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Van Buren Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

548^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Van Buren Elementary School is a public elementary school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, serving 409 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Cedar Rapids Community School District, which is ranked 279 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Van Buren Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Iowa elementary schools, with a ranking between 464 and 550 over the past 10 years and a 0-1 star rating from SchoolDigger. The school faces several challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates, significantly lower test scores than the district and state averages, and an extremely high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 83-86%. Despite higher spending per student at $15,319, the school continues to struggle, suggesting that simply allocating more resources may not be enough to drive meaningful improvements.

When comparing Van Buren Elementary to other nearby schools in the Cedar Rapids district, it stands out as one of the lowest-performing. For example, Madison Elementary and Maple Grove Elementary have significantly higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism, and lower free/reduced lunch rates. The persistent underperformance of Van Buren Elementary suggests that the school may be facing deep-rooted challenges that have not been effectively addressed, and a more holistic and targeted approach may be needed to improve student outcomes.

429

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,319

Per pupil spending ?

83.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2525 29th ST SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

(319) 558-2377

District: Cedar Rapids Community School District

Students who attend Van Buren Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Wilson Middle School
High:	Thomas Jefferson High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

46.2%

Hispanic:

25.2%

White:

22.1%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Van Buren Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 11th percentile in 2015 → 5th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (45% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg62%

Iowa avg71%

548^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 5% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th of 18Elementary Schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District

279^th of 313Cedar Rapids 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	5.2	548 of 576	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.4	523 of 557	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	470 of 565	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.2	524 of 574	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.8	499 of 567	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	464 of 603	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	518 of 567	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	15.0	506 of 574	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.6	519 of 599	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.7	550 of 616	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	36.5	465 of 603	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.9	542 of 624	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	40.7	448 of 626	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics50%-24 vs state

English Language Arts42%-29 vs state

Science38%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Van Buren 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
Van Buren Elementary School	Public	K-5	2525 29th ST SW	Cedar Rapids	52404	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 558-2377	429	35	12.2	83.7%	95 (22.1%)	198 (46.2%)	108 (25.2%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	18 (4.2%)	5.2	548^th of 576 public elementary schools	4.9%		7.4	523^rd of 557 public elementary schools	6.1%	25	31.1	47.8	48.3	47.5	52.2	50.0	38.3	$15,319	$2,181	$13,139
Cleveland Elementary School	Public	K-5	2200 1st AVE NW	Cedar Rapids	52405	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 558-2463	254	21	12.1	76.4%	113 (44.5%)	84 (33.1%)	21 (8.3%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	30 (11.8%)	5.1	550^th of 576 public elementary schools	4.5%		1.6	553^rd of 557 public elementary schools	0.7%	3	51.1	46.2	38.9	51.1	50.0	38.9	25.0	$14,650	$723	$13,927
Hoover Elementary School	Public	K-5	4141 Johnson AVE NW	Cedar Rapids	52405	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 558-2369	420	39	10.6	87.6%	81 (19.3%)	258 (61.4%)	33 (7.9%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	33 (7.9%)	11.9	519^th of 576 public elementary schools	9.9%		15.6	485^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.9%	34	43.8	59.7	52.8	57.8	61.2	47.2	44.2	$15,359	$1,346	$14,013
Cedar River Academy at Taylor	Public	PK, KG-5	720 7th AVE SW	Cedar Rapids	52404	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 558-2477	355	28	12.8	76.1%	116 (32.7%)	134 (37.7%)	41 (11.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	56 (15.8%)	5.7	545^th of 576 public elementary schools	5.4%		5	535^th of 557 public elementary schools	3.9%	10	20.0	44.1	32.1	37.1	67.6	28.6	19.2	$19,246	$2,030	$17,216
Grant Elementary School	Public	K-5	254 Outlook DR SW	Cedar Rapids	52404	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 558-2020	312	27	11.5	68.3%	143 (45.8%)	86 (27.6%)	28 (9.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.6%)	46 (14.7%)	3.2	564^th of 576 public elementary schools	2.1%		10.8	508^th of 557 public elementary schools	8.8%	56	38.0	37.2	44.0	51.0	44.2	40.0	36.0	$16,225	$884	$15,341
Madison Elementary School	Public	K-5	1341 Woodside DR NW	Cedar Rapids	52405	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 555-2000	153	11	13.8	49.0%	100 (65.4%)	23 (15.0%)	15 (9.8%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	12 (7.8%)	66.2	204^th of 576 public elementary schools	64.6%		67.3	184^th of 557 public elementary schools	67.0%	20	73.3	89.3	73.7	76.7	85.7	63.2	78.9	$15,609	$506	$15,103
Maple Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 38th ST NW	Cedar Rapids	52405	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-2471	539	35	15.3	41.2%	366 (67.9%)	69 (12.8%)	36 (6.7%)	9 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	56 (10.4%)	66.2	206^th of 576 public elementary schools	64.2%		71.4	148^th of 557 public elementary schools	73.4%	58	80.7	80.0	71.4	84.3	78.8	74.0	71.4	$14,520	$250	$14,269
West Willow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6225 1st AVE SW	Cedar Rapids	52405	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-3130	555	34	16.3	49.9%	304 (54.8%)	146 (26.3%)	45 (8.1%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (0.9%)	50 (9.0%)	36.3	423^rd of 576 public elementary schools	26.6%		39	391^st of 557 public elementary schools	29.8%	32	71.1	67.5	60.3	80.3	63.6	60.3	52.7	$14,545	$265	$14,280
Harrison Elementary School	Public	K-5	1310 11th ST NW	Cedar Rapids	52405	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 558-2269	277	22	12.5	65.7%	121 (43.7%)	69 (24.9%)	38 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	8 (2.9%)	37 (13.4%)	11.8	520^th of 576 public elementary schools	9.7%		4.8	539^th of 557 public elementary schools	3.2%	19	60.0	48.0	42.9	60.0	48.0	54.8	45.2	$15,848	$1,116	$14,732
Johnson STEAM Academy School	Public	K-5	355 18th ST SE	Cedar Rapids	52403	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 558-3400	324	28	11.7	70.4%	106 (32.7%)	136 (42.0%)	32 (9.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (15.1%)	4.4	554^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.8%		4.1	541^st of 557 public elementary schools	2.9%	13	39.2	42.6	25.5	60.8	51.1	36.2	29.8	$15,127	$1,752	$13,376

Frequently Asked Questions about Van Buren Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Van Buren Elementary School?

Students at Van Buren Elementary School are 46% African American, 25% Hispanic, 22% White, 4% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Van Buren Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 429 students attended Van Buren Elementary School.

Is Van Buren Elementary School a good school?

Van Buren Elementary School ranks in the bottom 4.9% of Iowa elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Van Buren Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Van Buren Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wilson Middle School
High : Thomas Jefferson High School

What district is Van Buren Elementary School in?

Cedar Rapids Community School District

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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.