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Northwest Elementary School

Q: Is Northwest Elementary School a good school?

Northwest Elementary School ranks 338 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

338^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Northwest Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Ankeny, Iowa, serving 346 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Ankeny Community School District, which is ranked 62 out of 313 school districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Northwest Elementary has seen a decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 68th out of 574 Iowa elementary schools in 2016-2017 to 338th out of 576 in 2024-2025, its performance is still below other schools in the district. For example, Prairie Trail Elementary and Northeast Elementary are both ranked significantly higher and have higher proficiency rates across all subject areas. Additionally, Northwest Elementary has consistently higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state average, ranging from 17.9% to 23.4% in recent years.

The school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are generally lower than the Ankeny Community School District and the state of Iowa averages. In 2024-2025, the school's 3rd grade proficiency rates were 58% in ELA and 68% in Math, compared to the district's 78.7% and 83.9%, respectively. This may be related to the higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Northwest Elementary, ranging from 25.72% to 33.62% in recent years, indicating a higher proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The data suggests that Northwest Elementary could benefit from targeted interventions and support to address these areas of concern and improve the overall performance and outcomes for its students.

346

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,743

Per pupil spending ?

37.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1202 W First St
Ankeny, IA 50023

(515) 965-9680

District: Ankeny Community School District

Students who attend Northwest Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Prairie Ridge Middle School
High:	Ankeny Centennial High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.7%

Hispanic:

16.2%

Two or more races:

11.8%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Northwest Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 85th percentile in 2015 → 41st in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 44 percentile points since 2015

!Near the bottom of Ankeny Community School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

District avg81%

Iowa avg71%

338^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 44 pts since 2015

From top 15% (2015) to bottom 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Ankeny Community School District

62^nd of 313Ankeny Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	48.6	338 of 576	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.1	298 of 557	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.2	257 of 565	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.0	351 of 574	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.2	346 of 567	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.1	204 of 603	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.4	122 of 567	78.5%	★★★★☆
2017	79.9	68 of 574	88.2%	★★★★☆
2016	76.4	105 of 599	82.5%	★★★★☆
2015	77.4	90 of 616	85.4%	★★★★☆
2014	70.9	149 of 603	75.3%	★★★★☆
2013	78.2	59 of 624	90.5%	★★★★★
2012	70.2	144 of 626	77.0%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics72%~ state avg

English Language Arts68%-3 vs state

Science68%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northwest Elementary School

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 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northwest Elementary School	Public	K-5	1202 W First St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 965-9680	346	27	12.8	37.3%	224 (64.7%)	20 (5.8%)	56 (16.2%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (11.8%)	48.6	338^th of 576 public elementary schools	41.3%		55.1	298^th of 557 public elementary schools	46.5%	40	58.0	73.1	72.3	68.0	75.0	73.8	67.7	$12,743	$644	$12,099
Westwood Elementary School	Public	K-5	2920 NW 9th St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9690	551	35	15.7	17.6%	433 (78.6%)	22 (4.0%)	52 (9.4%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.5%)	79.3	81^st of 576 public elementary schools	85.9%		82.5	57^th of 557 public elementary schools	89.8%	24	83.7	90.4	83.3	84.6	90.4	82.2	70.0	$11,911	$384	$11,527
East Elementary School	Public	K-5	710 SE 3rd St	Ankeny	50021	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 965-9660	409	29	14.1	46.2%	280 (68.5%)	33 (8.1%)	42 (10.3%)	15 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.5%)	56.2	283^rd of 576 public elementary schools	50.9%		53.1	311^th of 557 public elementary schools	44.2%	28	77.6	72.4	75.4	79.1	72.4	76.9	58.5	$11,901	$351	$11,551
Ashland Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	2600 NW Ash Drive	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9594	548	35	15.6	14.1%	427 (77.9%)	29 (5.3%)	39 (7.1%)	25 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.1%)	78.5	88^th of 576 public elementary schools	84.7%		81.2	61^st of 557 public elementary schools	89.0%	27	76.8	95.9	81.3	81.1	88.7	83.5	74.7	$11,160	$239	$10,921
Heritage Elementary	Public	K-5	301 SW Prairie Trail Pky	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9645	604	38	15.8	33.9%	414 (68.5%)	36 (6.0%)	89 (14.7%)	30 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.6%)	67.8	194^th of 576 public elementary schools	66.3%		62.6	224^th of 557 public elementary schools	59.8%	30	69.1	87.6	80.4	76.3	85.4	82.6	65.9
Prairie Trail Elementary	Public	K-5	1850 SW College Ave	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9605	526	32	16.4	5.9%	438 (83.3%)	4 (0.8%)	39 (7.4%)	12 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.1%)	90.9	13^th of 576 public elementary schools	97.7%		91.2	8^th of 557 public elementary schools	98.6%	5	85.1	96.1	90.5	90.4	96.1	92.6	89.5	$11,662	$230	$11,432
Southeast Elementary School	Public	K-5	1005 SE Trilein Dr	Ankeny	50021	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 965-9650	585	40	14.5	33.0%	397 (67.9%)	57 (9.7%)	58 (9.9%)	24 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	47 (8.0%)	58	277^th of 576 public elementary schools	51.9%		60.4	251^st of 557 public elementary schools	54.9%	26	80.0	81.1	66.7	78.9	78.3	76.0	56.3	$11,914	$404	$11,509
Northeast Elementary	Public	K-5	1705 NE Trilein Dr	Ankeny	50021	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9620	595	38	15.6	12.6%	484 (81.3%)	17 (2.9%)	28 (4.7%)	30 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.1%)	82.4	52^nd of 576 public elementary schools	91.0%		83.7	48^th of 557 public elementary schools	91.4%	4	80.4	90.3	85.2	87.6	84.1	86.1	80.6	$11,723	$246	$11,477
Rock Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	3800 NW Abilene Rd	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9629	639	42	15.2	26.4%	455 (71.2%)	74 (11.6%)	48 (7.5%)	23 (3.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (5.6%)	68.5	186^th of 576 public elementary schools	67.7%		75.9	104^th of 557 public elementary schools	81.3%	82	79.4	81.4	72.6	88.7	84.5	73.2	69.9	$11,986	$349	$11,637
Crocker Elementary School	Public	K-5	2910 SW Applewood St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9710	489	34	14.3	21.5%	382 (78.1%)	14 (2.9%)	35 (7.2%)	16 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.6%)	75.5	118^th of 576 public elementary schools	79.5%		75.5	108^th of 557 public elementary schools	80.6%	10	71.4	78.0	82.8	87.1	87.9	88.5	75.9	$12,111	$254	$11,857

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwest Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Northwest Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Northwest Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Prairie Ridge Middle School
High : Ankeny Centennial High School

Is Northwest Elementary School a good school?

Northwest Elementary School ranks 338^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Northwest Elementary School in?

Ankeny Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Northwest Elementary School?

Students at Northwest Elementary School are 65% White, 16% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 6% African American, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Northwest Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 346 students attended Northwest Elementary School.

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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.