Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Central Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

448^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Coralville, Iowa, serving grades PK-6 with a student population of 452. The school is part of the Iowa City Community School District, which is ranked 241 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central Elementary School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 12.7% to 27.9% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are also generally lower than the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's 3rd grade ELA proficiency rate was 58.2%, compared to 67.4% for the district and 67.9% for the state. Additionally, Central Elementary School has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 51.52% to 55.97% over the past few years, which is higher than the district average.

When comparing Central Elementary School to other nearby schools in the same district, some interesting patterns emerge. Wickham Elementary and Bohumil Shimek Elementary consistently outperform Central Elementary School on test scores and other metrics, despite being in the same district. However, schools like Kirkwood Elementary and Mark Twain Elementary have similar or even lower performance compared to Central Elementary School. Despite these challenges, Central Elementary School's relatively low student-teacher ratio could be an asset if leveraged effectively, and targeted interventions and personalized learning strategies may help improve student outcomes.

343

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,271

Per pupil spending ?

48.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

501 6th St
Coralville, IA 52241

(319) 688-1100

District: Iowa City Community School District

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Northwest Middle School
High:	West Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.1%

African American:

29.2%

Hispanic:

14.9%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 34th percentile in 2015 → 22nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (64% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg68%

Iowa avg71%

448^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 34% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^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	32.7	448 of 576	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	432 of 557	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	45.5	364 of 565	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.1	449 of 574	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.7	399 of 567	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.2	389 of 603	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.1	333 of 567	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.8	380 of 574	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	58.1	302 of 599	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	47.9	405 of 616	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	49.7	372 of 603	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.5	425 of 624	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.9	407 of 626	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts65%-6 vs state

Mathematics65%-9 vs state

Science54%-10 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Central Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Central Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Central 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
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
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
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
Norman Borlaug Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Kennedy Parkway	Coralville	52241	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1155	405	32	12.7	43.7%	142 (35.1%)	167 (41.2%)	29 (7.2%)	49 (12.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (4.0%)	37.6	418^th of 576 public elementary schools	27.4%		60.2	254^th of 557 public elementary schools	54.4%	164	67.7	68.6	60.6	73.8	72.5	66.7	51.5	$12,225	$331	$11,894
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
Wickham Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 Oakdale Blvd	Coralville	52241	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1175	315	21	15.2	19.7%	182 (57.8%)	34 (10.8%)	17 (5.4%)	63 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.0%)	92.8	6^th of 576 public elementary schools	99.0%		92.4	6^th of 557 public elementary schools	98.9%		91.4	100.0	89.7	94.3	93.6	94.9	87.2	$12,974	$451	$12,524
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
Weber Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3850 Rohret Road	Iowa City	52246	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1170	456	42	10.7	55.5%	165 (36.2%)	212 (46.5%)	25 (5.5%)	28 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (5.3%)	27.8	466^th of 576 public elementary schools	19.1%		33.5	424^th of 557 public elementary schools	23.9%	42	52.9	65.6	61.2	67.6	68.8	62.7	53.7	$13,378	$562	$12,817
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary School

What district is Central Elementary School in?

Iowa City Community School District

Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks in the bottom 22.2% of Iowa elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 41% White, 29% African American, 15% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Northwest Middle School
High : West Senior High School

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 343 students attended Central Elementary School.

Rate Central Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

IAIowa Elementary School Rankings

IAIowa District Rankings

Schools in Coralville, IA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Central Elementary School!

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.