.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.5%)								(n/a)								$13,320	$574	$12,747
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	3-5	615 4th Ave. SW	Spencer	51301	Clay County	Spencer Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 262-3752	442	28	15.6	53.6%	349 (79.0%)	14 (3.2%)	46 (10.4%)	11 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.0%)	52.4	312^th of 576 public elementary schools	45.8%		50.4	324^th of 557 public elementary schools	41.8%	12	69.8	79.1	69.7	74.4	73.9	68.3	66.2	$12,820	$475	$12,345

Frequently Asked Questions about Spirit Lake Elementary School

Is Spirit Lake Elementary School a good school?

Spirit Lake Elementary School ranks 102^nd of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Spirit Lake Elementary School in?

Spirit Lake Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Spirit Lake Elementary School?

Students at Spirit Lake Elementary School are 87% White, 6% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend Spirit Lake Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 547 students attended Spirit Lake Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Spirit Lake Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Spirit Lake Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Spirit Lake Middle School
High : Spirit Lake High School

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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.