The top reported proficiency rate is 92% in Math. The lowest is 72% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Earlham Elementary School
Earlham Elementary School serves students from preschool through fifth grade in the small rural town of Earlham, about a thirty-mile drive west of Des Moines in Madison County. The school is part of the Earlham Community School District, which is the only district serving the town and its surrounding farm country.
The student body is relatively small and predominantly White, with a modest share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not serve grades that produce a graduation rate, so that metric is not applicable here.
Academically, Earlham Elementary posts strong results on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress. In the most recent testing year, the school’s overall proficiency across math, English language arts, and science placed it among the top performers relative to other districts in Madison County. Math proficiency was notably high, with nearly all tested students scoring at or above the proficient benchmark. English language arts proficiency was also strong. Science proficiency, while still a solid result, was somewhat lower than the math and ELA scores, and a parent may want to ask the school about how science instruction and curriculum are structured in the upper elementary grades.
The school environment reflects its setting. Earlham is a quiet, primarily residential town with a historic main street along Chestnut Avenue, a few local shops and a café, and a community life centered around the city park, which hosts summer music series and a July Fourth celebration. The town has seen modest but steady population growth in recent years, and housing values in the area have risen, reflecting its appeal as a commuter community for the Des Moines metro. The district’s facilities have seen some recent investments, including a new track and a gymnasium addition, though specific dates for these projects were not available from public sources. The district’s strategic priorities or any recent curriculum changes were not found in a search, so this narrative does not speculate on them.
For families considering the school, the picture is straightforward. Earlham Elementary is a small, neighborhood school in a tight-knit rural town with strong basic academic performance. The student composition reflects the local demographics, which are overwhelmingly White and largely middle-income. The school’s academic results suggest a consistent focus on foundational skills, particularly in math and reading. The science gap, while not alarming, is worth a conversation with the principal or a classroom visit to understand how the school approaches those subjects. The town itself offers a quiet, car-dependent lifestyle with limited commercial amenities but easy access to the Des Moines area. Families who value a small, stable elementary school with solid test scores and a close community feel will find a good fit here. Those seeking more racial or economic diversity, or a wider range of enrichment programs, should ask about what the school offers beyond the core academic subjects, as no program data was available in the record.
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