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Bohumil Shimek Elementary School

Q: Is Bohumil Shimek Elementary School a good school?

Bohumil Shimek Elementary School ranks 214 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

214^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Bohumil Shimek Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in Iowa City, Iowa, with 206 students enrolled. This school consistently outperforms the Iowa City Community School District and the state of Iowa in standardized test scores, ranking among the top elementary schools in the state.

Bohumil Shimek Elementary has been ranked as high as #9 out of 567 schools in Iowa, and its current ranking for 2024-2025 is 214 out of 576 schools, with a 4-star rating. The school's academic performance is particularly impressive, with 96.8% of 3rd graders proficient or better in Math, compared to 71.4% for the district and 75.8% for the state. Additionally, Bohumil Shimek Elementary has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 16.5% to 20.09% over the past few years, which is lower than many of the nearby schools.

While Bohumil Shimek Elementary has seen an increase in chronic absenteeism over the past few years, reaching 27.9% in 2022-2023, it is still lower than the district average. The school also spends more per student, at $14,044 per student in 2018-2019, than the state average, which may be a contributing factor to its strong academic outcomes. Compared to nearby schools, such as Wickham Elementary, which is ranked 6th in the state, Bohumil Shimek Elementary has maintained a higher ranking over the years, demonstrating its consistent high performance.

181

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,044

Per pupil spending ?

18.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1400 Grissel Place
Iowa City, IA 52245

(319) 688-1160

District: Iowa City Community School District

Students who attend Bohumil Shimek Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Southeast Middle School
High:	Iowa City High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.5%

African American:

12.7%

Two or more races:

7.7%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Bohumil Shimek Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 67th percentile in 2015 → 63rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (78% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Iowa City Community School District

✓Above the Iowa median (63rd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg68%

Iowa avg71%

214^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 33% (2015) to top 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 18Elementary Schools in the Iowa City Community School District

241^st of 313Iowa City 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	65.7	214 of 576	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.1	111 of 557	80.1%	★★★★☆
2023	73.8	129 of 565	77.2%	★★★★☆
2022	79.7	81 of 574	85.9%	★★★★☆
2021	82.8	64 of 567	88.7%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	123 of 603	79.6%	★★★★☆
2018	89.9	9 of 567	98.4%	★★★★★
2017	79.9	69 of 574	88.0%	★★★★☆
2016	74.1	128 of 599	78.6%	★★★★☆
2015	68.5	205 of 616	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	75.8	99 of 603	83.6%	★★★★☆
2013	79.9	46 of 624	92.6%	★★★★★
2012	69.9	147 of 626	76.5%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics89%+15 vs state

English Language Arts72%~ state avg

Science56%-9 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Tragic school.

NO parent communication at all. NO teacher newsletters, no teacher websites, no emails (beyond very basic reminders), no blog. Nothing. Parents have NO idea what goes on for 7 hours a day. I've received ONE personal email from a Shimek teacher in 5 years. One. The principal puts out a bi-monthy newsletter telling us where to park, etc., but it's crickets from the classrooms.

VERY low caliber instruction. Something you'd expect from a plighted urban school, yet this is a very privileged school...all black line master work. Absolutely no teacher created curriculum at all. Soulless and generic and alienating to students. Writing, Social studies and science rarely happen. My child made it through an entire trimester without doing any writing! Teachers ares all out the door at 4. Minimum expectations (curriculum development, student feedback, parent communication, community connections and extensions etc) are never met.

NO teacher feedback on student work. Absolutely none. Teachers don't grade at Shimek. Five years and my child has received one single star on one math packet (that was not graded, just starred). I've never seen a Shimek teacher's handwriting....beyond that star. Even though class sizes are tiny. In 5 years I've seen a maximum of 10 assignments come home...none of which had a scratch of handwriting on it (beyond the one star).

NO parent involvement in the classroom. Talented and skilled parents are kept at bay when they offer to volunteer. Halloween this year all parents were required to stay outside in the cold during the kids halloween celebration. Parents' only role is fundraising and volunteering outside of the classroom.

No meaningful field trips. In five years we've been to the Iowa Children's Museum (nothing new to any shimek student); another school for a guest author speaker (never heard of her); and other meaningless trips that take very little effort or imagination.

Nothing substantive or meaningful happens at Shimek, beyond their amazing BASP program. HUGE disappointment. Close Quote

Schools Near Bohumil Shimek 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 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
Bohumil Shimek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Grissel Place	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1160	181	16	11.3	18.8%	124 (68.5%)	23 (12.7%)	10 (5.5%)	10 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.7%)	65.7	214^th of 576 public elementary schools	62.8%		75.1	111^th of 557 public elementary schools	80.1%	103	87.1	78.3	38.9	96.8	91.3	73.7	55.6	$14,044	$230	$13,813
Horace Mann Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	521 N Dodge St	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1145	207	18	11.4	33.8%	123 (59.4%)	49 (23.7%)	19 (9.2%)	5 (2.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.8%)	56.6	280^th of 576 public elementary schools	51.4%		49.5	333^rd of 557 public elementary schools	40.2%	53	81.5	74.3	74.1	77.8	60.0	74.1	81.5	$16,025	$649	$15,377
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 Teeters Court	Iowa City	52246	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1130	217	15	14.4	35.9%	119 (54.8%)	44 (20.3%)	15 (6.9%)	23 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	14 (6.5%)	76.7	110^th of 576 public elementary schools	80.9%		75.9	105^th of 557 public elementary schools	81.1%	5	69.4	85.3	84.6	86.1	85.3	88.5	80.8	$13,259	$202	$13,057
Longfellow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1130 Seymour Ave	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1135	325	30	10.8	53.5%	143 (44.0%)	86 (26.5%)	66 (20.3%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.0%)	35.1	435^th of 576 public elementary schools	24.5%		37	401^st of 557 public elementary schools	28.0%	34	59.6	82.5	61.3	55.3	71.9	58.1	58.1	$13,112	$279	$12,833
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	501 6th St	Coralville	52241	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1100	343	30	11.4	48.1%	141 (41.1%)	100 (29.2%)	51 (14.9%)	19 (5.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (9.0%)	32.7	448^th of 576 public elementary schools	22.2%		32.8	432^nd of 557 public elementary schools	22.4%	16	58.2	70.2	67.3	60.0	61.4	75.0	53.8	$13,271	$714	$12,557
Helen Lemme Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3100 Washington St	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1125	340	25	13.8	38.2%	209 (61.5%)	52 (15.3%)	60 (17.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.7%)	35.9	428^th of 576 public elementary schools	25.7%		60.7	245^th of 557 public elementary schools	56.0%	183	64.2	68.4	66.7	67.9	64.9	64.4	62.2	$12,605	$204	$12,400
Mark Twain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1355 DeForest Avenue	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1165	213	22	9.6	66.7%	75 (35.2%)	76 (35.7%)	49 (23.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.2%)	14.9	509^th of 576 public elementary schools	11.6%		23.3	462^nd of 557 public elementary schools	17.1%	47	52.0	66.7	60.0	60.0	54.2	35.0	40.0	$15,834	$1,165	$14,669
Robert Lucas Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	830 Southlawn Dr	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1140	245	18	13.5	49.4%	106 (43.3%)	82 (33.5%)	27 (11.0%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (10.6%)	18.7	493^rd of 576 public elementary schools	14.4%		34.5	420^th of 557 public elementary schools	24.6%	73	67.5	52.6	51.9	65.0	52.6	55.6	40.7	$14,649	$1,493	$13,155
Ernest Horn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	600 Koser Ave	Iowa City	52246	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1115	453	33	13.6	58.5%	152 (33.6%)	197 (43.5%)	26 (5.7%)	45 (9.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.4%)	40.4	399^th of 576 public elementary schools	30.7%		37.6	398^th of 557 public elementary schools	28.5%	1	73.7	69.7	61.4	77.2	63.6	70.2	54.4	$14,000	$687	$13,313
Kirkwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1401 9th St	Coralville	52241	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1120	270	27	9.9	69.6%	62 (23.0%)	135 (50.0%)	47 (17.4%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.0%)	7.7	538^th of 576 public elementary schools	6.6%		18.4	477^th of 557 public elementary schools	14.4%	61	33.3	66.7	40.5	36.7	60.6	37.8	32.4	$15,376	$1,350	$14,026

Frequently Asked Questions about Bohumil Shimek Elementary School

How many students attend Bohumil Shimek Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 181 students attended Bohumil Shimek Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Bohumil Shimek Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Bohumil Shimek Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Southeast Middle School
High : Iowa City High School

What district is Bohumil Shimek Elementary School in?

Iowa City Community School District

Is Bohumil Shimek Elementary School a good school?

Bohumil Shimek Elementary School ranks 214^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Bohumil Shimek Elementary School?

Students at Bohumil Shimek Elementary School are 69% White, 13% African American, 8% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 6% Hispanic.

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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.