The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Math. The lowest is 66% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Garfield Elementary School
Garfield Elementary is a regular public school in Clarinda, Iowa, serving students from prekindergarten through sixth grade. It is part of the Clarinda Community School District and sits in a rural county seat that has experienced gradual population decline over the past decade. The school’s enrollment is moderate for this grade span, and the student body is predominantly white. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Garfield posted overall proficiency across tested subjects that landed above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Page County. In mathematics, a strong majority of students met the proficiency standard. Results in English language arts and in science were lower, with a smaller share of students reaching proficiency in those subjects. These are single-year results, with no trend data yet available, so it is not possible to say whether performance is moving up or down. Participation rates on the assessments were very high, which makes the results reliable.
The school operates as a regular public school with no charter or magnet status. Grade reconfigurations elsewhere in the district have changed the pathway students will follow after Garfield. In 2020, Clarinda moved seventh and eighth graders to the high school campus to relieve overcrowding at the PK-8 building, adopting a junior-senior high model. In 2024, the district entered a whole-grade-sharing agreement with the neighboring South Page Community School District for grades seven through twelve, meaning Garfield graduates from both districts will attend a combined secondary program. The district also used sales tax revenue to fund a new addition to the junior-senior high school, scheduled to open in fall 2025, addressing long-standing overcrowding at that level. For families considering the elementary school, these changes do not affect the PK-6 experience directly, but they shape what comes next.
Clarinda is the county seat of Page County, with a traditional downtown centered on a courthouse square. The economy is anchored by the regional hospital, county government, the school district, a community college campus, a state prison, and some light manufacturing. Housing is notably affordable, with home values and rents well below state and national medians, a practical draw for families seeking lower-cost homeownership. The town is laid out on a grid, but walkability is limited to a few blocks around the square; most residents drive to school, work, and errands. There is no public transit. The population has been edging downward, and the closure of a large mental health facility on the north edge of town was a significant economic loss. Still, the presence of the community college campus and a well-known amateur baseball team that has produced major league players add a layer of cultural life not found in every small town.
For a family weighing this school, the picture is of a modest-sized elementary in a low-cost rural community where math performance is solid and reading and science have room to grow. The district is actively reshaping its secondary structure, a factor that families should understand when thinking about the full K-12 path. The elementary experience itself appears stable. A visit and a conversation about special education services, English learner supports, and the whole-grade-sharing arrangement would be a reasonable next step.
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