The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in Math. The lowest is 70% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Franklin Elementary School
Franklin Elementary School is a regular public school in Le Mars, Iowa, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Le Mars Community School District. Set in a mid-sized city that serves as the county seat of Plymouth County, the school anchors an elementary-grade experience for a substantial share of the town’s young families.
The student body is predominantly white, with a notable share of Hispanic students alongside smaller groups of students who are Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, two or more races, or Asian. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places this school in a solidly middle-range economic context for its community. Le Mars itself is shaped by a dominant industrial employer—Wells Enterprises, the Blue Bunny ice cream maker—and the local economy mixes manufacturing, commercial downtown activity, and county government roles. Housing values in the area sit slightly above the statewide benchmark but below the national average, which, combined with a moderate mortgage rate climate, suggests that homeownership is within reach for many households in the attendance zone. The unemployment rate has been stable in the mid-single-digit range, reflecting a steady local labor market.
On state assessments, Franklin’s students perform at a notably high level. In reading and math, the large majority of tested students scored proficient or above, with math proficiency particularly strong. Science proficiency, tested in fewer grades at the elementary level, is also strong but slightly below the school’s own marks in the other two subjects. Participation rates on these assessments were very high, meaning the results reflect nearly the entire student population. When placed alongside other school districts within Plymouth County, Franklin’s overall proficiency index lands below the midpoint of the cohort, indicating that while the school’s results are strong in absolute terms, there are other elementary schools in the county performing at an even higher level. A parent considering this school should note that these results provide only a single snapshot; no multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to tell from this evidence alone whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining.
The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade, which means there is no graduation rate to report—that metric applies only to high schools. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, and staffing were not available in the source material. A parent may wish to ask the school directly about class sizes, teacher retention, and how the school supports students who need extra help or enrichment, as these details are not captured here.
Franklin is a regular public school; it is not a charter or magnet school. The Le Mars Community School District did not have any recent major changes reported in publicly available records, so a parent moving to the area can assume a period of relative stability in district leadership and programming.
For a family deciding where to live in Le Mars, Franklin Elementary serves the southeast side of town. The school building is located on 3rd Avenue Southeast, within the city’s typical Midwestern grid street layout. Downtown Le Mars, with its county courthouse, public library, and the Wells Visitor Center, is a short drive from the school. The city’s annual Ice Cream Days festival in late June brings community activity downtown, but the school itself occupies a quieter residential setting.
This school fits a family looking for a straightforward elementary experience with strong academic outcomes in the core subjects, set in a community with a stable industrial and civic base. The economic context is moderate, the testing results are strong, and the setting is that of a traditional county-seat town rather than a fast-growing suburb. A parent who values a high-proficiency neighborhood school within a coherent small-city district will find Franklin a solid option.
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