Best Elementary Schools in Iowa

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Find the best Iowa elementary schools with SchoolDigger.com! Focused on test scores for accurate rankings, our user-friendly site simplifies your search. Empower your decisions by exploring top-rated schools, only on SchoolDigger.com - the ultimate guide to K-12 schools!

Year after year, SchoolDigger is always the first to publish Iowa test scores and rankings. Other sites use stale test score data that are several years old! Be in the know with the very latest performance metrics.

The list is updated annually upon the release of the ISASP test scores by the Iowa Department of Education. The most recent update was on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.

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School	Students/Teachers	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)	Ranking (2025 vs 2024)	ID
391	Northstar Elementary School	Public	3-5	407 W Larson	Knoxville	50138	Marion County	Knoxville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 842-6527	348	25	14	49.1%	311 (89.4%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.0%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.3%)	$13,116	$644	$12,471	41.5	34.9	415	24	191584002132
392	Franklin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3130 Ave C	Council Bluffs	51501	Pottawattamie County	Council Bluffs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 328-6469	421	31	13.5	45.4%	283 (67.2%)	26 (6.2%)	90 (21.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.5%)	$17,313	$1,173	$16,140	41.5	20.9	468	76	190822000418
393	Herbert Hoover Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1355 Barrington Rd	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1110	464	36	12.8	46.6%	202 (43.5%)	75 (16.2%)	152 (32.8%)	14 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.5%)				41.5	55.5	297	96	191470002266
394	Spalding Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4101 Stone Avenue	Sioux City	51106	Woodbury County	Sioux City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 274-4043	683	50	13.7	63.7%	250 (36.6%)	69 (10.1%)	241 (35.3%)	2 (0.3%)	17 (2.5%)	56 (8.2%)	48 (7.0%)	$13,633	$1,329	$12,304	41.3	36.2	409	15	192640002178
395	Panorama Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Panther Drive	Panora	50216	Guthrie County	Panorama Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 755-2021	306	24	13	31.7%	287 (93.8%)	2 (0.7%)	9 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.6%)	$13,546	$512	$13,034	41.3	38.9	395		190002500606
396	Titan Hill Intermediate School	Public	2-5	4125 Harry Langdon Blvd.	Council Bluffs	51503	Pottawattamie County	Lewis Central Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 366-8289	901	52	17.3	39.4%	722 (80.1%)	12 (1.3%)	101 (11.2%)	11 (1.2%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (5.9%)	$11,381	$352	$11,029	40.9	52.9	314	82	191668000994
397	Hillside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	713 8th St	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-6200	548	47	11.6	71.7%	247 (45.1%)	98 (17.9%)	141 (25.7%)	12 (2.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (8.4%)	$14,221	$423	$13,798	40.7	22.8	463	66	193093001188
398	Greenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	316 37th Street	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8410	293	20	14.6	46.4%	164 (56.0%)	49 (16.7%)	37 (12.6%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	34 (11.6%)	$16,236	$666	$15,571	40.7	45.1	364	34	190897000538
399	Ernest Horn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	600 Koser Ave	Iowa City	52246	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1115	453	33	13.6	58.5%	152 (33.6%)	197 (43.5%)	26 (5.7%)	45 (9.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.4%)	$14,000	$687	$13,313	40.4	37.6	398	1	191470000885
400	GMG Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1710 Wallace Avenue	Green Mountain	50632	Marshall County	GMG Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 474-2251	271	20	13.4	52.4%	249 (91.9%)	2 (0.7%)	13 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	$12,834	$499	$12,335	40			(n/a)	190006000182

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About our rankings:

Schooldigger calculates school rankings based on ISASP English Language Arts, ISASP Mathematics, ISASP Science test scores released by the Iowa Department of Education.
These rankings were last updated on August 20, 2025, and are based on the most recent test scores available. We update rankings as we receive new test scores from the Iowa Department of Education, usually on a yearly basis.
Our sources of data include the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education and the Iowa Department of Education.
For more information about our ranking process, please see our Ranking FAQ. Details about our methodology are here.

Educational resources:

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Understanding an IEP: The Ultimate Guide for Parents and Educators

Alternative Schools vs Public Schools: A Comparison

School														Students/Teachers											Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)							Ranking (2025 vs 2024)					ID
Rank (of 576)	School	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Disc Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel from Federal Funds	Total from Federal Funds	Personnel from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Total from State and Local Funds	Average Standard Score (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Rank (2024)	Rank Change from 2024	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	ID
391	Northstar Elementary School	Public	3-5	407 W Larson	Knoxville	50138	Marion County	Knoxville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 842-6527	348	25	14	49.1%	311 (89.4%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.0%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.3%)	$13,116			$644			$12,471	41.5	34.9	415	24		191584002132
392	Franklin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3130 Ave C	Council Bluffs	51501	Pottawattamie County	Council Bluffs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 328-6469	421	31	13.5	45.4%	283 (67.2%)	26 (6.2%)	90 (21.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.5%)	$17,313			$1,173			$16,140	41.5	20.9	468	76		190822000418
393	Herbert Hoover Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1355 Barrington Rd	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1110	464	36	12.8	46.6%	202 (43.5%)	75 (16.2%)	152 (32.8%)	14 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.5%)								41.5	55.5	297	96		191470002266
394	Spalding Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4101 Stone Avenue	Sioux City	51106	Woodbury County	Sioux City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 274-4043	683	50	13.7	63.7%	250 (36.6%)	69 (10.1%)	241 (35.3%)	2 (0.3%)	17 (2.5%)	56 (8.2%)	48 (7.0%)	$13,633			$1,329			$12,304	41.3	36.2	409	15		192640002178
395	Panorama Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Panther Drive	Panora	50216	Guthrie County	Panorama Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 755-2021	306	24	13	31.7%	287 (93.8%)	2 (0.7%)	9 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.6%)	$13,546			$512			$13,034	41.3	38.9	395			190002500606
396	Titan Hill Intermediate School	Public	2-5	4125 Harry Langdon Blvd.	Council Bluffs	51503	Pottawattamie County	Lewis Central Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 366-8289	901	52	17.3	39.4%	722 (80.1%)	12 (1.3%)	101 (11.2%)	11 (1.2%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (5.9%)	$11,381			$352			$11,029	40.9	52.9	314	82		191668000994
397	Hillside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	713 8th St	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-6200	548	47	11.6	71.7%	247 (45.1%)	98 (17.9%)	141 (25.7%)	12 (2.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (8.4%)	$14,221			$423			$13,798	40.7	22.8	463	66		193093001188
398	Greenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	316 37th Street	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8410	293	20	14.6	46.4%	164 (56.0%)	49 (16.7%)	37 (12.6%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	34 (11.6%)	$16,236			$666			$15,571	40.7	45.1	364	34		190897000538
399	Ernest Horn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	600 Koser Ave	Iowa City	52246	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1115	453	33	13.6	58.5%	152 (33.6%)	197 (43.5%)	26 (5.7%)	45 (9.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.4%)	$14,000			$687			$13,313	40.4	37.6	398	1		191470000885
400	GMG Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1710 Wallace Avenue	Green Mountain	50632	Marshall County	GMG Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 474-2251	271	20	13.4	52.4%	249 (91.9%)	2 (0.7%)	13 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	$12,834			$499			$12,335	40			(n/a)		190006000182