Best Public Schools in Zip Code 51358

Summary:

The 51358 zip code in Iowa is home to two schools: Ruthven-Ayrshire Elementary School and Ruthven-Ayrshire High School, both part of the Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School District. While the high school is a standout performer, the elementary school appears to be struggling, with lower test scores and a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

Ruthven-Ayrshire High School has consistently improved its statewide ranking, moving from 247th out of 336 Iowa high schools in 2022-2023 to 76th out of 340 in 2024-2025, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The high school outperforms the state average in English Language Arts (ELA) for 11th grade, with 91.7% proficient or better compared to the state's 69.3%. However, the high school lags behind the state average in Mathematics for 11th grade, with 66.7% proficient or better compared to the state's 65.6%.

In contrast, Ruthven-Ayrshire Elementary School struggles with test scores, with 5th-grade students scoring significantly below the state average in ELA, Mathematics, and Science. The elementary school also has a high percentage of students (52.27%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students. Both schools have relatively high spending per student and low student-teacher ratios, but the district as a whole is ranked 210 out of 313 districts in Iowa and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger, indicating the need for broader improvements to support student success across all schools in the district.

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 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ruthven-Ayrshire Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1505 Washington St	Ruthven	51358	Palo Alto County	Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 837-5211	89	9	9.8	49.4%	75 (84.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (9.0%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.5%)	9.1	533^rd of 576 public elementary schools	7.5%		13.6	495^th of 557 public elementary schools	11.1%	38	53.3			46.7			40.0	$16,696	$876	$15,821
Ruthven-Ayrshire High School	Public	7-12	1505 Washington St	Ruthven	51358	Palo Alto County	Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 837-5212	58	4	14.0	37.9%	51 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (8.6%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	72.5	76^th of 340 public high schools	77.6%		61.3	140^th of 338 public high schools	58.6%	64		63.6	91.7		45.5	66.7		$17,561	$361	$17,200

Cities Near Zip Code 51358

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ruthven	0.12 mi	2	282^nd
Graettinger	10.31 mi	2	389^th
Emmetsburg	10.49 mi	3	150^th
Spencer	11.68 mi	5	138^th
Terril	12.59 mi	1	270^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.