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James Wilson Grimes School

Public Grades K-4

539^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

James Wilson Grimes School is an elementary school in Burlington, Iowa, serving 247 students in grades K-4. It is part of the Burlington Community School District, which is ranked 298 out of 313 school districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school faces significant challenges, with consistently high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 21.6% to 42.9% over the past few years, well above the state average and the rates of nearby schools like Sunnyside Elementary (21.6%) and North Hill Elementary (21.6%). Additionally, the school's test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics are consistently lower than the state averages and the scores of nearby schools. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd-grade ELA proficiency rate was 40%, compared to the state average of 67.9%, and its 4th-grade Math proficiency rate was 37.5%, compared to the state average of 74.3%.

James Wilson Grimes School also has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 59.79% to 75.71% over the past few years, significantly higher than the rates of nearby schools like Sunnyside Elementary (67.45%) and North Hill Elementary (62.87%). Despite this, the school's spending per student of $15,144 in the 2018-2019 school year was higher than the spending at some nearby schools like Black Hawk Elementary ($13,181) and Mediapolis Elementary ($10,838).

212

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,144

Per pupil spending ?

60.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

800 South St.
Burlington, IA 52601

(319) 753-0420

District: Burlington Community School District

Students who attend James Wilson Grimes School usually attend:

Middle:	Aldo Leopold Intermediate School
	Edward Stone Middle School
High:	Burlington Community High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.6%

African American:

20.8%

Two or more races:

13.7%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare James Wilson Grimes School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (49% vs 73% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg61%

Iowa avg73%

539^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 19% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Burlington Community School District

298^th of 313Burlington 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	7.5	539 of 576	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.9	537 of 557	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.0	548 of 565	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.8	525 of 574	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.1	502 of 567	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.8	325 of 603	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.0	430 of 567	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.7	477 of 574	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	48.0	381 of 599	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	27.8	502 of 616	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	22.0	523 of 603	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	21.0	557 of 624	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.8	515 of 626	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts49%-23 vs state

Mathematics48%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near James Wilson Grimes School

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 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
James Wilson Grimes School	Public	K-4	800 South St.	Burlington	52601	Des Moines County	Burlington Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 753-0420	212	19	11.4	60.4%	120 (56.6%)	44 (20.8%)	19 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (13.7%)	7.5	539^th of 576 public elementary schools	6.4%		4.9	537^th of 557 public elementary schools	3.6%	2	40.0	58.3			60.0	37.5				$15,144	$1,780	$13,365
North Hill Elementary School	Public	K-4	825 N. 9th St.	Burlington	52601	Des Moines County	Burlington Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 753-6363	268	22	12.3	60.8%	131 (48.9%)	66 (24.6%)	25 (9.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	43 (16.0%)	31.5	453^rd of 576 public elementary schools	21.4%		33.8	421^st of 557 public elementary schools	24.4%	32	62.3	70.5			67.9	61.4				$16,012	$2,124	$13,888
Black Hawk Elementary School	Public	K-4	2804 S 14th St	Burlington	52601	Des Moines County	Burlington Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 753-5300	305	27	11.3	53.8%	183 (60.0%)	59 (19.3%)	24 (7.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	36 (11.8%)	16.6	500^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.2%		33.6	422^nd of 557 public elementary schools	24.2%	78	49.1	63.9			53.6	63.9				$13,181	$1,602	$11,579
Sunnyside Elementary School	Public	K-4	2040 Sunnyside Ave.	Burlington	52601	Des Moines County	Burlington Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 753-5244	298	28	10.6	56.0%	186 (62.4%)	45 (15.1%)	21 (7.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (14.4%)	47.6	347^th of 576 public elementary schools	39.8%		62.5	225^th of 557 public elementary schools	59.6%	122	59.3	72.7			74.6	81.8				$14,081	$1,580	$12,500
West Burlington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	545 Ramsey St	West Burlington	52655	Des Moines County	West Burlington Ind School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 752-8747	479	29	16.7	40.1%	339 (70.8%)	31 (6.5%)	31 (6.5%)	15 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (13.2%)	46.8	355^th of 576 public elementary schools	38.4%		44.3	368^th of 557 public elementary schools	33.9%	13	74.2	81.7	63.6	61.9	80.3	76.1	75.8	63.5	53.0	$14,218	$441	$13,777
Danville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	419 South Main Street	Danville	52623	Des Moines County	Danville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 392-4221	362	26	13.7	30.9%	348 (96.1%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	83.2	45^th of 576 public elementary schools	92.2%		72.1	140^th of 557 public elementary schools	74.9%	95	89.8	85.4	89.8	88.5	89.8	83.3	86.4	90.4	72.9	$10,174	$277	$9,896
Mediapolis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	725 N. Northfield	Mediapolis	52637	Des Moines County	Mediapolis Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 394-3101	432	29	14.7	36.8%	391 (90.5%)	3 (0.7%)	17 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.2%)	72.2	146^th of 576 public elementary schools	74.7%		68.7	176^th of 557 public elementary schools	68.4%	30	73.5	88.7	80.3		86.7	83.1	81.7		64.8	$10,838	$206	$10,632
Clark Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	401 S Walnut St	New London	52645	Henry County	New London Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 367-0507	314	26	12.1	35.4%	272 (86.6%)	12 (3.8%)	18 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	38.2	414^th of 576 public elementary schools	28.1%		49.4	335^th of 557 public elementary schools	39.9%	79	69.4	80.7	52.8		77.6	66.7	60.4		50.9	$12,091	$638	$11,453
Fort Madison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	502 48th Street	Fort Madison	52627	Lee County	Fort Madison Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(319) 372-7252	932	70	13.2	62.1%	719 (77.1%)	25 (2.7%)	96 (10.3%)	6 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (8.9%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about James Wilson Grimes School

What schools do graduates of James Wilson Grimes School attend?

Students who attend James Wilson Grimes School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Aldo Leopold Intermediate School
Middle : Edward Stone Middle School
High : Burlington Community High School

Is James Wilson Grimes School a good school?

James Wilson Grimes School ranks in the bottom 6.4% of Iowa elementary schools.

What district is James Wilson Grimes School in?

Burlington Community School District

How many students attend James Wilson Grimes School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 212 students attended James Wilson Grimes School.

What is the racial makeup of James Wilson Grimes School?

Students at James Wilson Grimes School are 57% White, 21% African American, 14% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic.

Rate James Wilson Grimes 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.