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Hartford Upper Elementary

Q: Is Hartford Upper Elementary a good school?

Hartford Upper Elementary ranks 130 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 4-5

130^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 77% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Hartford Upper Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades 4-5 in the Carlisle Community School District in Hartford, Iowa. With 310 students, the school has consistently outperformed the state average on standardized tests in core subjects like English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

Academically, Hartford Upper Elementary's proficiency rates in 2024-2025 were significantly higher than the state averages, with 82.4% of 4th graders proficient in ELA, 84.9% of 4th graders proficient in Math, and 70.8% of 5th graders proficient in Science. Compared to nearby schools, Hartford Upper Elementary's test scores are generally higher than those of the Des Moines-area schools, but lower than the high-performing schools in the Indianola and Southeast Polk districts. However, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism rates, rising from 12.7% in 2021-2022 to 23.4% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the state and district averages.

In terms of resources, Hartford Upper Elementary has a lower free and reduced lunch rate (30.65%) compared to the high-poverty schools in the Des Moines district, but a higher rate than the more affluent schools in the Indianola and Southeast Polk districts. The school's spending per student ($9,940 in 2018-2019) is lower than the state and district averages, as well as the high-spending schools in the Des Moines district, but higher than the lower-spending schools in the Indianola and Southeast Polk districts. Additionally, the school has a higher student-teacher ratio (16.1) than the state and district averages, as well as some nearby schools.

303

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,940

Per pupil spending ?

27.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

500 N. Vine
Hartford, IA 50118

(515) 989-0316

District: Carlisle Community School District

Students who attend Hartford Upper Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Carlisle Middle School
High:	Carlisle High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.8%

Hispanic:

7.9%

Asian:

5.3%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Hartford Upper Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 81st percentile in 2015 → 77th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (80% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of Iowa elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school80%

District avg80%

Iowa avg71%

130^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From top 19% (2015) to top 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

131^st of 313Carlisle 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	73.8	130 of 576	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	66.0	191 of 557	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.4	263 of 565	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.0	229 of 574	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.3	263 of 567	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.0	310 of 603	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.6	262 of 567	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.3	302 of 574	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	65.3	238 of 599	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	75.5	119 of 616	80.7%	★★★★☆
2014	76.8	92 of 603	84.7%	★★★★☆
2013	74.8	94 of 624	84.9%	★★★★☆
2012	69.0	158 of 626	74.8%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics85%+12 vs state

English Language Arts81%+8 vs state

Science71%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hartford Upper Elementary

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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hartford Upper Elementary	Public	4-5	500 N. Vine	Hartford	50118	Warren County	Carlisle Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 989-0316	303	21	14.5	27.1%	248 (81.8%)	4 (1.3%)	24 (7.9%)	16 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.3%)	73.8	130^th of 576 public elementary schools	77.4%		66	191^st of 557 public elementary schools	65.7%	61		82.4	78.5			84.9	84.7		70.8	$9,940	$408	$9,531
Runnells Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6575 SE 116th Street	Runnells	50237	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 966-2068	260	18	14.6	26.9%	216 (83.1%)	9 (3.5%)	20 (7.7%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.8%)	92.5	7^th of 576 public elementary schools	98.8%		89	16^th of 557 public elementary schools	97.1%	9	89.4	96.4	89.7		97.9	92.9	97.4		84.6	$14,164	$100	$14,065
Carlisle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	430 School St	Carlisle	50047	Warren County	Carlisle Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 989-0339	715	53	13.5	29.9%	561 (78.5%)	11 (1.5%)	82 (11.5%)	30 (4.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.2%)								(n/a)	78.4				82.0					$11,109	$400	$10,709
Pleasantville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	414 Jones St	Pleasantville	50225	Marion County	Pleasantville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 848-0566	456	34	13.3	29.8%	428 (93.9%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	73.8	131^st of 576 public elementary schools	77.3%		58.4	267^th of 557 public elementary schools	52.1%	136	88.9	84.7	78.3	67.3	88.9	86.4	89.1	80.0	78.3	$13,230	$553	$12,677
Four Mile Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	670 SE 68th St	Pleasant Hill	50327	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 265-1972	495	36	13.8	37.8%	345 (69.7%)	23 (4.6%)	66 (13.3%)	27 (5.5%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.8%)	24 (4.8%)	71.2	157^th of 576 public elementary schools	72.7%		69.2	169^th of 557 public elementary schools	69.7%	12	69.3	88.9	76.0		76.0	91.4	84.0		72.0	$13,837	$290	$13,547
Emerson Elementary School	Public	K-5	1109 E Euclid	Indianola	50125	Warren County	Indianola Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 961-9550	396	32	12.3	27.3%	348 (87.9%)	4 (1.0%)	23 (5.8%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	46.8	356^th of 576 public elementary schools	38.2%		64.1	207^th of 557 public elementary schools	62.8%	149	56.5	86.1	58.6		63.8	84.7	71.4		62.9	$12,431	$403	$12,028
Pleasant Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4801 E Oakwood Dr	Des Moines	50327	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8432	241	20	11.8	68.9%	137 (56.8%)	25 (10.4%)	61 (25.3%)	6 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.0%)	24.5	477^th of 576 public elementary schools	17.2%		39.5	389^th of 557 public elementary schools	30.2%	88	58.3	67.7	60.0		66.7	64.5	56.0		44.0	$15,655	$628	$15,027
Irving Elementary School	Public	K-5	500 W Clinton	Indianola	50125	Warren County	Indianola Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 961-9560	395	27	14.5	14.9%	365 (92.4%)	2 (0.5%)	15 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.0%)	85.6	34^th of 576 public elementary schools	94.1%		84.9	36^th of 557 public elementary schools	93.5%	2	76.9	93.9	87.3		86.2	93.9	95.8		78.9	$10,971	$101	$10,870
River Woods Elementary School	Public	K-5	2929 SE 22nd St	Des Moines	50320	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8433	493	43	11.5	86.8%	59 (12.0%)	93 (18.9%)	231 (46.9%)	88 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.5%)	12.1	517^th of 576 public elementary schools	10.2%		7.7	521^st of 557 public elementary schools	6.5%	4	53.2	42.6	55.7		48.4	41.2	55.7		52.9	$15,278	$1,674	$13,604
Studebaker Elementary School	Public	K-5	300 E County Line Rd	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8436	561	43	13.1	86.3%	160 (28.5%)	104 (18.5%)	245 (43.7%)	20 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.5%)	5.9	543^rd of 576 public elementary schools	5.7%		4	543^rd of 557 public elementary schools	2.5%		48.8	53.1	45.7		48.8	33.3	49.4		38.3	$15,051	$1,299	$13,752

Frequently Asked Questions about Hartford Upper Elementary

Is Hartford Upper Elementary a good school?

Hartford Upper Elementary ranks 130^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Hartford Upper Elementary?

Students at Hartford Upper Elementary are 82% White, 8% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What district is Hartford Upper Elementary in?

Carlisle Community School District

How many students attend Hartford Upper Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 303 students attended Hartford Upper Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Hartford Upper Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hartford Upper Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Carlisle Middle School
High : Carlisle High 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.