The top reported proficiency rate is 87% in Math. The lowest is 77% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Margaretta Carey Elementary School
Margaretta Carey Elementary School serves students from kindergarten through fourth grade in Waverly, Iowa, as part of the Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District. Waverly is a small city with a college-town atmosphere, anchored by Wartburg College and a central business district that spans the Cedar River. The broader community includes major employers such as CUNA Mutual Group, Waverly Health Center, and Nestlé Beverage, and the city has invested in fiber optic internet access and recreational amenities like miles of trails and golf courses. Housing values in the area sit above the statewide median, reflecting a market where ownership is common. The school's enrollment is moderate for an elementary building serving its grade range.
The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of students who are Hispanic or identify with two or more races. Just over a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that suggests some economic diversity within the school community. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it operates as a neighborhood elementary within the district's seven-school system.
Academically, Margaretta Carey's students are performing well compared to other schools in Bremer County. On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, which tests students in grades three and four, the school's overall proficiency across math and English language arts places it in the top quartile among the county's six districts. This is a notably strong position. In math, a substantial majority of tested students met or exceeded the state's proficiency benchmarks, and in reading the proficiency rate was also solid, though slightly lower than in math. Participation in the assessments was very high, which means the results reflect nearly all enrolled students.
Because the school serves grades K through four, there is no graduation rate to report. The school's grade band also means state testing data is only available for the upper two grades, so the picture is drawn from those students. Information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, and course access was not available in the data used for this account. A parent interested in those topics may want to follow up with the school directly.
The district itself did not have any recent major changes, such as referenda or curriculum shifts, that surfaced in the search conducted for this profile. The school operates in a stable, college-town environment with a strong local economy. For a family looking at elementary options in Waverly, Margaretta Carey presents a setting where academic results are clearly above the local average, the school is well-provisioned within a district that has multiple elementary buildings, and the community context is one of modest growth and solid civic infrastructure. The peer environment is relatively homogeneous, and the school's size allows for a focused early-elementary experience.
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