South DSM News

There were 58 Black students enrolled in Marion County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.8% more than the previous year, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

Data showed that Marion County welcomed 5,195 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 1.1% of the student body to be the fourth represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 16 schools in the county, Pella High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 20 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.

School Name	School District	% of Black Students	Black Students Count	Total School Enrollment
Pella High School	Pella Comm	2.5%	20	791
West Elementary School	Knoxville Comm	1.7%	6	345
Madison Elementary School	Pella Comm	1.2%	5	413
Pella Middle School	Pella Comm	1.4%	5	363
Pleasantville High School	Pleasantville Comm	1.6%	4	245
Knoxville High School	Knoxville Comm	0.6%	3	503
Northstar Elementary School	Knoxville Comm	0.9%	3	342
Melcher-Dallas High School	Melcher-Dallas Comm	2.1%	3	145
Jefferson Intermediate School	Pella Comm	0.6%	3	502
Lincoln Elementary School	Pella Comm	0.8%	2	262
Knoxville Middle School	Knoxville Comm	0.3%	1	324
Melcher-Dallas Elementary School	Melcher-Dallas Comm	0.7%	1	138
Pleasantville Elementary School	Pleasantville Comm	0.3%	1	383
Pleasantville Middle School	Pleasantville Comm	0.8%	1	126
Twin Cedars Elementary School	Twin Cedars Comm	0%	0	154
Twin Cedars Junior-Senior High School	Twin Cedars Comm	0%	0	159