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Emerson Elementary School

Q: Is Emerson Elementary School a good school?

Emerson Elementary School ranks 356 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

356^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Emerson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Indianola, Iowa, serving 415 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Indianola Community School District, which is ranked 122 out of 313 school districts in the state.

Emerson Elementary School has experienced some challenges in recent years. Its statewide ranking has fluctuated, ranging from 158 out of 603 Iowa elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 356 out of 576 in 2024-2025. This variability suggests inconsistent performance compared to other schools in the state. Additionally, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 15.8% in 2023-2024 to 21.6% in 2023-2024, which is significantly higher than the state average. Emerson's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science have also been mixed, with some grade levels and subjects performing well while others struggle.

When compared to other elementary schools in the Indianola Community School District, Emerson's performance is generally on par with or slightly below its peers, such as Whittier Elementary and Wilder Elementary. However, the high-performing Irving Elementary School, which is ranked among the top 5% of Iowa elementary schools, highlights the potential for improvement at Emerson. Additionally, Emerson serves a higher proportion of students from low-income families, which may be a contributing factor to the school's academic challenges.

396

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,431

Per pupil spending ?

27.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1109 E Euclid
Indianola, IA 50125

(515) 961-9550

District: Indianola Community School District

Students who attend Emerson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Indianola Middle School
High:	Indianola High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.9%

Hispanic:

5.8%

Two or more races:

4.3%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Emerson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 69th percentile in 2015 → 38th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 31 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school69%

District avg75%

Iowa avg71%

356^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▼ down 30 pts since 2015

From top 31% (2015) to bottom 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Indianola Community School District

122^nd of 313Indianola 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	46.8	356 of 576	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.1	207 of 557	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.3	303 of 565	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.7	233 of 574	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.9	182 of 567	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.6	158 of 603	73.8%	★★★★☆
2018	66.9	197 of 567	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.2	190 of 574	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	70.6	169 of 599	71.8%	★★★★☆
2015	69.2	194 of 616	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	72.7	129 of 603	78.6%	★★★★☆
2013	64.2	228 of 624	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	48.1	399 of 626	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics73%~ state avg

English Language Arts67%-4 vs state

Science63%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Emerson Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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
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
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
Whittier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1306 W Salem	Indianola	50125	Warren County	Indianola Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 961-9570	369	23	16.0	31.2%	316 (85.6%)	2 (0.5%)	28 (7.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.0%)	55.4	290^th of 576 public elementary schools	49.7%		53.4	307^th of 557 public elementary schools	44.9%	17	68.8	86.0	79.1		75.0	79.1	65.1		57.1	$12,658	$258	$12,401
Wilder Elementary School	Public	K-5	2303 W Euclid	Indianola	50125	Warren County	Indianola Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 961-9540	456	36	12.6	36.2%	402 (88.2%)	5 (1.1%)	31 (6.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	50.9	324^th of 576 public elementary schools	43.8%		42	382^nd of 557 public elementary schools	31.4%	58	65.5	63.0	69.7		81.8	75.3	80.3		63.6	$13,704	$809	$12,895
Southeast Warren Primary	Public	PK, KG-4	316 N 5th	Milo	50166	Warren County	Southeast Warren Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 942-6216	162	16	10.3	35.8%	157 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69.3	180^th of 576 public elementary schools	68.8%					(n/a)	75.9	81.8			79.3	86.4				$12,545	$574	$11,972
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
Martensdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	390 Burlington	Martensdale	50160	Warren County	Martensdale-St Marys Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 764-2621	307	21	14.3	24.8%	279 (90.9%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	70	173^rd of 576 public elementary schools	70.0%		81	64^th of 557 public elementary schools	88.5%	109	51.4	86.8	75.6	92.3	74.3	89.5	95.6	87.2	66.7	$12,243	$549	$11,694
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
Oviatt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-1	713 School Avenue	Norwalk	50211	Warren County	Norwalk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 981-1005	548	38	14.6	14.4%	455 (83.0%)	15 (2.7%)	42 (7.7%)	7 (1.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.7%)								(n/a)										$14,180	$322	$13,858
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 Emerson Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Emerson Elementary School?

Students at Emerson Elementary School are 88% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Emerson Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Indianola Middle School
High : Indianola High School

What district is Emerson Elementary School in?

Indianola Community School District

Is Emerson Elementary School a good school?

Emerson Elementary School ranks 356^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Emerson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 396 students attended Emerson 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.