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Prairie City Elementary School

Q: Is Prairie City Elementary School a good school?

Prairie City Elementary School ranks 326 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

326^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Prairie City Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 312 students in grades PK-5 in Prairie City, Iowa, which is part of the PCM Community School District. The school consistently outperforms the state average on academic assessments, with its 3rd graders scoring 72.9% proficient or better in English Language Arts and 81.4% in math, compared to the state averages of 67.9% and 75.8%, respectively.

However, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.7% in 2020-2021 to 21.6% in 2023-2024. Additionally, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch has grown from 17.28% in 2021-2022 to 27.88% in 2023-2024, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students. Despite its strong academic performance, Prairie City Elementary School's statewide ranking has declined from 90th out of 565 Iowa elementary schools in 2022-2023 to 326th out of 576 in 2024-2025, suggesting that other schools in the state may be improving at a faster rate.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Centennial Elementary in the Southeast Polk Community School District, Prairie City Elementary School stands out as a high-performing school with lower student-teacher ratios, which may contribute to its academic success. However, the school's declining statewide ranking and rising chronic absenteeism rates are areas of concern that the district should address to ensure continued improvement and support for all students.

240

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,507

Per pupil spending ?

27.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

309 East Plainsmen Road
Prairie City, IA 50228

(515) 994-8222

District: PCM Community School District

Students who attend Prairie City Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	PCM Middle School
High:	PCM High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.1%

Hispanic:

4.6%

Asian:

1.3%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Prairie City Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2015 → 43rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school71%

District avg71%

Iowa avg71%

326^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 50% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

163^rd of 313PCM 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	50.6	326 of 576	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.8	192 of 557	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	79.0	90 of 565	84.1%	★★★★☆
2022	74.7	119 of 574	79.3%	★★★★☆
2021	72.4	140 of 567	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	54.6	302 of 603	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.6	185 of 567	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.5	246 of 574	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.1	291 of 599	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.3	306 of 616	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	67.4	203 of 603	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	74.5	97 of 624	84.5%	★★★★☆
2012	79.8	59 of 626	90.6%	★★★★★

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts72%~ state avg

Mathematics72%~ state avg

Science66%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Prairie City 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
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
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
Runnells Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6575 SE 116th Street	Runnells	50237	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 966-2068	260	18	14.6	26.9%	216 (83.1%)	9 (3.5%)	20 (7.7%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.8%)	92.5	7^th of 576 public elementary schools	98.8%		89	16^th of 557 public elementary schools	97.1%	9	89.4	96.4	89.7		97.9	92.9	97.4		84.6	$14,164	$100	$14,065
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
Mitchellville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	308 Elm Ave NW	Mitchellville	50169	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 967-4274	255	19	13.4	31.0%	227 (89.0%)	4 (1.6%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.5%)	90.9	14^th of 576 public elementary schools	97.6%		86.9	27^th of 557 public elementary schools	95.2%	13	82.1	93.8	97.3		89.7	93.8	97.3		91.9	$16,832	$385	$16,447
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
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
Centennial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	910 7th Ave SE	Altoona	50009	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 967-2109	423	32	13.1	38.1%	303 (71.6%)	36 (8.5%)	42 (9.9%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (8.7%)	71.2	155^th of 576 public elementary schools	73.1%		77.2	86^th of 557 public elementary schools	84.6%	69	81.5	78.7	72.9		87.7	85.2	87.1		65.7	$15,221	$767	$14,454
Clay Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3200 First Avenue S.	Altoona	50009	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 967-4198	700	43	16.4	36.1%	423 (60.4%)	98 (14.0%)	104 (14.9%)	22 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (7.6%)	48	343^rd of 576 public elementary schools	40.5%		61	242^nd of 557 public elementary schools	56.6%	101	68.3	77.7	68.3		74.0	73.8	61.0		66.3	$12,723	$186	$12,537
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Prairie City Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Prairie City Elementary School?

Students at Prairie City Elementary School are 92% White, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Prairie City Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Prairie City Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : PCM Middle School
High : PCM High School

How many students attend Prairie City Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 240 students attended Prairie City Elementary School.

Is Prairie City Elementary School a good school?

Prairie City Elementary School ranks 326^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Prairie City Elementary School in?

PCM Community School District

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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.