Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Whittier Elementary School

Q: Is Whittier Elementary School a good school?

Whittier Elementary School ranks 290 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

290^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 50% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Whittier Elementary School is a public elementary school in Indianola, Iowa, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 397 students. It is part of the Indianola Community School District, which is ranked 122 out of 313 school districts in Iowa and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Whittier Elementary consistently outperforms the Indianola Community School District and the state of Iowa in academic proficiency across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Whittier's 4th-grade students had 86% proficiency in English Language Arts, compared to 80.9% for the district and 76% for the state. However, the school has a higher chronic absenteeism rate compared to the state average, ranging from 19.3% to 23.4% in recent years. Whittier Elementary also has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 23.65% to 29.72% in recent years, which is lower than some nearby schools like Studebaker Elementary (80.29%) and Wilder Elementary (38.64%).

Whittier Elementary spends $12,658 per student, which is higher than the state average and some of the nearby schools, such as Irving Elementary ($10,971) and Emerson Elementary ($12,431). The school's strong academic performance and proximity to other high-performing schools, such as Irving Elementary, suggest opportunities for collaboration and sharing of best practices to further improve student outcomes. However, the higher-than-average chronic absenteeism rates indicate that the school may need to focus on strategies to improve student attendance and engagement.

369

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,658

Per pupil spending ?

31.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1306 W Salem
Indianola, IA 50125

(515) 961-9570

District: Indianola Community School District

Students who attend Whittier Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Indianola Middle School
High:	Indianola High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.6%

Hispanic:

7.6%

Two or more races:

6.0%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Whittier Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 81st percentile in 2015 → 50th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 31 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg75%

Iowa avg71%

290^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 50%▼ down 32 pts since 2015

From top 19% (2015) to top 50% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Indianola Community School District

122^nd of 313Indianola 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	55.4	290 of 576	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	307 of 557	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.8	249 of 565	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.7	285 of 574	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.4	162 of 567	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	70.3	172 of 603	71.5%	★★★★☆
2018	78.8	78 of 567	86.2%	★★★★☆
2017	77.9	92 of 574	84.0%	★★★★☆
2016	78.1	87 of 599	85.5%	★★★★☆
2015	75.6	115 of 616	81.3%	★★★★☆
2014	67.7	198 of 603	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	65.1	219 of 624	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.6	207 of 626	66.9%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts78%+6 vs state

Mathematics73%~ state avg

Science57%-7 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Whittier Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, December 22, 2017

Normaly when i do reviews its negitive but Whittier Elementary School has went above and beyond helping my son and me plain an simple Close Quote

Schools Near Whittier Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

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 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
Whittier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1306 W Salem	Indianola	50125	Warren County	Indianola Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 961-9570	369	23	16.0	31.2%	316 (85.6%)	2 (0.5%)	28 (7.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.0%)	55.4	290^th of 576 public elementary schools	49.7%		53.4	307^th of 557 public elementary schools	44.9%	17	68.8	86.0	79.1		75.0	79.1	65.1		57.1	$12,658	$258	$12,401
Irving Elementary School	Public	K-5	500 W Clinton	Indianola	50125	Warren County	Indianola Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 961-9560	395	27	14.5	14.9%	365 (92.4%)	2 (0.5%)	15 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.0%)	85.6	34^th of 576 public elementary schools	94.1%		84.9	36^th of 557 public elementary schools	93.5%	2	76.9	93.9	87.3		86.2	93.9	95.8		78.9	$10,971	$101	$10,870
Wilder Elementary School	Public	K-5	2303 W Euclid	Indianola	50125	Warren County	Indianola Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 961-9540	456	36	12.6	36.2%	402 (88.2%)	5 (1.1%)	31 (6.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	50.9	324^th of 576 public elementary schools	43.8%		42	382^nd of 557 public elementary schools	31.4%	58	65.5	63.0	69.7		81.8	75.3	80.3		63.6	$13,704	$809	$12,895
Emerson Elementary School	Public	K-5	1109 E Euclid	Indianola	50125	Warren County	Indianola Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 961-9550	396	32	12.3	27.3%	348 (87.9%)	4 (1.0%)	23 (5.8%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	46.8	356^th of 576 public elementary schools	38.2%		64.1	207^th of 557 public elementary schools	62.8%	149	56.5	86.1	58.6		63.8	84.7	71.4		62.9	$12,431	$403	$12,028
Martensdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	390 Burlington	Martensdale	50160	Warren County	Martensdale-St Marys Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 764-2621	307	21	14.3	24.8%	279 (90.9%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	70	173^rd of 576 public elementary schools	70.0%		81	64^th of 557 public elementary schools	88.5%	109	51.4	86.8	75.6	92.3	74.3	89.5	95.6	87.2	66.7	$12,243	$549	$11,694
Southeast Warren Primary	Public	PK, KG-4	316 N 5th	Milo	50166	Warren County	Southeast Warren Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 942-6216	162	16	10.3	35.8%	157 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69.3	180^th of 576 public elementary schools	68.8%					(n/a)	75.9	81.8			79.3	86.4				$12,545	$574	$11,972
Oviatt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-1	713 School Avenue	Norwalk	50211	Warren County	Norwalk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 981-1005	548	38	14.6	14.4%	455 (83.0%)	15 (2.7%)	42 (7.7%)	7 (1.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.7%)								(n/a)										$14,180	$322	$13,858
Orchard Hills Elementary	Public	2-3	1130 W North Avenue	Norwalk	50211	Warren County	Norwalk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 981-1855	558	37	15.1	23.8%	460 (82.4%)	10 (1.8%)	42 (7.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	42 (7.5%)								(n/a)	83.0				84.8
Carlisle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	430 School St	Carlisle	50047	Warren County	Carlisle Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 989-0339	715	53	13.5	29.9%	561 (78.5%)	11 (1.5%)	82 (11.5%)	30 (4.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.2%)								(n/a)	78.4				82.0					$11,109	$400	$10,709
Studebaker Elementary School	Public	K-5	300 E County Line Rd	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8436	561	43	13.1	86.3%	160 (28.5%)	104 (18.5%)	245 (43.7%)	20 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.5%)	5.9	543^rd of 576 public elementary schools	5.7%		4	543^rd of 557 public elementary schools	2.5%		48.8	53.1	45.7		48.8	33.3	49.4		38.3	$15,051	$1,299	$13,752

Frequently Asked Questions about Whittier Elementary School

How many students attend Whittier Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 369 students attended Whittier Elementary School.

Is Whittier Elementary School a good school?

Whittier Elementary School ranks 290^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Whittier Elementary School?

Students at Whittier Elementary School are 86% White, 8% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Whittier Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Whittier Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Indianola Middle School
High : Indianola High School

What district is Whittier Elementary School in?

Indianola Community School District

Rate Whittier Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

IAIowa Elementary School Rankings

IAIowa District Rankings

Schools in Indianola, IA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Whittier Elementary School!

Latest Iowa data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 ISASP test scoresAug 20, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesApr 1, 2025

2017–18 through 2023–24 attendance dataNov 15, 2024

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.