Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Ames Comm School District

This page covers 6 elementary schools in Ames Comm School District. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

6
Schools Ranked
Iowa
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 6 of 6
1
rank
Fellows Elementary School
Grades KG–05528 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.6:1) · above-average investment ($22,342/student)
70
/100
Student:Teacher
12.6:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,342
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
27%
Low economic need
2
rank
Sawyer Elementary School
Grades KG–05367 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.5:1) · above-average investment ($22,342/student)
69
/100
Student:Teacher
12.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,342
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
31%
Low economic need
3
rank
Meeker Elementary School
Grades KG–05351 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.7:1) · above-average investment ($22,342/student)
69
/100
Student:Teacher
11.7:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,342
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
38%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
Mitchell Elementary School
Grades KG–05290 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.1:1) · above-average investment ($22,342/student)
67
/100
Student:Teacher
12.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,342
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
46%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
Edwards Elementary School
Grades KG–05450 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($22,342/student)
59
/100
Student:Teacher
14.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
50/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,342
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
38%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
Northwood Pre-School
Grades PK–KG254 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($22,342/student)
55
/100
Student:Teacher
21.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,342
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
29%
Low economic need
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
6
Elementary Schools
8
Total Schools
70
#1 Score
65
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Other School Levels
Compare Ames Comm School District with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.