The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in English language arts. The lowest is 71% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hinton Intermediate School
Hinton Intermediate School serves fourth through sixth grade in the Hinton Community School District, a small public school system in northwest Iowa’s Plymouth County. The school sits on West Grand Street within the town of Hinton, a community of a few hundred residents situated in the Floyd River valley along Highway 75, roughly midway between Le Mars and Sioux City. The town has seen steady population growth over recent decades, and the district responded to that growth and aging facilities by passing a bond measure for a new elementary school building in the early 2020s. That infrastructure investment suggests a district preparing for continued enrollment pressure, even if the intermediate school itself occupies existing space.
Academically, Hinton Intermediate delivers consistently strong results on the state’s ISASP assessments. In English language arts and in math, very large shares of students met or exceeded the proficiency benchmark. Reading and math both posted proficiency rates well above the typical range for a middle-grades school, and student participation in testing was nearly universal. Science performance was still positive, with a clear majority of students scoring proficient, but the rate was noticeably lower than the results in literacy and mathematics; parents may want to ask how the school’s science curriculum and instructional time compare with its core academic subjects. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places it a tick below the middle of the pack when set against other schools in Plymouth County. That county-level comparison includes a handful of districts, so the school is competitive but not at the top among its immediate geographic peers.
The student body is small, serving roughly a couple hundred children across three grade levels. The demographic profile is very homogeneous: the overwhelming majority of students are white, with small shares of Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students. About one in six students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a lower poverty rate than many Iowa public schools. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a family with a child who has an individualized education plan or who is learning English would want to ask the school directly about those supports.
Because Hinton Intermediate covers only upper elementary and early middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on advanced coursework or career pathways; those offerings become relevant at the high school. The school environment data, including chronic absenteeism and discipline, was also missing from the available record, so the full picture of day-to-day climate is incomplete from the numbers alone.
The surrounding community is a small farm-belt town with a compact residential grid, limited commercial activity, and no public transit. Housing values in the Hinton ZIP code are modestly above the state median but remain well below national averages, and the cost of living is low. Families who work locally may find limited employment within Hinton itself; many residents commute to Le Mars or Sioux City. The school building is integrated into the town fabric on a main street, not isolated on a campus. For parents looking for a small, academically solid public school in a growing but still quiet rural setting, Hinton Intermediate offers a straightforward fit. The district’s recent building bond signals institutional momentum, and the test results show a school where most students are meeting grade-level expectations. The soft spots—science scores a step behind literacy and math, and some missing data on student support services—are worth a conversation with the principal before enrolling.
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