The top reported proficiency rate is 91% in Math. The lowest is 66% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Clear Creek Elementary School
Clear Creek Elementary School is a regular public school in Oxford, Iowa, serving students from prekindergarten through fourth grade. It is part of the Clear Creek Amana Community School District. Because it only serves the early elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data to report—those metrics do not apply here.
On the state assessments that are administered, Clear Creek Elementary posted strong results. In math and English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above was comfortably high, with participation rates well into the reliable range. The science proficiency rate, drawn from an earlier testing year, was lower, though the number of students tested was smaller and the grade span for science testing in Iowa begins in third grade, so only one grade level may have contributed. A parent may want to ask the school for the most recent science results and for context on how the curriculum supports that subject. Looking across all tested subjects and grades, Clear Creek Elementary’s overall proficiency index placed it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Johnson County, a strong showing among the five districts in that comparison set.
The school enrolls a mid-sized student body for a PK–4 building. About one in four students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a modest share that suggests a relatively low concentration of economic disadvantage. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available in the reporting; families who need that information should contact the district directly.
Oxford is a small, quiet town in Johnson County, set along U.S. Highway 6 near Interstate 80. It is part of the Iowa City metropolitan area but retains the character of a rural commuter community. The downtown has a handful of small businesses, and civic life centers on City Hall, an American Legion post, and a Masonic Lodge. Most workers likely commute to Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, or nearby Tiffin, as the town has no large employer other than the bank headquartered there and the elementary school itself. Housing values in the area are moderately above the state average, and the market has seen some appreciation, but the town’s population has been relatively flat with modest fluctuations over recent decades. There is no indication of major new housing developments, and the overall feel is stable rather than fast-growing.
Clear Creek Elementary is the only school within Oxford’s town limits. The district’s middle school and high school are located in the neighboring town of Tiffin, a short drive away. That arrangement means the elementary school sits at the center of the local community, while older students move to a separate campus outside town.
The district has been active in responding to enrollment pressures. In late 2024, voters approved a bond package to build a new intermediate school serving grades four and five, relieving overcrowding at another elementary building. That new school is expected to open in the 2026–2027 school year and will not increase the district’s property tax levy rate, according to district officials. At the secondary level, the district has also shifted to standards-based grading beginning in the 2023–2024 school year, a change that separates academic achievement from behaviors and scores students on current proficiency.
For a family considering Clear Creek Elementary, the picture is of a small-town school with consistently strong academic achievement in the tested early grades, housed in a district that is investing in facilities and updating its approach to assessment. The student body is relatively homogeneous and not heavily burdened by poverty. The surrounding community is quiet and car-dependent, with limited amenities within Oxford itself. Families should expect that their children will move to a different school building in a neighboring town come fifth grade, as the district’s plan for a new intermediate school takes shape.
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