Clarinda Community School District

The Clarinda Community School District in Iowa consists of two schools: Garfield Elementary School and Clarinda High School. Based on the available data, Clarinda High School stands out as the higher-performing school in the district, consistently outperforming the state averages on standardized tests and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, significantly higher than Garfield Elementary's 2-star rating.

Clarinda High School's test scores are consistently above the state averages across English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science for all grade levels. In 2023-2024, 82.6% of 10th graders at Clarinda High School scored proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 73.8%, and 77.9% scored proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 66%. Additionally, Clarinda High School is ranked 82 out of 338 Iowa high schools for the 2023-2024 school year.

While Garfield Elementary has a higher percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients at 43.94%, compared to 37.81% at Clarinda High School, the significant difference in spending per student between the two schools ($14,767 at Clarinda High School vs. $9,763 at Garfield Elementary) suggests a potential funding disparity that may impact the resources and opportunities available to students. This disparity, along with Garfield Elementary's consistent 2-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicates a need for improvement in academic performance and student outcomes at the elementary level.