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Carlisle Middle School

Q: Is Carlisle Middle School a good school?

Carlisle Middle School ranks 229 th of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

229^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 344 Iowa Middle Schools

Better than 33% of Iowa middle schools

Summary

Carlisle Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in the Carlisle Community School District in Carlisle, Iowa, with 531 students. The school generally performs above the state average in test scores, with 75% proficiency in 6th grade ELA, 69.3% in 7th grade ELA, and 83.6% in 8th grade ELA, compared to the state averages of 72.8%, 74.9%, and 80.2%, respectively. The school also outperforms the state in math and science.

However, Carlisle Middle School has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 18.6% in 2022-2023 to 23.4% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the state average. Additionally, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch has increased from 25.89% in 2021-2022 to 32.96% in 2023-2024, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students. The school's spending per student ($10,769 in 2018-2019) is lower than the nearby Indianola Middle School ($12,173) and the Des Moines area schools ($14,143-$16,661).

Compared to nearby schools, Carlisle Middle School generally outperforms Indianola Middle School and the Des Moines area middle schools in test scores, particularly in ELA and math. However, Norwalk Middle School, which is also nearby, has higher test scores than Carlisle in several areas. Overall, Carlisle Middle School appears to be a relatively strong-performing school, but the increasing chronic absenteeism rate and growing population of economically disadvantaged students are areas that the school and district should closely monitor and address.

518

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,769

Per pupil spending ?

30.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

325 Scotchridge Rd
Carlisle, IA 50047

(515) 989-0833

District: Carlisle Community School District

Students who attend Carlisle Middle School usually attend:

High:

Carlisle High School

Feeder schools for Carlisle Middle School:

Elementary:	Carlisle Elementary School
	Hartford Upper Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.2%

Hispanic:

12.0%

Asian:

4.4%

See top rated Iowa middle schools

Compare Carlisle Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 88th percentile in 2015 → 33rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 55 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg73%

Iowa avg74%

229^th of 344

Iowa public middle schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 55 pts since 2015

From top 12% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Middle 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	44.8	229 of 344	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.5	252 of 337	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.4	196 of 334	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	214 of 337	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.0	194 of 324	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.9	208 of 342	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.2	153 of 318	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.0	108 of 327	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	77.2	51 of 343	85.1%	★★★★☆
2015	77.9	41 of 349	88.3%	★★★★☆
2014	79.7	31 of 337	90.8%	★★★★★
2013	63.5	113 of 350	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	63.5	112 of 349	67.9%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts76%~ state avg

Mathematics73%~ state avg

Science64%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Carlisle Middle 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 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
Carlisle Middle School	Public	6-8	325 Scotchridge Rd	Carlisle	50047	Warren County	Carlisle Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 989-0833	518	40	13.1	30.1%	405 (78.2%)	12 (2.3%)	62 (12.0%)	23 (4.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.7%)	44.8	229^th of 344 public middle schools	33.4%		35.5	252^nd of 337 public middle schools	25.2%	23	75.0	69.3	83.6	71.6	69.9	78.4	64.3	$10,769	$174	$10,595
McCombs Middle School	Public	6-8	201 SW County Line Rd	Des Moines	50320	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8447	670	40	16.8	83.3%	170 (25.4%)	153 (22.8%)	260 (38.8%)	50 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.5%)	7.9	321^st of 344 public middle schools	6.7%		7.7	318^th of 337 public middle schools	5.6%	3	43.8	61.0	62.1	48.8	60.5	57.4	50.0	$14,664	$1,066	$13,598
Weeks Middle School	Public	6-8	901 East Park Avenue	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8449	688	48	14.1	87.4%	133 (19.3%)	121 (17.6%)	292 (42.4%)	97 (14.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.0%)	1.7	334^th of 344 public middle schools	2.9%		1.3	333^rd of 337 public middle schools	1.2%	1	47.7	55.8	49.2	36.4	43.6	40.8	42.4	$14,586	$1,091	$13,495
Hoyt Middle School	Public	6-8	2700 E 42nd St	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8446	455	29	15.8	82.6%	175 (38.5%)	84 (18.5%)	146 (32.1%)	22 (4.8%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (5.1%)	1.5	336^th of 344 public middle schools	2.3%		1.3	332^nd of 337 public middle schools	1.5%	4	30.0	43.8	56.7	32.3	41.0	46.8	48.2	$14,771	$931	$13,840
Hiatt Middle School	Public	6-8	1430 E. University Ave	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-7774	488	35	14.1	93.4%	65 (13.3%)	100 (20.5%)	260 (53.3%)	35 (7.2%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	23 (4.7%)	0.5	341^st of 344 public middle schools	0.9%		0.2	335^th of 337 public middle schools	0.6%	6	43.1	46.2	46.3	30.6	36.4	38.1	37.3	$16,661	$1,079	$15,582
Brody Middle School	Public	6-8	2501 Park Ave	Des Moines	50321	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8443	641	39	16.4	71.3%	287 (44.8%)	82 (12.8%)	193 (30.1%)	23 (3.6%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.6%)	49 (7.6%)	3.9	327^th of 344 public middle schools	4.9%		6.6	320^th of 337 public middle schools	5.0%	7	49.8	53.3	61.4	46.3	45.1	52.0	51.0	$14,143	$628	$13,515
Norwalk Middle School	Public	6-8	200 Cherry Street	Norwalk	50211	Warren County	Norwalk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 981-0435	824	54	15.3	18.1%	712 (86.4%)	14 (1.7%)	63 (7.6%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (3.6%)	63.1	122^nd of 344 public middle schools	64.5%		62.4	136^th of 337 public middle schools	59.6%	14	81.1	80.7	63.2	82.5	84.0	88.0	76.0	$14,307	$188	$14,119
Goodrell Middle School	Public	6-8	3300 E. 29th Street	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8444	511	33	15.3	84.7%	170 (33.3%)	92 (18.0%)	166 (32.5%)	40 (7.8%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	38 (7.4%)	1.2	337^th of 344 public middle schools	2.0%		1.8	331^st of 337 public middle schools	1.8%	6	39.2	34.6	55.7	35.1	39.5	46.0	45.7	$15,696	$1,024	$14,672
Indianola Middle School	Public	6-8	403 S 15th St	Indianola	50125	Warren County	Indianola Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 961-9530	818	57	14.4	30.2%	724 (88.5%)	9 (1.1%)	45 (5.5%)	7 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (3.8%)	58.8	151^st of 344 public middle schools	56.1%		61	140^th of 337 public middle schools	58.5%	11	77.1	81.5	87.9	67.7	71.2	82.7	79.4	$12,173	$196	$11,977
Callanan Middle School	Public	6-8	3010 Center Street	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8101	553	35	15.7	79.9%	147 (26.6%)	213 (38.5%)	116 (21.0%)	19 (3.4%)	3 (0.5%)	8 (1.4%)	47 (8.5%)	2.3	333^rd of 344 public middle schools	3.2%		6.9	319^th of 337 public middle schools	5.3%	14	49.0	50.3	54.7	41.2	40.9	50.7	48.0	$15,075	$880	$14,196

Frequently Asked Questions about Carlisle Middle School

What district is Carlisle Middle School in?

Carlisle Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Carlisle Middle School?

Students at Carlisle Middle School are 78% White, 12% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What high school do graduates of Carlisle Middle School attend?

Students who attend Carlisle Middle School usually go on to attend Carlisle High School

How many students attend Carlisle Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 518 students attended Carlisle Middle School.

Is Carlisle Middle School a good school?

Carlisle Middle School ranks 229^th of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Carlisle Middle 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.