The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in English language arts. The lowest is 68% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Twin Cedars Elementary School
Twin Cedars Elementary School serves students from preschool through sixth grade in the small rural community of Bussey, Iowa, which sits at a quiet crossroads in southeastern Marion County. The town itself is a very small residential node with a deep coal-mining history that has long since faded, and today families in the area rely on nearby Knoxville or Oskaloosa for most services. The school is the elementary arm of the Twin Cedars Community School District, and its single-campus setting reflects the district’s compact, rural character.
Enrollment is small, with about that many students spread across kindergarten through sixth grade plus a prekindergarten program. The student body is overwhelmingly white, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals that a notable portion of families face economic pressure. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to examine, and data on special education or English learner populations is not available in the record.
On the 2024-25 Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, Twin Cedars Elementary posted proficiency rates that fall a bit below the midpoint among the five districts in Marion County. In math, roughly two-thirds of students scored at a proficient level. In English language arts, about three-quarters were proficient. Science results, which come from a smaller tested group, showed a similar share proficient. Participation rates on the tests were high, so the results offer a reliable picture. While the school’s overall proficiency index sits on the lower side relative to other districts in the county, it is not at the bottom of the range. A parent considering the school should know that the academic performance is adequate but may not match the strongest outcomes in the area.
The locale is decidedly rural. Bussey is car-dependent, with minimal street life and no public transit. Housing values in the broader ZIP code area are notably lower than the state average, and the typical home price has drifted downward recently. That makes the community relatively affordable, especially compared to Iowa’s more expensive markets.
No information was available about specific programs such as gifted education, arts, or extracurricular offerings at this elementary school. The district brief turned up no recent changes, expansions, or notable initiatives that would affect a family’s decision. The school’s character is straightforward: a small, rural elementary serving a predominantly white, economically mixed student body, with test results that are solid though not top-tier among nearby districts. It fits a family seeking a close-knit, low-cost rural setting and who are comfortable with a modest-sized school that does not offer the breadth of programming or peak academic scores found in larger or wealthier districts.
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