The top reported proficiency rate is 89% in Math. The lowest is 67% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Martensdale Elementary School
Martensdale Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade and is part of the Martensdale-St. Marys Community School District. The school is a traditional public elementary school, not a charter or magnet, and it sits in the town of Martensdale, located in Warren County.
Academically, the school’s performance on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) presents a clear picture. In math, a strong share of students demonstrated proficiency, while in English language arts, a comfortable majority did the same. Science scores, which are typically based on a smaller tested grade, were lower than both math and reading, a soft spot a parent might want to discuss with the school to understand how science instruction is developing for the grades that are assessed. Data from the most recent school year is available, and participation rates were high, meaning the results reflect nearly all enrolled students. While the data provides only a single year’s snapshot, making year-over-year trends impossible to assess, the school’s proficiency picture stands in relation to other districts in Warren County. When measured on an overall proficiency index across tested subjects, this school sits below the midpoint of districts in the county, meaning performance is in the lower half of its immediate geographic peers.
Enrollment at Martensdale Elementary is on the smaller side for a PK-6 school. The student body is predominantly white, with a very small share of Hispanic students and an even smaller presence of other racial and ethnic groups. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating the school serves a community with lower than average economic need in this specific context. Data for students receiving special education services and English learner services was not available, so a parent should ask the school directly about the level of support for those populations.
The district made a lasting structural change to the school calendar starting with the 2024-2025 school year: students now attend school Tuesday through Friday, operating on a four-day instructional week. This is not a temporary shift but a permanent alteration of the weekly schedule. For any family in the district, this change has real consequences for childcare arrangements, extracurricular scheduling, and the daily rhythm of the household. It is one of the most significant factors to weigh when considering this school.
The elementary school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Because it serves only early and middle elementary grades, the school also does not offer the kind of course pathways like Advanced Placement or career-technical programs that a high school would list. No program offerings were reported in the data available.
Housing in the area is valued at a level roughly in line with the state benchmark, though below the national average. Home values have risen at a pace that outpaced the state average over the past year, reflecting a market that is growing somewhat faster than the broader Iowa housing stock. The local unemployment rate is consistent with the national figure, and median household income nationally has held steady in recent years. For a family moving into the area, Martensdale offers a housing market that is broadly affordable relative to the rest of the country, and the school itself fits a family looking for a small rural elementary setting with a four-day school week and solid, if not top-tier, state test results in math and reading, with a question mark remaining around science performance.
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