The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in Math. The lowest is 60% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Starmont Elementary School
Starmont Elementary School serves the early grades, from prekindergarten through fifth grade, in the Starmont Community School District. It is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, located on a consolidated rural campus on 40th Street in Arlington, Iowa, a very small town in Fayette County. The school is the sole elementary provider for the district, sharing its site with the district’s middle and high schools, which are a short distance from the town’s Main Street civic corridor.
The community around the school is a modest rural village that has experienced population decline over the long term, with an aging demographic and no significant new development on the horizon. Housing is relatively affordable compared to national averages, and the area’s economic base includes agriculture and local services. The district itself has not reported any major recent changes that would affect families.
On state assessments, Starmont Elementary’s performance across math, English language arts, and science places it below the midpoint among school districts in Fayette County. Within the school, math was the strongest subject, with a solid majority of students meeting proficiency standards. English language arts also drew a majority of students across the grades who reached the proficient level, though at a lower rate than in math. Science, which is tested only in the older elementary grades, showed that a majority of students met the bar as well, albeit at the lowest rate of the three subjects. Participation in testing was nearly universal, so the results reflect the full population of tested students. Only one year of state test data was available, so trends are not yet observable.
The student body is predominantly white, with very small shares of students who are Hispanic, Black, or of two or more races. A substantial share of students come from households with incomes low enough to qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a middle- to lower-income context. Enrollment is moderate for an elementary serving PK through 5, with comparable numbers of students in each grade. Information on students with disabilities or English learners was not reported, nor were data on disciplinary actions, chronic absenteeism, or staffing ratios. A parent with specific questions about these areas would want to follow up with the school directly.
Because Starmont Elementary serves only early grades, there is no graduation rate and no data on advanced coursework or college readiness, which is expected for this grade band. The school’s academic profile suggests a place where most students are meeting state expectations in the core subjects, with math standing out as a relative strength compared to reading and science. For a family considering this school, the combination of a small rural setting, a predominantly homogenous student body, and a district that has seen little recent change offers a stable, straightforward elementary experience. Parents interested in the broader trajectory through the district would want to look at the middle and high schools on the same campus, as the elementary’s results are only one piece of the K‑12 picture.
See more original research from School Decision →