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Grant Wood Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

522^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Grant Wood Elementary School is a public elementary school in Iowa City, Iowa, serving students from pre-kindergarten to 6th grade as part of the Iowa City Community School District. While the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio and high per-student spending, it consistently underperforms compared to other schools in the district and the state on key metrics like test scores and chronic absenteeism rates.

Grant Wood Elementary has significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 19.9% to 27.9% over the past few years, compared to the state and district averages. Its test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are also consistently lower than the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 56.8% of 3rd-grade students at Grant Wood were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 67.4% for the district and 67.9% for the state. The school also has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 65.25% to 73.15%, which is significantly higher than nearby schools like Ernest Horn Elementary and Lincoln Elementary.

Despite the school's relatively high spending per student and low student-teacher ratio, Grant Wood Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Iowa elementary schools, with a ranking between 482 and 604 out of 567 to 616 schools over the past 10 years. The school has received a 0-star or 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating poor performance compared to other schools in the state. Understanding and addressing the underlying factors contributing to this performance gap could be an important focus for the school and district.

306

Students ?

10.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,646

Per pupil spending ?

68%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1930 Lakeside Dr
Iowa City, IA 52240

(319) 688-1180

District: Iowa City Community School District

Students who attend Grant Wood Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Southeast Middle School
High:	Iowa City High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.0%

Hispanic:

22.9%

White:

19.9%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Grant Wood Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2015 → 9th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (50% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 25 pts below the Iowa average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg68%

Iowa avg71%

522^nd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 2% (2015) to bottom 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^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	11.6	522 of 576	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.9	520 of 557	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.7	533 of 565	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.9	540 of 574	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.5	482 of 567	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.2	561 of 603	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.0	525 of 567	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.1	553 of 574	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.5	590 of 599	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.2	604 of 616	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	3.1	588 of 603	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.6	613 of 624	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.9	596 of 626	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts54%-17 vs state

Mathematics49%-25 vs state

Science41%-23 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, October 16, 2012

My 4 kids go to Grant Wood and I couldn't be happier. We loved all the teachers that the kids have and had. They simply do care about the children and do their best to help the children to get the best education they can. Close Quote

Schools Near Grant Wood 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
Grant Wood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1930 Lakeside Dr	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1180	306	28	10.8	68.0%	61 (19.9%)	153 (50.0%)	70 (22.9%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	17 (5.6%)	11.6	522^nd of 576 public elementary schools	9.4%		7.9	520^th of 557 public elementary schools	6.6%	2	56.8	64.9	43.2	43.2	59.5	45.5	40.9	$15,646	$1,067	$14,579
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
Alexander Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3571 Sycamore St.	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1095	436	38	11.3	75.9%	98 (22.5%)	170 (39.0%)	139 (31.9%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.0%)	11.4	523^rd of 576 public elementary schools	9.2%		17.1	482^nd of 557 public elementary schools	13.5%	41	53.7	63.0	46.6	59.7	47.8	48.3	41.4	$15,246	$1,427	$13,819
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
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
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
Herbert Hoover Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1355 Barrington Rd	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1110	464	36	12.8	46.6%	202 (43.5%)	75 (16.2%)	152 (32.8%)	14 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.5%)	41.5	393^rd of 576 public elementary schools	31.8%		55.5	297^th of 557 public elementary schools	46.7%	96	69.2	77.1	70.9	69.2	62.7	60.0	61.8
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Grant Wood Elementary School

How many students attend Grant Wood Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 306 students attended Grant Wood Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Grant Wood Elementary School?

Students at Grant Wood Elementary School are 50% African American, 23% Hispanic, 20% White, 6% Two or more races.

Is Grant Wood Elementary School a good school?

Grant Wood Elementary School ranks in the bottom 9.4% of Iowa elementary schools.

What district is Grant Wood Elementary School in?

Iowa City Community School District

What schools do graduates of Grant Wood Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Grant Wood Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Southeast Middle School
High : Iowa City High 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.