The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Marshalltown Virtual Academy
Marshalltown Virtual Academy is an online public school serving seventh through twelfth grade as part of the Marshalltown Community School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is small for its grade band. Students take the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), and the school had sufficient participation to report results. Because it is a virtual school, many of the standard measures used to evaluate a traditional brick-and-mortar school, such as chronic absenteeism rates and staffing data, were not available in the data provided.
The student body is made up of slightly fewer than a hundred students. White and Hispanic students each make up a little over two-fifths of the enrollment, with students of two or more races making up the remaining share. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school draws from Marshalltown, a county seat and regional center for employment, healthcare, and manufacturing. Major local employers include JBS Swift in pork processing, Emerson/Fisher Controls in valve manufacturing, Lennox Industries in HVAC, and the Marshalltown Company in tool manufacturing. The city has a historic downtown that was heavily damaged by an EF3 tornado a number of years ago, and it has since been described as a growing district. The population has been relatively stable in recent years. Housing values in the area fall below both the Iowa state and national benchmarks, and rents are also below the national median.
On the ISASP, the school's results show that proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and science are low. For the grades that take these assessments, roughly a quarter of students or fewer met the proficiency standard in each subject. Because the data covers only one year, it is not possible to see whether these results are part of a trend or a starting point. Parents looking at this school will want to discuss with the district how the virtual program supports core academic instruction and what interventions are available for students who are behind grade level.
Given the grade band of seventh through twelfth grade, the school serves students who would otherwise attend a middle school and a high school. The data did not include a graduation rate, which is a gap that families should ask about directly. For a virtual academy serving older students, a graduation rate is a relevant measure of whether the program successfully moves students to completion, and its absence from the available information is notable.
Marshalltown Virtual Academy sits in a specific position relative to other schools in Marshall County. When compared across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile of the county's districts. This is a consistent signal that academic attainment, as measured by state tests, is well below the typical performance of the county's other school systems. A parent considering this school should understand that the academic pathway here is likely one where the student will need significant additional support to reach grade-level benchmarks.
The housing market in Marshalltown offers an affordability advantage compared to much of Iowa and the nation. For a family moving into the area, the typical home value is lower, and rents are also lower, making it possible to find housing without the pressure seen in larger metro areas. The city functions as a regional hub, so there is access to healthcare, community college, and retail employment, but it is also a place with a strong industrial and manufacturing base, not a fast-growing suburb.
Because the data for the school's academic environment is limited to test scores and enrollment, a full picture of the virtual learning experience remains incomplete. Questions a parent may want to explore include how live instruction is structured, what technology is provided, how students interact with teachers and peers, what the typical daily schedule looks like, and what the school's track record is for students who start here and either graduate or transition back to an in-person setting. The school's location in the Marshalltown Community School District means that families have a local district office to contact for more detailed information about the program's policies and outcomes.
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