Best Middle Schools in Waterloo, IA

Summary:

The city of Waterloo, Iowa is home to three middle schools: Hoover Middle School, Central Middle School, and George Washington Carver Academy. These schools serve students in grades 6-8 and are part of the Waterloo Community School District.

Among the three middle schools, Hoover Middle School stands out as the highest-performing, consistently ranking higher in the statewide SchoolDigger rankings and outperforming the other two schools in academic achievement, including higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. In contrast, Central Middle School and George Washington Carver Academy have lower rankings and academic performance.

However, all three middle schools face challenges, such as high chronic absenteeism rates, which are an area of concern for the district. Additionally, the schools have varying levels of per-student spending, with Central Middle School having the highest spending and Hoover Middle School the lowest. These differences in funding may contribute to the performance disparities observed among the schools.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)			ISASP Mathematics (2025)			ISASP Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hoover Middle School	Public	6-8	630 Hillcrest Rd	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 433-2830	848	57	14.9	56.3%	452 (53.3%)	168 (19.8%)	79 (9.3%)	48 (5.7%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (2.2%)	81 (9.6%)	43.2	238^th of 344 public middle schools	30.8%		42.2	226^th of 337 public middle schools	32.9%	12	72.6	72.9	76.7	73.9	71.4	72.2	69.3	$12,322	$288	$12,033
George Washington Carver Academy	Public	6-8	1505 Logan Ave	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2500	455	33	13.6	90.5%	54 (11.9%)	216 (47.5%)	91 (20.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.8%)	53 (11.6%)	5.7	325^th of 344 public middle schools	5.5%		3.8	324^th of 337 public middle schools	3.9%	1	47.4	48.4	61.1	51.1	42.6	61.5	51.7	$14,466	$860	$13,605
Central Middle School	Public	6-8	1350 Katoski Dr	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2100	469	35	13.3	85.1%	122 (26.0%)	160 (34.1%)	70 (14.9%)	18 (3.8%)	2 (0.4%)	39 (8.3%)	58 (12.4%)	3.7	329^th of 344 public middle schools	4.4%		2.3	330^th of 337 public middle schools	2.1%	1	39.6	53.6	64.0	47.5	50.4	48.4	48.4	$16,022	$901	$15,120

Cities Near Waterloo

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Cedar Falls	3.22 mi	10	100^th
Evansdale	4.73 mi	2	361^st
Hudson	6.91 mi	3	70^th
Dunkerton	12.25 mi	2	184^th
Janesville	12.74 mi	2	124^th

See the top IA Iowa cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.