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Longfellow Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5
435th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools
Better than 24% of Iowa elementary schools
Summary

Longfellow Elementary School is a public elementary school in Iowa City, Iowa, serving 361 students from kindergarten to 6th grade. While the school was once highly ranked, its performance has declined in recent years, with a drop in statewide ranking and a decrease in its SchoolDigger rating from 5 stars to just 1 star.

Longfellow Elementary faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 19.9% to 27.9% and lower test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science compared to the Iowa City Community School District and the state of Iowa averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd-grade proficiency rates in ELA and Math were 59.6% and 55.3%, respectively, compared to the district's 67.4% and 71.4%, and the state's 67.9% and 75.8%. Additionally, the school serves a population with a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 52.19% to 57.4% over the past few years.

Compared to nearby schools in the Iowa City Community School District, such as Herbert Hoover, Helen Lemme, and Bohumil Shimek Elementary Schools, Longfellow generally performs worse, with lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates. Addressing these issues may be crucial for improving the educational outcomes of Longfellow's students.

325
Students ?
10.8
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,112
Per pupil spending ?
53.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1130 Seymour Ave
       Iowa City, IA  52240

(319) 688-1135

District: Iowa City Community School District


Students who attend Longfellow Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Southeast Middle School
High:    Iowa City High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
44.0%
African American:
26.5%
Hispanic:
20.3%
more
 See top rated Iowa elementary schools

 Compare Longfellow Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2015 → 24th 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 (24th percentile)
!Ranking has slipped — down 43 percentile points since 2015
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school64%
District avg68%
Iowa avg71%
435th of 576
Iowa public elementary schools ?
Bottom 24%▼ down 43 pts since 2015
From top 33% (2015) to bottom 24% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
11th of 18Elementary Schools in the Iowa City Community School District
241st 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIowa percentileRating
202535.1435 of 57624.5%★☆☆☆☆
202437.0401 of 55728.0%★☆☆☆☆
202340.4394 of 56530.3%★★☆☆☆
202241.9381 of 57433.6%★★☆☆☆
202142.1369 of 56734.9%★★☆☆☆
201985.055 of 60390.9%★★★★★
201879.371 of 56787.5%★★★★☆
201778.984 of 57485.4%★★★★☆
201669.3179 of 59970.1%★★★★☆
201568.6201 of 61667.4%★★★☆☆
201465.2228 of 60362.2%★★★☆☆
201359.5286 of 62454.2%★★★☆☆
201255.9322 of 62648.6%★★☆☆☆
By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts68%-3 vs state
Mathematics62%-12 vs state
Science58%-6 vs state

5.0
1 rating · 1 written review
51
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What people are saying
by a parent
Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Open Quote Our kids have had a very rewarding, fun, and safe experience here. A great neighborhood school. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Longfellow Elementary School

Longfellow Elementary School ranks in the bottom 24.5% of Iowa elementary schools.

In the 2024-25 school year, 325 students attended Longfellow Elementary School.

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

Middle : Southeast Middle School
High : Iowa City High School

Students at Longfellow Elementary School are 44% White, 26% African American, 20% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 1% Asian.


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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.





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