Ruthven’s public schools score below 99% of Iowa districts
The public schools Ruthven’s kids attend trail 99% of Iowa’s districts on state tests. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
Ruthven’s schools, in brief
Results are among the lowest in Iowa
Ruthven’s schools score below 99% of Iowa districts. How it compares ↓
High spending, low results
Ruthven spends $19,300 per student, 40% more than the state average, and each teacher has about 11 students, compared with 14 statewide. Results haven’t kept pace: the schools beat 1% of districts. Much of the extra cost comes with running a very small school. Test scores ↓
Ruthven’s schools are very small
All of Ruthven’s public school students add up to 147 children, with about 11 per teacher. That means real individual attention, but also that a single class can swing the scores from year to year. The grade is built on just 123 tested students, so read it as a rough guide. Every school ↓
Low even next to similar towns
It isn’t only a matter of income. Among the 561 Iowa towns with similar household incomes, Ruthven still scores better than just 1%. How it compares ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Test scores are from 2020–21, a pandemic year, so treat small gaps with caution; the grade rests on only 123 tested students.
How Ruthven compares
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on Iowa’s state tests against the state average. Spending and class size are shown but don’t count. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids through every district that serves it, weighted by students tested.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are compared with the rest of Iowa only. A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D the rest.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income, so we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Ruthven.
The district
Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
Well below the state in reading
Every school in Ruthven
2 schools. Grades are based on state tests and graduation. Any other ratings are made by neighbors.
Parents talk
What Ruthven families are saying about school.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Colleges near Ruthven
There’s no college in Ruthven, but 1 is within 30 miles. The closest is Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville, 19 miles away.
Straight-line distance from the center of Ruthven. Degree-granting colleges with students on campus · College Scorecard · IPEDS.
School data: U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts, F-33 school finance). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results, graded within Iowa. Stars are from neighbors.