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Best Public Schools in Black Hawk County, IA

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

Schools

18,224

Students

Districts

5-star schools

Top rankedBess Streeter Aldrich Elementary16^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Poyner Elementary up 107 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Dunkerton High School 10.5 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

2★

1★

0★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (2025)	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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
La Porte City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	515 Fillmore	La Porte City	50651	Black Hawk County	Union Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 342-3033	260	20	13.3	23.8%	240 (92.3%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	74.8	120^th of 576 public elementary schools	79.2%		84.7	38^th of 557 public elementary schools	93.2%	82	88.6	87.8	74.5							91.4	87.8	80.9							63.8			$11,730	$285	$11,445
Union High School	Public	9-12	200 Adams St	La Porte City	50651	Black Hawk County	Union Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 342-2697	279	23	11.8	24.0%	255 (91.4%)	3 (1.1%)	13 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.9%)	69.8	90^th of 340 public high schools	73.5%		66.3	112^th of 338 public high schools	66.9%	22							94.7	76.8	82.7							84.2	68.1	80.2			68.1	$15,170	$348	$14,821
Cedar Falls High School	Public	10-12	2701 W 27th St	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2500	1,333	96	13.8	20.7%	1,124 (84.3%)	37 (2.8%)	48 (3.6%)	37 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (0.8%)	76 (5.7%)	73.2	66^th of 340 public high schools	80.6%		74.8	64^th of 338 public high schools	81.1%	2								81.5	74.8								84.9	74.3			82.5	$13,835	$301	$13,534
Cedar Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2417 Rainbow Dr	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 553-2855	451	34	13.3	33.7%	348 (77.2%)	25 (5.5%)	22 (4.9%)	8 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.6%)	41 (9.1%)	54.6	295^th of 576 public elementary schools	48.8%		59.7	258^th of 557 public elementary schools	53.7%	37	77.3	70.8	71.1	76.2						84.8	64.6	77.8	68.3						75.6			$11,656	$449	$11,208
Helen A Hansen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	616 Holmes Dr	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2775	569	36	15.9	12.7%	477 (83.8%)	14 (2.5%)	13 (2.3%)	21 (3.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.6%)	87.1	25^th of 576 public elementary schools	95.7%		85.7	30^th of 557 public elementary schools	94.6%	5	85.2	90.0	94.1	92.5						92.6	83.3	88.2	87.7						89.7			$10,408	$395	$10,013
Holmes Junior High School	Public	7-9	505 Holmes Dr	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2650	628	47	13.4	25.2%	513 (81.7%)	31 (4.9%)	21 (3.3%)	18 (2.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (6.8%)	77.1	42^nd of 344 public middle schools	87.8%		79.6	38^th of 337 public middle schools	88.7%	4					89.5	89.1	94.2							84.5	84.6	87.4				78.6		$13,002	$245	$12,757
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	321 8th Street	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 553-2950	416	33	12.6	45.2%	329 (79.1%)	25 (6.0%)	20 (4.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.7%)	33 (7.9%)	71	160^th of 576 public elementary schools	72.2%		69.7	166^th of 557 public elementary schools	70.2%	6	69.6	86.4	80.4	85.0						67.4	83.1	76.8	85.0						83.9			$13,045	$435	$12,609
North Cedar Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2419 Fern Ave	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 553-2810	292	22	13.3	49.7%	221 (75.7%)	25 (8.6%)	13 (4.5%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (9.6%)	47.6	348^th of 576 public elementary schools	39.6%		63.9	209^th of 557 public elementary schools	62.5%	139	69.7	64.1	82.2	76.9						72.7	64.1	68.9	71.8						64.4			$14,328	$519	$13,809
Orchard Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3909 Rownd St	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2465	458	34	13.5	28.6%	357 (77.9%)	6 (1.3%)	19 (4.1%)	23 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.8%)	39 (8.5%)	70.9	163^rd of 576 public elementary schools	71.7%		64.3	206^th of 557 public elementary schools	63.0%	43	88.7	81.8	80.0	76.5						96.8	80.0	80.0	68.6						71.9			$12,775	$396	$12,378
Peet Junior High School	Public	7-9	525 E Seerley Blvd	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2710	695	49	14.1	20.3%	568 (81.7%)	29 (4.2%)	18 (2.6%)	33 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	41 (5.9%)	78.6	36^th of 344 public middle schools	89.5%		76.3	54^th of 337 public middle schools	84.0%	18					85.0	93.7	87.3							83.8	83.8	79.5				82.4		$12,622	$245	$12,377
Southdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	627 Orchard Dr	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2900	539	39	13.8	22.1%	430 (79.8%)	23 (4.3%)	17 (3.2%)	33 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	32 (5.9%)	77.1	105^th of 576 public elementary schools	81.8%		73.9	119^th of 557 public elementary schools	78.6%	14	85.7	86.4	85.9	86.8						92.9	84.7	69.0	85.3						71.8			$11,540	$473	$11,067
Bess Streeter Aldrich Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2526 Ashworth Drive	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2901	472	27	17.2	10.4%	408 (86.4%)	12 (2.5%)	13 (2.8%)	14 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	22 (4.7%)	88.3	16^th of 576 public elementary schools	97.2%		91.5	7^th of 557 public elementary schools	98.7%	9	90.5	94.0	92.8	82.7						90.5	89.6	91.3	86.5						89.7			$10,912	$517	$10,395
Dunkerton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	509 Canfield	Dunkerton	50626	Black Hawk County	Dunkerton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 822-4295	215	16	13.6	38.6%	193 (89.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.6%)	71	161^st of 576 public elementary schools	72.0%		62.4	226^th of 557 public elementary schools	59.4%	65	75.0	83.9	71.4							86.1	83.9	85.7							66.7			$16,160	$483	$15,676
Dunkerton High School	Public	6-12	509 Canfield	Dunkerton	50626	Black Hawk County	Dunkerton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 822-4295	200	19	10.5	32.0%	186 (93.0%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.5%)	41.2	236^th of 340 public high schools	30.6%		56	170^th of 338 public high schools	49.7%	66				92.0	80.8	75.0	70.4	69.6	80.0				92.0	84.6	83.3	63.0	56.5	60.0		70.8	65.2	$15,242	$249	$14,993
Hudson Middle School	Public	5-8	136 S Washington	Hudson	50643	Black Hawk County	Hudson Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 988-3233																			(n/a)
Hudson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	136 S Washington	Hudson	50643	Black Hawk County	Hudson Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 988-3239	562	34	16.4	25.8%	499 (88.8%)	3 (0.5%)	39 (6.9%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.8%)	77.9	96^th of 576 public elementary schools	83.3%		71.4	147^th of 557 public elementary schools	73.6%	51	72.5	91.5	77.2	92.9						82.6	88.1	82.5	90.0						71.9			$11,440	$422	$11,019
Hudson High School	Public	9-12	245 S Washington	Hudson	50643	Black Hawk County	Hudson Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 988-4226	371	27	13.7	23.7%	328 (88.4%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.1%)	76.9	51^st of 340 public high schools	85.0%		83.3	19^th of 338 public high schools	94.4%	32					92.3	89.7	84.4	86.7	80.4					87.7	80.9	73.3	83.3	82.1		69.1	78.3	$13,977	$58	$13,919
Bunger Middle School	Public	6-8	157 S Roosevelt Rd	Evansdale	50707	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 433-2550	440	35	12.5	74.5%	186 (42.3%)	81 (18.4%)	103 (23.4%)	7 (1.6%)	3 (0.7%)	20 (4.5%)	40 (9.1%)	13.9	310^th of 344 public middle schools	9.9%		17.8	301^st of 337 public middle schools	10.7%	9				41.3	57.7	70.3							41.3	64.1	64.4					59.3		$14,500	$895	$13,604
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
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
East High School	Public	9-12	214 High St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 433-2400	1,016	62	16.4	70.8%	370 (36.4%)	345 (34.0%)	150 (14.8%)	5 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	43 (4.2%)	100 (9.8%)	10.5	312^th of 340 public high schools	8.2%		7.6	316^th of 338 public high schools	6.5%	4							53.1	62.3	56.1							45.0	46.9	48.6			41.3	$15,126	$451	$14,674
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
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
Hoover Middle School	Public	6-8	630 Hillcrest Rd	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 433-2830	848	57	14.9	56.3%	452 (53.3%)	168 (19.8%)	79 (9.3%)	48 (5.7%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (2.2%)	81 (9.6%)	43.2	238^th of 344 public middle schools	30.8%		42.2	226^th of 337 public middle schools	32.9%	12				72.6	72.9	76.7							73.9	71.4	72.2					69.3		$12,322	$288	$12,033
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
George Washington Carver Academy	Public	6-8	1505 Logan Ave	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2500	455	33	13.6	90.5%	54 (11.9%)	216 (47.5%)	91 (20.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.8%)	53 (11.6%)	5.7	325^th of 344 public middle schools	5.5%		3.8	324^th of 337 public middle schools	3.9%	1				47.4	48.4	61.1							51.1	42.6	61.5					51.7		$14,466	$860	$13,605
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
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
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
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
Orange Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5805 Kimball Ave	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2880	518	38	13.6	49.6%	364 (70.3%)	56 (10.8%)	38 (7.3%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.2%)	48 (9.3%)	69.7	176^th of 576 public elementary schools	69.4%		63.8	214^th of 557 public elementary schools	61.6%	38	73.6	78.7	78.3							86.1	86.7	78.3							69.6			$12,067	$769	$11,297
West High School	Public	9-12	425 E Ridgeway Ave	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 433-2700	1,696	101	16.8	59.1%	771 (45.5%)	371 (21.9%)	256 (15.1%)	102 (6.0%)	4 (0.2%)	69 (4.1%)	122 (7.2%)	28.7	279^th of 340 public high schools	17.9%		29.5	271^st of 338 public high schools	19.8%	8							65.7	70.2	66.3							50.1	61.3	62.3			56.8	$13,055	$432	$12,622
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
Central Middle School	Public	6-8	1350 Katoski Dr	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2100	469	35	13.3	85.1%	122 (26.0%)	160 (34.1%)	70 (14.9%)	18 (3.8%)	2 (0.4%)	39 (8.3%)	58 (12.4%)	3.7	329^th of 344 public middle schools	4.4%		2.3	330^th of 337 public middle schools	2.1%	1				39.6	53.6	64.0							47.5	50.4	48.4					48.4		$16,022	$901	$15,120
Expo Alternative Learning Center	Public	6-12	1410 Independence Ave	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1930	561	35	15.9	80.2%	234 (41.7%)	195 (34.8%)	42 (7.5%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	13 (2.3%)	72 (12.8%)	0.6	335^th of 340 public high schools	1.5%		0.1	335^th of 338 public high schools	0.9%						70.0		32.7	35.4	38.3					50.0	27.3	11.9	22.0	29.2			28.4	$14,570	$546	$14,023

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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.