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Highland Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

515^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Highland Elementary School is a public elementary school in Waterloo, Iowa, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 462 students. The school is part of the Waterloo Community School District, which is ranked 287 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Highland Elementary has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 42.4% 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 consistently lower than the Waterloo Community School District and the state of Iowa averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 43.1% of 3rd graders, 48.2% of 4th graders, and 50.9% of 5th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the district averages of 58.1%, 61.9%, and 59.7%, respectively. Additionally, Highland Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 84.91% to 87.37% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages.

When comparing Highland Elementary to the nearby schools in the Waterloo Community School District, it becomes clear that Highland is one of the lower-performing schools in the district. For example, Orange Elementary and Kingsley Elementary have significantly higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates than Highland. Highland Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Iowa elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years, suggesting that the school is facing persistent challenges in improving student outcomes.

448

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,711

Per pupil spending ?

89.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

812 Idaho St
Waterloo, IA 50703

(319) 433-2630

District: Waterloo Community School District

Students who attend Highland Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	George Washington Carver Academy
High:	East High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

29.2%

White:

28.1%

African American:

25.7%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Highland Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2015 → 11th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (52% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg62%

Iowa avg71%

515^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Waterloo Community School District

287^th of 313Waterloo 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	12.8	515 of 576	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.0	502 of 557	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	435 of 565	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.8	450 of 574	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	475 of 567	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.6	501 of 603	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	470 of 567	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.0	503 of 574	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.6	528 of 599	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.7	545 of 616	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	4.3	582 of 603	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	2.7	616 of 624	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	7.4	601 of 626	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics59%-15 vs state

English Language Arts47%-24 vs state

Science41%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highland 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
Highland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	812 Idaho St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2630	448	38	11.9	89.5%	126 (28.1%)	115 (25.7%)	131 (29.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.1%)	59 (13.2%)	12.8	515^th of 576 public elementary schools	10.6%		12	502^nd of 557 public elementary schools	9.9%	13	43.1	48.2	50.9	63.9	46.4	66.0	41.5	$12,711	$1,327	$11,383
Cunningham School	Public	PK, KG-5	1224 Mobile St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2600	443	35	12.6	91.4%	32 (7.2%)	258 (58.2%)	50 (11.3%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.8%)	60 (13.5%)	3.8	561^st of 576 public elementary schools	2.6%		3.2	545^th of 557 public elementary schools	2.2%	16	33.9	42.4	32.8	58.1	31.8	52.5	21.7	$14,512	$2,793	$11,718
Lowell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1628 Washington St	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1900	538	42	12.7	77.9%	145 (27.0%)	145 (27.0%)	128 (23.8%)	24 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (5.8%)	64 (11.9%)	17.2	498^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.5%		14	492^nd of 557 public elementary schools	11.7%	6	40.8	48.7	64.3	59.2	43.6	66.1	44.6	$14,090	$1,974	$12,115
Kittrell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1304 Oregon St	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2910	576	46	12.4	71.5%	200 (34.7%)	156 (27.1%)	96 (16.7%)	43 (7.5%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (6.1%)	45 (7.8%)	39	405^th of 576 public elementary schools	29.7%		26.9	451^st of 557 public elementary schools	19.0%	46	47.7	65.3	69.6	77.9	72.0	70.9	58.2	$12,433	$1,211	$11,221
Irving Elementary School	Public	K-5	1115 W. 5th Street	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2800	353	33	10.5	89.2%	70 (19.8%)	127 (36.0%)	64 (18.1%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.9%)	55 (15.6%)	33.3	446^th of 576 public elementary schools	22.6%		32.3	436^th of 557 public elementary schools	21.7%	10	75.5	70.8	58.3	65.3	62.5	66.7	47.9	$13,386	$1,643	$11,742
Poyner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1138 Central Ave	Evansdale	50707	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1534	362	31	11.5	59.9%	226 (62.4%)	39 (10.8%)	37 (10.2%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.7%)	49 (13.5%)	49.1	333^rd of 576 public elementary schools	42.2%		31	440^th of 557 public elementary schools	21.0%	107	71.9	79.1	58.9	70.2	74.4	75.0	64.3	$13,693	$1,573	$12,118
Kingsley Elementary School	Public	K-5	201 Sunset Rd	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2210	337	29	11.6	49.9%	193 (57.3%)	47 (13.9%)	32 (9.5%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.7%)	42 (12.5%)	69.8	174^th of 576 public elementary schools	69.8%		61.6	232^nd of 557 public elementary schools	58.3%	58	80.6	78.2	72.6	88.7	80.0	87.1	66.1	$12,606	$882	$11,722
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	302 Cedar Bend St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1990	463	38	12.0	81.0%	103 (22.2%)	210 (45.4%)	55 (11.9%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.4%)	67 (14.5%)	19.5	491^st of 576 public elementary schools	14.8%		15.4	486^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.7%	5	64.5	62.5	46.6	61.3	62.5	60.3	36.2	$14,309	$1,947	$12,361
Lou Henry Elementary School	Public	K-5	312 Rachael St	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2860	460	38	12.1	65.9%	178 (38.7%)	176 (38.3%)	37 (8.0%)	30 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.7%)	30 (6.5%)	24.9	473^rd of 576 public elementary schools	17.9%		45.9	356^th of 557 public elementary schools	36.1%	117	63.6	57.6	56.9	74.2	57.6	58.5	49.2	$13,402	$1,114	$12,288
Fred Becker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1239 Sheldon St	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2180	501	38	13.1	78.0%	187 (37.3%)	145 (28.9%)	59 (11.8%)	11 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.8%)	74 (14.8%)	16.7	499^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.4%		15.1	489^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.2%	10	49.3	50.0	53.3	64.8	59.1	63.3	48.3	$13,341	$1,146	$12,194

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Elementary School

What district is Highland Elementary School in?

Waterloo Community School District

Is Highland Elementary School a good school?

Highland Elementary School ranks in the bottom 10.6% of Iowa elementary schools.

How many students attend Highland Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 448 students attended Highland Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Highland Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : George Washington Carver Academy
High : East High School

What is the racial makeup of Highland Elementary School?

Students at Highland Elementary School are 29% Hispanic, 28% White, 26% African American, 13% Two or more races, 3% Pacific Islander.

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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.