The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Math. The lowest is 54% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Harris-lake Park Elementary School
Harris-Lake Park Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Lake Park, a small residential community in northwestern Iowa. The town, which sits around Silver Lake, blends everyday residential life with lake-based recreation, and the school campus itself was built on the south side of town in the early 2000s through a bond project that also added a community center, a shared public-school library, and athletic fields. That placement puts the school apart from the older downtown core along Market Street but creates a civic hub near the school site.
The elementary school is the sole elementary building in the Harris-Lake Park Community School District, and its enrollment is small for a PK‑5 public school. The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and a small number of students who identify as two or more races or as Black. A substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the income profile of the surrounding area. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available in the state reporting, so a parent who wants to understand those supports would need to ask the school directly.
On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, the school’s results show a clear strength in mathematics, where the proportion of students scoring at or above the proficient level is notably higher than in reading or science. In English language arts, about half of students met the proficiency benchmark, and in science—tested only in a single grade—a similarly moderate share of students reached that bar. Because only one year of test results was available, there is no basis to assess whether performance is improving or declining. The elementary grades do not produce a graduation rate, and the state did not report chronic absenteeism figures for this school.
When placed alongside the three school districts in Dickinson County, the elementary school’s combined proficiency across tested subjects falls at the low end of that group. This comparison is at the district level, so it reflects how the elementary school’s scores compare with the average performance of other school systems in the county. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the results break down by grade and how instruction is supported in reading and science.
Lake Park itself is a compact town with a traditional grid layout and minimal street-level commercial activity. The most significant recent development was the early‑2000s school and community center project; no major new housing developments or rapid growth trajectories were identified in publicly available accounts. Housing values in the area sit close to the statewide benchmark, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment is modest relative to national averages, making the community more accessible for families looking to buy. The school district’s recent history shows no notable curriculum overhauls, property-tax shifts, or referendums, based on what surfaced in searches.
Overall, Harris-Lake Park Elementary School offers a small, lake-town setting with a math program that stands out in testing. Families who value a school where they can get direct answers from staff about supports and instructional focus may want to engage with the school directly, especially on reading and science. The lack of trend data and limited student subgroup reporting means a parent considering this school will want to ask about academic growth over time and how the school serves students who need extra help.
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