Veritas Students Continue to Test Above Grade Level
Each year, students at Veritas Preparatory School participate in the Iowa Assessments, a nationally normed standardized test. Last year, Veritas students tested consistently above grade level across the board, and they continued that strong trend during the 2025-2026 school year.
Two key metrics tracked through the assessment are National Percentile Rank and Grade Equivalent. National Percentile Rank indicates the percentage of students in the same grade nationwide who scored at or below a selected student or group. For example, a class average in the 75th percentile means that the class scored higher than 75% of their peers nationally.
Grade Equivalent indicates the grade level at which the average student would be expected to achieve a particular score. For example, a grade equivalent of 4.6 means that a typical fourth-grade student in the sixth month of school would be expected to earn that score. Grade equivalent does not mean that students have mastered all material from future grades. Rather, it shows that their scores are most commonly associated with students at that later grade level.
At Veritas, students in K4 through first grade do not participate in standardized testing. The earliest testing data begins in second grade, and the results are promising.
Out of 14 categories, the Veritas second-grade class scored at a fourth-grade equivalent level in 12 categories and at a third-grade equivalent level in the remaining two. The class also averaged in the 75th percentile or higher nationally in 13 out of 14 categories, with the final category just missing that mark at the 74th percentile.
In general, Grade Equivalent scores and National Percentile Ranks followed similar trends across all grade levels. Third-grade students tested two grade levels ahead in seven categories and one grade level ahead in the other seven. Students in fourth through sixth grade tested at least two grade levels ahead in 29 out of 36 categories, with the remaining categories at or above grade level. These classes averaged between the 65th and 90th percentiles nationally in 94% of all categories.
The middle school results are particularly encouraging. At an age when many schools experience challenges with student academic engagement, Veritas students continue to excel. Both the seventh- and eighth-grade classes averaged between the 80th and 93rd percentiles nationally in 10 out of 12 categories.
Seventh-grade students scored at a 10th-grade equivalent level or higher in every category. They also reached the maximum possible grade equivalent score of 13+ in Written Expression, Conventions of Writing, and English Language Arts Total.
Eighth-grade students scored at the maximum 13+ grade equivalent level in every category except two: Vocabulary and Social Studies. Even in those areas, their scores were equivalent to those typically earned by high school juniors and seniors.
Across the board, English Language Arts and Mathematics were particular strengths for Veritas students.
While frequent standardized testing has become commonplace in many schools, Veritas takes a different approach by administering just one standardized test annually. This allows teachers and students to spend more time focusing on the foundational skills, knowledge, and habits of learning that ultimately lead to strong academic performance.
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