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Ballard East Elementary

Q: Is Ballard East Elementary a good school?

Ballard East Elementary ranks 205 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

205^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 64% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Ballard East Elementary is a public school in Cambridge, Iowa, serving 431 students in grades 3-5. It is part of the Ballard Community School District, which is ranked 57 out of 313 school districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ballard East Elementary consistently outperforms the state average on ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) tests in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science across grades 3-5. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were 68.6% in 3rd grade ELA, 77% in 4th grade ELA, and 74.6% in 5th grade ELA, all higher than the state averages. In Mathematics, Ballard East's proficiency rates were 85.4% in 3rd grade, 83% in 4th grade, and 85.2% in 5th grade, significantly outperforming the state. However, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 11.8% in 2021-2022 to 23.4% in 2022-2023, which is an area of concern.

Compared to nearby schools, Ballard East Elementary's test scores generally outperform Ballard West Elementary, which serves younger grades. Ballard East also outperforms some schools in the Ames Community School District, such as Fellows Elementary and Edwards Elementary, in certain subject areas and grade levels. However, some Ankeny Community School District schools, like Ashland Ridge Elementary and Northeast Elementary, have higher test scores than Ballard East in specific areas.

417

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,521

Per pupil spending ?

23.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

505 W 4th St
Cambridge, IA 50046-7741

(515) 220-4306

District: Ballard Community School District

Students who attend Ballard East Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Ballard Middle School
High:	Ballard High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.1%

Hispanic:

5.3%

Two or more races:

2.2%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Ballard East Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 89th percentile in 2019 → 64th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (77% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Above the Iowa median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 89th-percentile peak (2019) to 64th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school77%

District avg77%

Iowa avg71%

205^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 33 pts since 2015

From bottom 31% (2015) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

57^th of 313Ballard 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	66.2	205 of 576	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.6	146 of 557	73.8%	★★★★☆
2023	78.9	92 of 565	83.7%	★★★★☆
2022	71.3	158 of 574	72.5%	★★★★☆
2021	81.9	70 of 567	87.7%	★★★★☆
2019	83.3	66 of 603	89.1%	★★★★☆
2018	78.0	84 of 567	85.2%	★★★★☆
2017	73.0	136 of 574	76.3%	★★★★☆
2016	58.2	299 of 599	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	45.6	422 of 616	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	46.7	403 of 603	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	48.8	391 of 624	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	63.2	238 of 626	62.0%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics85%+11 vs state

English Language Arts73%~ state avg

Science68%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ballard East Elementary

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
Ballard East Elementary	Public	3-5	505 W 4th St	Cambridge	50046	Story County	Ballard Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 220-4306	417	33	12.5	23.5%	380 (91.1%)	4 (1.0%)	22 (5.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.2%)	66.2	205^th of 576 public elementary schools	64.4%		71.6	146^th of 557 public elementary schools	73.8%	59	68.6	77.0	74.6	85.4	83.0	85.2	67.6	$12,521	$249	$12,272
North Polk Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	311 NE 141st Ave	Alleman	50007	Polk County	North Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 984-3400	408	27	15.2	9.6%	364 (89.2%)	15 (3.7%)	12 (2.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.4%)	77.6	97^th of 576 public elementary schools	83.2%		70.4	157^th of 557 public elementary schools	71.8%	60	79.4	89.1	80.8	91.2	85.9	78.8	69.2	$12,580	$378	$12,202
Mitchell Elementary School	Public	K-5	3521 Jewel Dr	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 239-3775	314	25	12.5	55.7%	149 (47.5%)	55 (17.5%)	72 (22.9%)	15 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.3%)	50.5	327^th of 576 public elementary schools	43.2%		66.2	189^th of 557 public elementary schools	66.1%	138	53.8	84.8	74.0	59.0	76.1	72.0	68.0	$12,211	$780	$11,433
Ballard West Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	105 E Main St	Slater	50244	Story County	Ballard Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 228-3890	451	30	15.0	18.8%	410 (90.9%)	6 (1.3%)	23 (5.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.4%)								(n/a)								$13,797	$324	$13,473
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	925 H Ave	Nevada	50201	Story County	Nevada Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 382-2383	632	46	13.7	40.5%	515 (81.5%)	4 (0.6%)	84 (13.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.4%)	87.4	22^nd of 576 public elementary schools	96.2%		73.1	124^th of 557 public elementary schools	77.7%	102	89.8	86.7		94.3	92.0			$11,518	$1,130	$10,388
Meeker Elementary School	Public	K-5	300 20th Street	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 239-3770	361	32	11.2	42.1%	253 (70.1%)	19 (5.3%)	34 (9.4%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (12.2%)	62.7	238^th of 576 public elementary schools	58.7%		63.8	216^th of 557 public elementary schools	61.2%	22	71.7	86.7	71.7	78.3	75.6	71.7	76.7	$13,221	$1,032	$12,190
Rock Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	3800 NW Abilene Rd	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9629	639	42	15.2	26.4%	455 (71.2%)	74 (11.6%)	48 (7.5%)	23 (3.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (5.6%)	68.5	186^th of 576 public elementary schools	67.7%		75.9	104^th of 557 public elementary schools	81.3%	82	79.4	81.4	72.6	88.7	84.5	73.2	69.9	$11,986	$349	$11,637
Fellows Elementary School	Public	K-5	1235 20th St.	Ames	50010	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 239-3765	489	38	12.9	28.8%	276 (56.4%)	25 (5.1%)	67 (13.7%)	83 (17.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.0%)	78.7	86^th of 576 public elementary schools	85.1%		76.5	97^th of 557 public elementary schools	82.6%	11	85.2	73.1	85.9	86.4	80.6	89.7	87.2	$12,124	$816	$11,308
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
Edwards Elementary School	Public	K-5	820 Miller Ave	Ames	50014	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 239-3760	436	34	13.0	44.5%	242 (55.5%)	77 (17.7%)	49 (11.2%)	38 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.9%)	52.9	309^th of 576 public elementary schools	46.4%		56.2	288^th of 557 public elementary schools	48.3%	21	73.5	76.3	67.9	86.8	69.5	67.5	63.3	$12,690	$743	$11,949

Frequently Asked Questions about Ballard East Elementary

How many students attend Ballard East Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 417 students attended Ballard East Elementary.

What district is Ballard East Elementary in?

Ballard Community School District

Is Ballard East Elementary a good school?

Ballard East Elementary ranks 205^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ballard East Elementary?

Students at Ballard East Elementary are 91% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Ballard East Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ballard East Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ballard Middle School
High : Ballard High School

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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.