Altoona Elementary

Altoona Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in the Southeast Polk Community School District in Altoona, Iowa, with 423 students. The school has consistently ranked in the top half of Iowa elementary schools by SchoolDigger, with a current ranking of 231 out of 576 schools and a 3-star rating.

Altoona Elementary stands out for its strong academic performance, consistently outperforming the state average in ISASP test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, 85.3% of 5th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 69.8%, and 83.8% were proficient or better in math, compared to the state average of 71.5%. However, the school has had higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state and district averages, ranging from 15.7% to 24.4%, which is an area of concern that the school should address.

Altoona Elementary serves a more economically diverse population, with a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 45.8% to 53.19% in recent years, compared to nearby schools. Additionally, the school has a lower student-teacher ratio than the nearby schools, ranging from 12 to 12.7 students per teacher in recent years, suggesting the school may be able to provide more individualized attention to students. When compared to other schools in the Southeast Polk Community School District, Altoona Elementary generally performs better on academic measures, such as test scores and school rankings, but faces unique challenges related to chronic absenteeism and serving a more economically diverse population.