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Prairie Trail Elementary

Public Grades K-5

13^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 98% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Prairie Trail Elementary is a public elementary school located in Ankeny, Iowa, serving 542 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Ankeny Community School District, which is ranked 62 out of 313 school districts in Iowa and is rated 4 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Prairie Trail Elementary has consistently been one of the top-performing elementary schools in Iowa, ranking within the top 20 schools for several years and receiving a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school outperforms the Ankeny Community School District and the state of Iowa in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 5th grade, 90.5% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 79.4% in the district and 69.8% statewide. In Mathematics, 92.6% of 5th graders were proficient or better, compared to 81.9% in the district and 71.5% statewide.

Additionally, Prairie Trail Elementary has a relatively low chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 8.4% to 23.4% over the past few years, which is lower than the rates observed at other Ankeny Community School District elementary schools. The school also has a low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 5.78% to 7.01%, significantly lower than some nearby elementary schools. These factors, along with the school's low student-teacher ratio, may contribute to its exceptional academic performance.

526

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,662

Per pupil spending ?

5.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1850 SW College Ave
Ankeny, IA 50023

(515) 965-9605

District: Ankeny Community School District

Students who attend Prairie Trail Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Parkview Middle School
High:	Ankeny High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.3%

Hispanic:

7.4%

Two or more races:

6.1%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 100th percentile in 2015 → 98th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (91% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of Iowa elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Ankeny Community School District

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school91%

District avg81%

Iowa avg71%

13^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 2%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 9Elementary Schools in the Ankeny Community School District

62^nd of 313Ankeny 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	90.9	13 of 576	97.7%	★★★★★
2024	91.2	8 of 557	98.6%	★★★★★
2023	88.7	18 of 565	96.8%	★★★★★
2022	92.8	4 of 574	99.3%	★★★★★
2021	92.3	10 of 567	98.2%	★★★★★
2019	90.1	18 of 603	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	90.6	3 of 567	99.5%	★★★★★
2017	92.2	2 of 574	99.7%	★★★★★
2016	91.2	1 of 599	99.8%	★★★★★
2015	92.3	1 of 616	99.8%	★★★★★

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics93%+19 vs state

English Language Arts90%+19 vs state

Science90%+25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Prairie Trail 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	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
Prairie Trail Elementary	Public	K-5	1850 SW College Ave	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9605	526	32	16.4	5.9%	438 (83.3%)	4 (0.8%)	39 (7.4%)	12 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.1%)	90.9	13^th of 576 public elementary schools	97.7%		91.2	8^th of 557 public elementary schools	98.6%	5	85.1	96.1	90.5	90.4	96.1	92.6	89.5	$11,662	$230	$11,432
Crocker Elementary School	Public	K-5	2910 SW Applewood St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9710	489	34	14.3	21.5%	382 (78.1%)	14 (2.9%)	35 (7.2%)	16 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.6%)	75.5	118^th of 576 public elementary schools	79.5%		75.5	108^th of 557 public elementary schools	80.6%	10	71.4	78.0	82.8	87.1	87.9	88.5	75.9	$12,111	$254	$11,857
Heritage Elementary	Public	K-5	301 SW Prairie Trail Pky	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9645	604	38	15.8	33.9%	414 (68.5%)	36 (6.0%)	89 (14.7%)	30 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.6%)	67.8	194^th of 576 public elementary schools	66.3%		62.6	224^th of 557 public elementary schools	59.8%	30	69.1	87.6	80.4	76.3	85.4	82.6	65.9
Northwest Elementary School	Public	K-5	1202 W First St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 965-9680	346	27	12.8	37.3%	224 (64.7%)	20 (5.8%)	56 (16.2%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (11.8%)	48.6	338^th of 576 public elementary schools	41.3%		55.1	298^th of 557 public elementary schools	46.5%	40	58.0	73.1	72.3	68.0	75.0	73.8	67.7	$12,743	$644	$12,099
Westwood Elementary School	Public	K-5	2920 NW 9th St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9690	551	35	15.7	17.6%	433 (78.6%)	22 (4.0%)	52 (9.4%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.5%)	79.3	81^st of 576 public elementary schools	85.9%		82.5	57^th of 557 public elementary schools	89.8%	24	83.7	90.4	83.3	84.6	90.4	82.2	70.0	$11,911	$384	$11,527
Southeast Elementary School	Public	K-5	1005 SE Trilein Dr	Ankeny	50021	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 965-9650	585	40	14.5	33.0%	397 (67.9%)	57 (9.7%)	58 (9.9%)	24 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	47 (8.0%)	58	277^th of 576 public elementary schools	51.9%		60.4	251^st of 557 public elementary schools	54.9%	26	80.0	81.1	66.7	78.9	78.3	76.0	56.3	$11,914	$404	$11,509
East Elementary School	Public	K-5	710 SE 3rd St	Ankeny	50021	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 965-9660	409	29	14.1	46.2%	280 (68.5%)	33 (8.1%)	42 (10.3%)	15 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.5%)	56.2	283^rd of 576 public elementary schools	50.9%		53.1	311^th of 557 public elementary schools	44.2%	28	77.6	72.4	75.4	79.1	72.4	76.9	58.5	$11,901	$351	$11,551
Abbie Grove Elementary	Public	K-5	5001 NW 18th St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(515) 965-4815	445	26	17.1	11.5%	375 (84.3%)	13 (2.9%)	17 (3.8%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.5%)								(n/a)
Ashland Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	2600 NW Ash Drive	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9594	548	35	15.6	14.1%	427 (77.9%)	29 (5.3%)	39 (7.1%)	25 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.1%)	78.5	88^th of 576 public elementary schools	84.7%		81.2	61^st of 557 public elementary schools	89.0%	27	76.8	95.9	81.3	81.1	88.7	83.5	74.7	$11,160	$239	$10,921
Northeast Elementary	Public	K-5	1705 NE Trilein Dr	Ankeny	50021	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9620	595	38	15.6	12.6%	484 (81.3%)	17 (2.9%)	28 (4.7%)	30 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.1%)	82.4	52^nd of 576 public elementary schools	91.0%		83.7	48^th of 557 public elementary schools	91.4%	4	80.4	90.3	85.2	87.6	84.1	86.1	80.6	$11,723	$246	$11,477

Frequently Asked Questions about Prairie Trail Elementary

What district is Prairie Trail Elementary in?

Ankeny Community School District

What schools do graduates of Prairie Trail Elementary attend?

Students who attend Prairie Trail Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Parkview Middle School
High : Ankeny High School

Is Prairie Trail Elementary a good school?

Yes! Prairie Trail Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 13^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools.

How many students attend Prairie Trail Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 526 students attended Prairie Trail Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Prairie Trail Elementary?

Students at Prairie Trail Elementary are 83% White, 7% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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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.