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John Kennedy Elementary School

Q: Is John Kennedy Elementary School a good school?

John Kennedy Elementary School ranks 213 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

213^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

John Kennedy Elementary School is a public elementary school in Dubuque, Iowa, serving 535 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Dubuque Community School District.

John Kennedy Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state in academic proficiency, with 78.7% of 4th-graders proficient in English Language Arts compared to 73% district-wide and 76% statewide. In 5th-grade Mathematics, the school had 87.5% proficiency, far exceeding the district's 67.5% and the state's 71.5%. While the school has experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates in recent years, ranging from 21.6% to 26.6%, it is still lower than the district average. Additionally, John Kennedy has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 24.04% to 27.48%, and maintains a student-teacher ratio of 13.2 to 14, lower than some nearby schools.

Compared to other schools in the Dubuque district, Bryant Elementary and Carver Elementary also demonstrate strong academic performance, while Prescott Elementary and Lincoln Elementary struggle with lower proficiency rates and higher chronic absenteeism. John Kennedy's consistent high performance, low student-teacher ratio, and socioeconomic factors may contribute to its success.

493

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,503

Per pupil spending ?

29.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2135 Woodland
Dubuque, IA 52002

(563) 552-3900

District: Dubuque Community School District

Students who attend John Kennedy Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School
High:	Hempstead High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.3%

Two or more races:

7.7%

Hispanic:

5.9%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare John Kennedy Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 78th percentile in 2015 → 63rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (78% vs 71% meeting standards)

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

✓Above the Iowa median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg67%

Iowa avg71%

213^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From top 22% (2015) to top 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 12Elementary Schools in the Dubuque Community School District

262^nd of 313Dubuque 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	65.7	213 of 576	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.7	145 of 557	74.0%	★★★★☆
2023	74.5	120 of 565	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	70.1	174 of 574	69.7%	★★★★☆
2021	70.5	152 of 567	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	70.3	171 of 603	71.6%	★★★★☆
2018	73.6	132 of 567	76.7%	★★★★☆
2017	68.9	192 of 574	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	73.6	134 of 599	77.6%	★★★★☆
2015	74.4	135 of 616	78.1%	★★★★☆
2014	71.4	144 of 603	76.1%	★★★★☆
2013	72.6	125 of 624	80.0%	★★★★☆
2012	76.1	90 of 626	85.6%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics81%+7 vs state

Science78%+14 vs state

English Language Arts74%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near John Kennedy 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
John Kennedy Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2135 Woodland	Dubuque	52002	Dubuque County	Dubuque Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(563) 552-3900	493	36	13.5	29.8%	391 (79.3%)	9 (1.8%)	29 (5.9%)	11 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.8%)	38 (7.7%)	65.7	213^th of 576 public elementary schools	63.0%		71.7	145^th of 557 public elementary schools	74.0%	68	68.6	78.7	73.9	77.1	76.4	87.5	78.4	$13,503	$730	$12,773
Hoover Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3259 St Anne Dr	Dubuque	52001	Dubuque County	Dubuque Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(563) 552-3700	292	22	13.1	44.5%	187 (64.0%)	18 (6.2%)	32 (11.0%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.9%)	20 (6.8%)	38.5	408^th of 576 public elementary schools	29.2%		35.9	411^th of 557 public elementary schools	26.2%	3	56.5	55.0	71.9	52.2	62.5	68.4	80.7	$13,704	$406	$13,298
Eisenhower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3170 Spring Valley Rd	Dubuque	52001	Dubuque County	Dubuque Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(563) 552-3500	568	38	15.0	39.6%	469 (82.6%)	31 (5.5%)	21 (3.7%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	11 (1.9%)	30 (5.3%)	61.1	255^th of 576 public elementary schools	55.7%		63.1	223^rd of 557 public elementary schools	60.0%	32	72.2	82.7	69.1	78.9	76.5	77.7	68.1	$13,730	$1,137	$12,593
Irving Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2520 Pennsylvania Ave	Dubuque	52001	Dubuque County	Dubuque Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(563) 552-3800	409	30	13.5	45.2%	316 (77.3%)	21 (5.1%)	29 (7.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	32 (7.8%)	54	302^nd of 576 public elementary schools	47.6%		56.2	289^th of 557 public elementary schools	48.1%	13	80.0	71.0	66.2	83.1	67.7	68.9	71.6	$14,709	$1,030	$13,678
Carver Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2007 Radford Road	Dubuque	52002	Dubuque County	Dubuque Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(563) 552-4500	499	34	14.5	31.7%	433 (86.8%)	19 (3.8%)	11 (2.2%)	11 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	20 (4.0%)	77	108^th of 576 public elementary schools	81.3%		80.2	71^st of 557 public elementary schools	87.3%	37	72.6	95.5	76.7	83.6	90.9	76.7	81.4	$13,512	$211	$13,300
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	555 Nevada Street	Dubuque	52001	Dubuque County	Dubuque Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 552-4050	257	29	8.9	72.0%	91 (35.4%)	84 (32.7%)	20 (7.8%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	50 (19.5%)	8.5	535^th of 576 public elementary schools	7.1%		10.2	511^th of 557 public elementary schools	8.3%	24	40.0	63.9	42.3	40.0	58.3	46.2	42.3	$19,748	$2,216	$17,533
Bryant Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1280 Rush St	Dubuque	52003	Dubuque County	Dubuque Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(563) 552-3400	299	22	13.4	33.4%	246 (82.3%)	9 (3.0%)	26 (8.7%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	10 (3.3%)	77.5	99^th of 576 public elementary schools	82.8%		82.7	53^rd of 557 public elementary schools	90.5%	46	77.3	84.1	83.3	86.4	79.5	85.2	79.6	$13,688	$121	$13,567
Prescott Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1151 White St	Dubuque	52001	Dubuque County	Dubuque Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 552-4200	352	42	8.3	81.5%	92 (26.1%)	157 (44.6%)	16 (4.5%)	6 (1.7%)	2 (0.6%)	28 (8.0%)	51 (14.5%)	1.7	572^nd of 576 public elementary schools	0.7%		0.8	556^th of 557 public elementary schools	0.2%	16	29.6	47.2	45.3	31.5	35.2	30.2	32.1	$17,357	$2,142	$15,215
Audubon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	605 Lincoln Ave	Dubuque	52001	Dubuque County	Dubuque Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 552-3300	247	29	8.4	79.4%	106 (42.9%)	66 (26.7%)	13 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.3%)	39 (15.8%)	2.7	569^th of 576 public elementary schools	1.2%		1.4	554^th of 557 public elementary schools	0.5%	15	42.9	51.3	32.0	48.6	37.5	36.0	28.0	$20,533	$2,785	$17,748
Marshall Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1450 Rhomberg Ave	Dubuque	52001	Dubuque County	Dubuque Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 552-4100	323	30	10.7	63.8%	224 (69.3%)	23 (7.1%)	9 (2.8%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.9%)	30 (9.3%)	22.3	486^th of 576 public elementary schools	15.6%		20.8	469^th of 557 public elementary schools	15.8%	17	52.1	62.0	61.8	52.1	60.0	63.6	56.4	$16,047	$1,634	$14,413

Frequently Asked Questions about John Kennedy Elementary School

How many students attend John Kennedy Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 493 students attended John Kennedy Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of John Kennedy Elementary School attend?

Students who attend John Kennedy Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School
High : Hempstead High School

What is the racial makeup of John Kennedy Elementary School?

Students at John Kennedy Elementary School are 79% White, 8% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 3% Pacific Islander, 2% Asian, 2% African American.

Is John Kennedy Elementary School a good school?

John Kennedy Elementary School ranks 213^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is John Kennedy Elementary School in?

Dubuque 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.