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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 50049

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

Schools

593

Students

Top rankedVan Allen Elementary School362^nd of 576 Iowa elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Van Allen Elementary School up 52 spots statewide this year

See the top-ranked Iowa schools →

Summary:

The 50049 zip code area in Iowa is home to two elementary schools - Columbus Elementary School and Van Allen Elementary School. These schools serve students from kindergarten through 5th grade and are part of the Chariton Community School District.

While both schools face challenges, Van Allen Elementary has shown signs of improvement, moving up in the statewide rankings over the past few years. Van Allen also outperforms the district and state averages in several academic areas, including 3rd grade English Language Arts, 4th grade English Language Arts, and 5th grade Science. However, both schools have relatively low statewide rankings, indicating room for improvement across the district.

One area of concern for both schools is the high chronic absenteeism rate of 21.6% for the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, the district as a whole is ranked 237th out of 313 districts in Iowa and is rated 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger, suggesting the district may be underperforming compared to others in the state. Addressing attendance issues and overall academic achievement should be priorities for the district to support student success.

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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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Columbus Elementary School	Public	K-2	1215 Linden Ave	Chariton	50049	Lucas County	Chariton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 774-4712	301	20	15.1	65.4%	270 (89.7%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (8.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)								(n/a)								$12,543	$1,038	$11,505
Van Allen Elementary School	Public	3-5	1129 Ashland	Chariton	50049	Lucas County	Chariton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 774-5047	292	18	16.1	59.9%	262 (89.7%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)	45.9	362^nd of 576 public elementary schools	37.2%		35.1	414^th of 557 public elementary schools	25.7%	52	70.7	72.9	71.8	73.7	60.4	63.5	71.8	$12,903	$1,028	$11,874

Cities Near Zip Code 50049

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Chariton	0.2 mi	4	311^th
Melcher	14.5 mi	1	403^rd
Humeston	15 mi	2	382^nd
Dallas	15.45 mi	1	353^rd
Liberty Center	16.13 mi	1	160^th

See the top IA Iowa cities

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.