There were 5,195 students enrolled in Marion County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.2% less than the previous year, according to the Iowa Department of Education.
Of all the students welcomed at the time, 51.2% identified as male, 48.7% as female, and 0.1% identified themselves as non-binary or did not specify their gender.
Data also showed that white students made up 90% of the student body, the largest percentage in Marion County schools, followed by Hispanic students with 4.1%, 3.2% multiracial, 1.1% Black, 1% Asian, 0.3% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 0.2% Native American.
Pella High School had the highest enrollment among Marion County’s 16 schools in the 2023-24 school year, welcoming 791 students.
Public school enrollment in Iowa remained relatively stable in the 2024-25 school year, with 480,665 students, a slight decrease of 0.63% compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, enrollment in accredited nonpublic schools grew by nearly 10%, reaching 39,356 students, up from 36,195. This increase was partially driven by the Students First Education Savings (ESA) program, with 27,866 students utilizing ESAs at nonpublic schools.
| Rank | School name | School district | Total enrollment in 2022-23 | Total enrollment in 2023-24 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pella High School | Pella Comm | 764 | 791 | 3.5% |
| 2 | Knoxville High School | Knoxville Comm | 500 | 503 | 0.6% |
| 3 | Jefferson Intermediate School | Pella Comm | 526 | 502 | -4.6% |
| 4 | Madison Elementary School | Pella Comm | 423 | 413 | -2.4% |
| 5 | Pleasantville Elementary School | Pleasantville Comm | 388 | 383 | -1.3% |
| 6 | Pella Middle School | Pella Comm | 382 | 363 | -5% |
| 7 | West Elementary School | Knoxville Comm | 355 | 345 | -2.8% |
| 8 | Northstar Elementary School | Knoxville Comm | 341 | 342 | 0.3% |
| 9 | Knoxville Middle School | Knoxville Comm | 368 | 324 | -12% |
| 10 | Lincoln Elementary School | Pella Comm | 275 | 262 | -4.7% |
| 11 | Pleasantville High School | Pleasantville Comm | 244 | 245 | 0.4% |
| 12 | Twin Cedars Junior-Senior High School | Twin Cedars Comm | 156 | 159 | 1.9% |
| 13 | Twin Cedars Elementary School | Twin Cedars Comm | 167 | 154 | -7.8% |
| 14 | Melcher-Dallas High School | Melcher-Dallas Comm | 153 | 145 | -5.2% |
| 15 | Melcher-Dallas Elementary School | Melcher-Dallas Comm | 156 | 138 | -11.5% |
| 16 | Pleasantville Middle School | Pleasantville Comm | 114 | 126 | 10.5% |
