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Carter Lake Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

475^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Carter Lake Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 337 students in grades PK-5 in Carter Lake, Iowa, which is part of the Council Bluffs Community School District. The school faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, low test scores, and a high percentage of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Carter Lake Elementary School has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 29.1% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and the rates of nearby schools like Lewis & Clark Elementary and Hoover Elementary within the same district. Additionally, the school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are consistently lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics that are 10-20 percentage points below the state and district averages.

The high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients at Carter Lake Elementary School, ranging from 59.35% to 86.54% over the past few years, indicate that the school serves a population with significant socioeconomic challenges. While all the schools in the Council Bluffs Community School District have relatively low performance, Carter Lake Elementary School stands out as one of the lowest-performing schools in the district. Addressing the academic and socioeconomic challenges facing the school's students will likely require a comprehensive, data-driven approach, including increased funding, additional resources, and professional development for teachers.

301

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,698

Per pupil spending ?

45.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1000 Willow Drive
Carter Lake, IA 51510-1399

(712) 347-5876

District: Council Bluffs Community School District

Students who attend Carter Lake Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Woodrow Wilson Middle School
High:	Thomas Jefferson High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.1%

Hispanic:

18.3%

African American:

6.6%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Carter Lake Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (60% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Science scores 22 pts below the Iowa average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg65%

Iowa avg71%

475^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Council Bluffs Community School District

272^nd of 313Council Bluffs 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	24.6	475 of 576	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.1	498 of 557	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.9	532 of 565	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	513 of 574	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.6	538 of 567	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.3	553 of 603	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	501 of 567	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	7.6	535 of 574	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.9	560 of 599	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.9	588 of 616	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	9.8	562 of 603	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	30.3	514 of 624	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.3	549 of 626	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics66%-8 vs state

English Language Arts59%-12 vs state

Science42%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Carter Lake Elementary 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 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
Carter Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Willow Drive	Carter Lake	51510	Pottawattamie County	Council Bluffs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 347-5876	301	23	13.0	45.5%	208 (69.1%)	20 (6.6%)	55 (18.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.6%)	24.6	475^th of 576 public elementary schools	17.5%		13.1	498^th of 557 public elementary schools	10.6%	23	53.5	68.8	51.5	67.4	68.8	60.6	42.4	$20,698	$1,193	$19,505
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%)	41.5	392^nd of 576 public elementary schools	31.9%		20.9	468^th of 557 public elementary schools	16.0%	76	63.6	61.9	66.7	81.8	61.9	71.8	62.8	$17,313	$1,173	$16,140
Rue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3326 6th Avenue	Council Bluffs	51501	Pottawattamie County	Council Bluffs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 328-6540	385	25	15.3	43.1%	254 (66.0%)	16 (4.2%)	80 (20.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	26 (6.8%)	9.3	532^nd of 576 public elementary schools	7.6%		34.7	416^th of 557 public elementary schools	25.3%	116	36.2	55.6	46.2	55.3	66.7	48.1	34.6	$19,242	$1,012	$18,230
Edison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2218 3rd Avenue	Council Bluffs	51501	Pottawattamie County	Council Bluffs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 328-6516	384	27	14.1	46.4%	271 (70.6%)	12 (3.1%)	83 (21.6%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.6%)	34.3	439^th of 576 public elementary schools	23.8%		25.7	455^th of 557 public elementary schools	18.3%	16	59.1	69.6	56.8	81.8	60.9	68.2	45.5	$18,750	$1,398	$17,351
Roosevelt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	517 N 17th St	Council Bluffs	51501	Pottawattamie County	Council Bluffs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 328-6528	455	34	13.3	44.6%	318 (69.9%)	23 (5.1%)	81 (17.8%)	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.5%)	24	481^st of 576 public elementary schools	16.5%		13.6	496^th of 557 public elementary schools	11.0%	15	40.3	60.0	59.6	66.1	69.2	65.4	53.8	$19,039	$1,554	$17,485
Lewis & Clark Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1603 Grand Ave	Council Bluffs	51503	Pottawattamie County	Council Bluffs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 328-6471	271	17	15.8	33.9%	227 (83.8%)	6 (2.2%)	27 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (3.7%)	60.3	260^th of 576 public elementary schools	54.9%		39.6	388^th of 557 public elementary schools	30.3%	128	65.1	83.3	70.7	90.7	86.7	75.6	56.1	$19,301	$591	$18,710
Bloomer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	210 S 7th Street	Council Bluffs	51501	Pottawattamie County	Council Bluffs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 328-6519	396	30	13.1	48.0%	275 (69.4%)	29 (7.3%)	66 (16.7%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	19 (4.8%)	33.7	445^th of 576 public elementary schools	22.7%		22.6	464^th of 557 public elementary schools	16.7%	19	62.7	75.9	52.0	77.6	70.4	58.8	35.3	$19,330	$1,175	$18,155
Hoover Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1205 North Broadway	Council Bluffs	51503	Pottawattamie County	Council Bluffs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 328-6537	401	28	14.1	39.2%	315 (78.6%)	14 (3.5%)	50 (12.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.7%)	62.2	241^st of 576 public elementary schools	58.2%		69.1	171^st of 557 public elementary schools	69.3%	70	62.3	75.6	84.6	73.8	70.7	84.6	71.8	$17,477	$593	$16,884
Longfellow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2011 S 10th St	Council Bluffs	51501	Pottawattamie County	Council Bluffs Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 328-6522	431	31	13.8	45.7%	286 (66.4%)	10 (2.3%)	104 (24.1%)	6 (1.4%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	18 (4.2%)	22.5	484^th of 576 public elementary schools	16.0%		18.5	476^th of 557 public elementary schools	14.5%	8	37.7	66.1	43.1	63.8	77.4	66.2	43.1	$18,279	$1,230	$17,049
E A Kreft Primary School	Public	PK, KG-1	3206 Renner Dr.	Council Bluffs	51501	Pottawattamie County	Lewis Central Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 366-8292	502	34	14.5	41.2%	394 (78.5%)	11 (2.2%)	72 (14.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.6%)								(n/a)								$13,892	$352	$13,540

Frequently Asked Questions about Carter Lake Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Carter Lake Elementary School?

Students at Carter Lake Elementary School are 69% White, 18% Hispanic, 7% African American, 6% Two or more races.

Is Carter Lake Elementary School a good school?

Carter Lake Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.5% of Iowa elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Carter Lake Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Carter Lake Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Woodrow Wilson Middle School
High : Thomas Jefferson High School

How many students attend Carter Lake Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 301 students attended Carter Lake Elementary School.

What district is Carter Lake Elementary School in?

Council Bluffs Community School District

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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.