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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!

Carson Elementary

Q: Is Carson Elementary a good school?

Carson Elementary ranks 386 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

386^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Carson Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades 3-5 in the Riverside Community School District in Carson, Iowa. The school has 136 students and is ranked 386 out of 576 Iowa elementary schools, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school district as a whole is ranked 201 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 2-star rating.

Carson Elementary faces some challenges, including a significant increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 10.3% in 2020-2021 to 30.0% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the state and district averages. The school's test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally on par with the district average but lag behind the state average. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd grade ELA proficiency rate was 72.3% compared to the state average of 67.9%. Additionally, Carson Elementary has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 42.59% to 52.21% over the past few years, which is higher than the state average.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Oakland Elementary in the same district and Underwood Elementary and AHSTW Primary School in neighboring districts, Carson Elementary generally performs on par or slightly below average. The school's performance has also fluctuated over the years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 157 out of 603 schools in 2018-2019 to 407 out of 557 schools in 2023-2024. This suggests the school may be facing challenges in maintaining consistent academic achievement.

134

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,420

Per pupil spending ?

48.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

330 Pleasant St
Carson, IA 51525-0218

(712) 484-2212

District: Riverside Community School District

Students who attend Carson Elementary usually attend:

High:

Riverside Middle/Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.1%

Hispanic:

14.2%

Two or more races:

7.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Carson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 44th percentile in 2015 → 33rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school68%

District avg68%

Iowa avg71%

386^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 44% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

201^st of 313Riverside 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	386 of 576	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.3	407 of 557	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.6	385 of 565	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.4	353 of 574	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.5	376 of 567	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	71.6	157 of 603	74.0%	★★★★☆
2018	53.5	313 of 567	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.3	384 of 574	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.4	392 of 599	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	53.9	347 of 616	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	66.8	191 of 624	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	47.7	401 of 626	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2013	62.1	126 of 350	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.4	132 of 349	62.2%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics69%-5 vs state

Science68%+4 vs state

English Language Arts66%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Carson Elementary

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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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Carson Elementary	Public	3-5	330 Pleasant St	Carson	51525	Pottawattamie County	Riverside Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 484-2212	134	10	13.3	48.5%	102 (76.1%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (14.2%)	2 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	10 (7.5%)	42.1	386^th of 576 public elementary schools	33.0%		36.3	407^th of 557 public elementary schools	26.9%	21	72.3	66.7	58.5		72.3	66.7	68.3		68.3	$13,420	$375	$13,046
Oakland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	708 Glass St	Oakland	51560	Pottawattamie County	Riverside Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 482-6296	178	15	11.7	42.1%	145 (81.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (12.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.6%)								(n/a)										$13,452	$560	$12,892
Treynor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2 Elementary Drive	Treynor	51575	Pottawattamie County	Treynor Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 487-3422	366	26	14.2	15.0%	344 (94.0%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	88.2	17^th of 576 public elementary schools	97.0%		88.9	17^th of 557 public elementary schools	96.9%		87.7	97.7	91.2		95.4	93.2	85.3		76.5	$10,728	$150	$10,579
Griswold Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20 Madison St.	Griswold	51535	Cass County	Griswold Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 778-2154	227	21	10.6	36.6%	215 (94.7%)	1 (0.4%)	8 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	48.4	340^th of 576 public elementary schools	41.0%		46.6	350^th of 557 public elementary schools	37.2%	10	71.4	76.7	69.0		66.7	76.7	79.3		51.7
AHSTW Primary School	Public	PK, KG-3	768 S Maple	Avoca	51521	Pottawattamie County	AHSTW Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 343-6364	280	23	12.1	36.8%	256 (91.4%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (3.9%)								(n/a)	75.0				86.5					$14,480	$598	$13,882
Underwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	601 Third Street	Underwood	51576	Pottawattamie County	Underwood Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 566-2326	424	26	16.0	17.7%	403 (95.0%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	84.6	39^th of 576 public elementary schools	93.2%		82.7	55^th of 557 public elementary schools	90.1%	16	97.0	88.7	76.5		91.0	87.1	84.3		86.3	$12,224	$377	$11,847
East Mills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1505 E 15th Street	Malvern	51551	Mills County	East Mills Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 624-8696	214	22	9.7	47.7%	197 (92.1%)	1 (0.5%)	8 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.7%)	29.8	461^st of 576 public elementary schools	20.0%		49.9	331^st of 557 public elementary schools	40.6%	130	43.3	82.1	51.6		63.3	78.6	48.4		58.1	$13,482	$675	$12,807
Inman Elementary School	Public	K-6	900 Inman Drive	Red Oak	51566	Montgomery County	Red Oak Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 623-6635	461	34	13.4	53.6%	399 (86.6%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.5%)	15.4	504^th of 576 public elementary schools	12.5%		15.3	487^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.6%	17	41.1	58.0	58.7	53.6	62.5	58.0	56.0	61.8	50.7	$13,647	$822	$12,825
Iowa Virtual School K-5	Public	K-5	604 S Broadway St	Red Oak	51566	Montgomery County	Red Oak Community School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(712) 623-6600	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Carson Elementary

Is Carson Elementary a good school?

Carson Elementary ranks 386^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Carson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carson Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Riverside Middle/Senior High School

How many students attend Carson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 134 students attended Carson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Carson Elementary?

Students at Carson Elementary are 76% White, 14% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Carson Elementary in?

Riverside Community School District

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Latest Iowa data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 ISASP test scoresAug 20, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesApr 1, 2025

2017–18 through 2023–24 attendance dataNov 15, 2024

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.