The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Laurens-marathon Elementary School
Laurens-Marathon Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in a single building in Laurens, a small rural town in Pocahontas County, Iowa. The school is the only building the Laurens-Marathon Community School District now operates within its own boundaries. Since Fall 2020, a whole-grade sharing agreement sends grades seven through twelve to Pocahontas Area Community School District, so middle and high school students are bused to another town. The district recently began offering its own district-funded preschool in Fall 2025, creating a new early childhood option for local families.
The setting is a quiet, compact grid of residential streets and a downtown section along Main Street, with several manufacturers that give the town its self-described nickname, "The Busiest Little Town in Iowa." Housing is affordable, and the local market has been declining. The town’s population has been shrinking, a pattern consistent with many rural Iowa communities. Public transportation is absent; walking and short drives connect most destinations.
Academically, the elementary school’s state test results from the most recent year show that in math, less than half of tested students reached proficiency. In English language arts, just under half were proficient, and in science, a similar share. These results come from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress and represent a single year of data. Compared with the other districts in Pocahontas County that have reported results, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint. Because the school only serves early grades, no graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data is reported.
The student body is small and somewhat diverse. About two-thirds of students are white, with Hispanic students making up the next largest group, followed by Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students, and smaller shares of Black, multiracial, American Indian, and Asian students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Since the district shares grades seven through twelve, the elementary building houses all remaining enrolled students, creating a close-knit setting where families interact with the same staff and peers from preschool through sixth grade.
For families considering Laurens-Marathon Elementary, the school offers a small, grounded early education pathway in a rural community with a stable industrial base. The whole-grade sharing arrangement means children will transition to a different district building for middle and high school, an important logistical and social consideration. The district’s new preschool adds an in-house early start. The academic proficiency levels are moderate, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the curriculum and support programs address the gaps shown in state testing. The surrounding town is quiet and affordable, but experiencing population loss, which may affect long-term community resources and enrollment stability. The school fits a family seeking a small-scale, community-centered elementary experience in rural Iowa, with the understanding that the secondary years will be in a neighboring district.
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