The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Math. The lowest is 75% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mary Welsh Elementary
Mary Welsh Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in Williamsburg, Iowa, as part of the Williamsburg Community School District. With enrollment that qualifies as large for its grade span, the school is the sole elementary feeder for the district and draws from a town where housing values sit modestly above state benchmarks. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up a substantial share and Asian, Black, and multiracial students each present in smaller numbers. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that positions the school in a middle range relative to districts across Iowa County.
On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, Mary Welsh Elementary posted proficiency rates that place it above the midpoint among the county’s districts. In math, a large majority of students scored at or above the proficient level, with participation effectively universal. English language arts results were similarly strong, with more than three-quarters of students meeting the bar. Science, tested in a single grade band, showed a slightly lower but still solid proficiency rate. The school has only a single year of data in the current assessment format, so no trend line is available to show whether performance is improving or declining. Still, in one year of results, the school looks academically healthy across the core subjects.
A parent considering this school should note that the data reported for students with disabilities and English learners is missing from the available records. Likewise, the school’s civil rights data on discipline is absent. These gaps do not imply any particular problem; they simply mean that a parent who wants to understand how the school supports those student groups or how equitably discipline is applied would need to ask the school directly. Chronic absenteeism figures are also unreported, which is not uncommon for elementary schools but leaves a question about attendance patterns unanswered.
The school operates as a regular public school without charter or magnet status, and there is no indication it receives Title I funding. The district’s recent publicly reported activity includes only routine registration updates and fee schedules; nothing in the record points to a major academic or programmatic change over the past four years. For a family, this stability can be reassuring, but it also means there is no new initiative or shift to evaluate.
Mary Welsh Elementary sits in a community where the local housing market has appreciated at a rate above the national average, and where the typical home commands a price above statewide norms. The county unemployment rate tracks close to the national figure, and real median household income nationally has been on a gradual upward trajectory. These economic conditions suggest a reasonably stable environment for the school.
What this school offers is a proven academic record at the elementary level, with high participation and strong proficiency outcomes in a regular public school setting. The student body is moderately diverse for the region, with a majority white enrollment and a sizeable Hispanic presence. The gaps in special population and attendance data are worth a conversation with the school, but for a family looking for an elementary school with solid test results in a stable district, Mary Welsh Elementary fits the profile.
See more original research from School Decision →