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Walnut Hills Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

8^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 99% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Walnut Hills Elementary School is a high-performing public elementary school in Urbandale, Iowa, serving 590 students in grades K-5 and part of the Waukee Community School District. The school consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Iowa, with students regularly outperforming state and district averages on standardized tests, often achieving proficiency rates exceeding 90% in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

Walnut Hills Elementary School stands out for its exceptional academic performance, with a statewide ranking between 4th and 19th out of over 500 schools in recent years. The school also maintains relatively low chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state and district, indicating a high level of student engagement. Additionally, the school serves a relatively affluent student population, with a low percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 6.07% to 8.8% in recent years.

When compared to other elementary schools in the Waukee Community School District, Walnut Hills Elementary School emerges as a top performer, with significantly higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates than its peers. This suggests that the school may have effective practices or resources that contribute to its exceptional academic outcomes. While Walnut Hills Elementary School is already an outstanding educational institution, there may be opportunities to further improve student outcomes, such as addressing the slight increase in chronic absenteeism rates over the past few years.

708

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,663

Per pupil spending ?

7.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4240 156th St
Urbandale, IA 50323

(515) 987-3585

District: Waukee Community School District

Students who attend Walnut Hills Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Waukee Middle School
High:	Northwest High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.3%

Two or more races:

6.4%

Asian:

6.1%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Walnut Hills Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 93rd percentile in 2015 → 99th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (92% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of Iowa elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school92%

District avg83%

Iowa avg71%

8^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From top 7% (2015) to top 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 8Elementary Schools in the Waukee Community School District

65^th of 313Waukee 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	92.2	8 of 576	98.6%	★★★★★
2024	92.5	5 of 557	99.1%	★★★★★
2023	93.4	4 of 565	99.3%	★★★★★
2022	90.3	17 of 574	97.0%	★★★★★
2021	90.3	19 of 567	96.6%	★★★★★
2019	91.9	11 of 603	98.2%	★★★★★
2018	85.4	35 of 567	93.8%	★★★★★
2017	82.0	49 of 574	91.5%	★★★★★
2016	76.7	102 of 599	83.0%	★★★★☆
2015	82.4	43 of 616	93.0%	★★★★★
2014	82.1	47 of 603	92.2%	★★★★★
2013	81.5	35 of 624	94.4%	★★★★★
2012	80.8	49 of 626	92.2%	★★★★★

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics95%+21 vs state

English Language Arts92%+21 vs state

Science85%+20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Walnut Hills 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
Walnut Hills Elementary School	Public	K-5	4240 156th St	Urbandale	50323	Dallas County	Waukee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 987-3585	708	41	17.2	7.1%	547 (77.3%)	30 (4.2%)	43 (6.1%)	43 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (6.4%)	92.2	8^th of 576 public elementary schools	98.6%		92.5	5^th of 557 public elementary schools	99.1%	3	90.0	94.9	91.9	91.7	97.1	96.3	84.6	$11,663	$253	$11,410
Shuler Elementary School	Public	K-5	16400 Douglas Parkway	Clive	50325	Dallas County	Waukee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 987-8597	592	40	14.7	6.6%	470 (79.4%)	20 (3.4%)	26 (4.4%)	34 (5.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (6.8%)	87.3	23^rd of 576 public elementary schools	96.0%		87.6	20^th of 557 public elementary schools	96.4%	3	89.8	84.1	86.3	92.6	88.8	92.7	85.5	$10,872	$236	$10,636
Radiant Elementary School	Public	K-5	5050 170th ST	Urbandale	50323	Dallas County	Waukee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 987-5161	273	23	11.7	30.4%	150 (54.9%)	45 (16.5%)	25 (9.2%)	27 (9.9%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	22 (8.1%)	61.1	254^th of 576 public elementary schools	55.9%		78.5	78^th of 557 public elementary schools	86.0%	176	72.4	77.8	71.7	86.2	77.8	84.8	58.7
Waterford Elementary School	Public	K-5	5635 156th ST	Urbandale	50323	Dallas County	Waukee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(515) 987-5161	464	30	15.4	10.1%	352 (75.9%)	34 (7.3%)	22 (4.7%)	42 (9.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.6%)								(n/a)
Grant Ragan Elementary School	Public	K-5	645 NE Dartmoor Drive	Waukee	50263	Dallas County	Waukee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 987-0435	666	47	14.1	28.2%	419 (62.9%)	64 (9.6%)	85 (12.8%)	50 (7.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	45 (6.8%)	65.4	220^th of 576 public elementary schools	61.8%		77.8	84^th of 557 public elementary schools	84.9%	136	80.2	78.2	75.0	82.0	73.6	78.7	69.4	$10,993	$199	$10,794
Webster Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12955 Aurora Avenue	Urbandale	50323	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 331-8600	519	38	13.5	23.9%	379 (73.0%)	35 (6.7%)	41 (7.9%)	38 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.0%)	85.8	33^rd of 576 public elementary schools	94.3%		83.1	50^th of 557 public elementary schools	91.0%	17	80.6	94.9	86.7	86.1	89.9	90.7	81.3	$15,431	$254	$15,178
Eason Elementary School	Public	K-5	605 SE Boone Dr	Waukee	50263	Dallas County	Waukee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 987-5200	590	40	14.7	28.1%	381 (64.6%)	92 (15.6%)	48 (8.1%)	26 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.3%)	69.6	177^th of 576 public elementary schools	69.3%		77.1	87^th of 557 public elementary schools	84.4%	90	78.3	86.0	75.0	80.2	81.0	76.0	74.0	$10,989	$276	$10,712
Maple Grove Elementary School	Public	K-5	1455 98th St	West Des Moines	50266	Dallas County	Waukee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 987-3363	577	44	13.0	33.8%	288 (49.9%)	107 (18.5%)	62 (10.7%)	46 (8.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (12.3%)	66	208^th of 576 public elementary schools	63.9%		63.3	219^th of 557 public elementary schools	60.7%	11	76.4	80.2	73.1	80.9	80.2	76.9	71.8	$11,397	$370	$11,027
Waukee Elementary School	Public	K-5	850 6th St	Waukee	50263	Dallas County	Waukee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 987-5193	706	46	15.4	20.5%	471 (66.7%)	57 (8.1%)	67 (9.5%)	43 (6.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (9.3%)	81.5	59^th of 576 public elementary schools	89.8%		76.5	98^th of 557 public elementary schools	82.4%	39	85.0	86.3	81.1	89.0	86.3	82.8	80.3	$10,849	$259	$10,590
South Prairie Elementary	Public	K-4	500 S James St	Grimes	50111	Polk County	Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 986-4057	436	32	13.4	30.3%	304 (69.7%)	72 (16.5%)	36 (8.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.0%)	74.6	122^nd of 576 public elementary schools	78.8%					(n/a)	82.7	87.3		79.0	83.5			$11,303	$380	$10,924

Frequently Asked Questions about Walnut Hills Elementary School

How many students attend Walnut Hills Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 708 students attended Walnut Hills Elementary School.

Is Walnut Hills Elementary School a good school?

Yes! Walnut Hills Elementary School is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 8^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools.

What district is Walnut Hills Elementary School in?

Waukee Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Walnut Hills Elementary School?

Students at Walnut Hills Elementary School are 77% White, 6% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 6% Hispanic, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Walnut Hills Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Walnut Hills Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Waukee Middle School
High : Northwest High School

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Schools in Urbandale, IA

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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.