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Alexander Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

523^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Alexander Elementary is a public elementary school in Iowa City, Iowa, serving 363 students in grades PK-6. The school is part of the Iowa City Community School District, which is ranked 241 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Alexander Elementary has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 19.9% to 27.9% over the past few years, significantly higher than the district and state averages. The school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are also consistently lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd-grade ELA proficiency rate was 53.7% compared to 67.4% for the district and 67.9% for the state. Additionally, Alexander Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 60.19% to 70.52% over the past few years, much higher than nearby schools like Lincoln Elementary (32.47%) and Bohumil Shimek Elementary (16.5%).

Despite being located in the same district, Alexander Elementary is surrounded by several higher-performing elementary schools, such as Lincoln Elementary and Bohumil Shimek Elementary, which have significantly better test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates. The variation in spending per student and student-teacher ratios between Alexander Elementary and some of the nearby schools may indicate differences in resource allocation and prioritization within the district. The persistently high chronic absenteeism rates at Alexander Elementary are a significant concern and may be a contributing factor to the school's lower academic performance.

436

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,246

Per pupil spending ?

75.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3571 Sycamore St.
Iowa City, IA 52240

(319) 688-1095

District: Iowa City Community School District

Students who attend Alexander Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Northwest Middle School
High:	West Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

39.0%

Hispanic:

31.9%

White:

22.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Alexander Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 21st percentile in 2022 → 9th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (52% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped from its 21st-percentile peak (2022) to 9th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg68%

Iowa avg71%

523^rd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 8 pts since 2017

From bottom 1% (2017) to bottom 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 18Elementary Schools in the Iowa City Community School District

241^st of 313Iowa City 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	11.4	523 of 576	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	482 of 557	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	453 of 565	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	453 of 574	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	472 of 567	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.2	572 of 603	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.3	556 of 567	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.4	569 of 574	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts54%-17 vs state

Mathematics53%-21 vs state

Science41%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Alexander 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
Alexander Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3571 Sycamore St.	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1095	436	38	11.3	75.9%	98 (22.5%)	170 (39.0%)	139 (31.9%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.0%)	11.4	523^rd of 576 public elementary schools	9.2%		17.1	482^nd of 557 public elementary schools	13.5%	41	53.7	63.0	46.6	59.7	47.8	48.3	41.4	$15,246	$1,427	$13,819
Grant Wood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1930 Lakeside Dr	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1180	306	28	10.8	68.0%	61 (19.9%)	153 (50.0%)	70 (22.9%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	17 (5.6%)	11.6	522^nd of 576 public elementary schools	9.4%		7.9	520^th of 557 public elementary schools	6.6%	2	56.8	64.9	43.2	43.2	59.5	45.5	40.9	$15,646	$1,067	$14,579
Mark Twain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1355 DeForest Avenue	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1165	213	22	9.6	66.7%	75 (35.2%)	76 (35.7%)	49 (23.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.2%)	14.9	509^th of 576 public elementary schools	11.6%		23.3	462^nd of 557 public elementary schools	17.1%	47	52.0	66.7	60.0	60.0	54.2	35.0	40.0	$15,834	$1,165	$14,669
Longfellow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1130 Seymour Ave	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1135	325	30	10.8	53.5%	143 (44.0%)	86 (26.5%)	66 (20.3%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.0%)	35.1	435^th of 576 public elementary schools	24.5%		37	401^st of 557 public elementary schools	28.0%	34	59.6	82.5	61.3	55.3	71.9	58.1	58.1	$13,112	$279	$12,833
Robert Lucas Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	830 Southlawn Dr	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1140	245	18	13.5	49.4%	106 (43.3%)	82 (33.5%)	27 (11.0%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (10.6%)	18.7	493^rd of 576 public elementary schools	14.4%		34.5	420^th of 557 public elementary schools	24.6%	73	67.5	52.6	51.9	65.0	52.6	55.6	40.7	$14,649	$1,493	$13,155
Herbert Hoover Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1355 Barrington Rd	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1110	464	36	12.8	46.6%	202 (43.5%)	75 (16.2%)	152 (32.8%)	14 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.5%)	41.5	393^rd of 576 public elementary schools	31.8%		55.5	297^th of 557 public elementary schools	46.7%	96	69.2	77.1	70.9	69.2	62.7	60.0	61.8
Helen Lemme Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3100 Washington St	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1125	340	25	13.8	38.2%	209 (61.5%)	52 (15.3%)	60 (17.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.7%)	35.9	428^th of 576 public elementary schools	25.7%		60.7	245^th of 557 public elementary schools	56.0%	183	64.2	68.4	66.7	67.9	64.9	64.4	62.2	$12,605	$204	$12,400
Horace Mann Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	521 N Dodge St	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1145	207	18	11.4	33.8%	123 (59.4%)	49 (23.7%)	19 (9.2%)	5 (2.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.8%)	56.6	280^th of 576 public elementary schools	51.4%		49.5	333^rd of 557 public elementary schools	40.2%	53	81.5	74.3	74.1	77.8	60.0	74.1	81.5	$16,025	$649	$15,377
Ernest Horn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	600 Koser Ave	Iowa City	52246	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1115	453	33	13.6	58.5%	152 (33.6%)	197 (43.5%)	26 (5.7%)	45 (9.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.4%)	40.4	399^th of 576 public elementary schools	30.7%		37.6	398^th of 557 public elementary schools	28.5%	1	73.7	69.7	61.4	77.2	63.6	70.2	54.4	$14,000	$687	$13,313
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 Teeters Court	Iowa City	52246	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1130	217	15	14.4	35.9%	119 (54.8%)	44 (20.3%)	15 (6.9%)	23 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	14 (6.5%)	76.7	110^th of 576 public elementary schools	80.9%		75.9	105^th of 557 public elementary schools	81.1%	5	69.4	85.3	84.6	86.1	85.3	88.5	80.8	$13,259	$202	$13,057

Frequently Asked Questions about Alexander Elementary

What district is Alexander Elementary in?

Iowa City Community School District

What schools do graduates of Alexander Elementary attend?

Students who attend Alexander Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Northwest Middle School
High : West Senior High School

Is Alexander Elementary a good school?

Alexander Elementary ranks in the bottom 9.2% of Iowa elementary schools.

How many students attend Alexander Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 436 students attended Alexander Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Alexander Elementary?

Students at Alexander Elementary are 39% African American, 32% Hispanic, 22% White, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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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.