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Big Creek Elementary

Q: Is Big Creek Elementary a good school?

Big Creek Elementary ranks 65 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

65^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 89% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Big Creek Elementary is a public elementary school located in Polk City, Iowa, serving grades 3-5 with a total enrollment of 337 students. The school is part of the North Polk Community School District, which is ranked 16th out of 313 school districts in Iowa and is rated 5 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Big Creek Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Iowa, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science that are significantly higher than the state averages. For example, in 2024-2025, 85.6% of 3rd graders, 85.2% of 4th graders, and 79.3% of 5th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 67.9%, 76%, and 69.8%, respectively. In Mathematics, the proficiency rates are even more impressive, with 94.6% of 3rd graders, 89% of 4th graders, and 83.7% of 5th graders being proficient or better, compared to the state averages of 75.8%, 74.3%, and 71.5%. Additionally, Big Creek Elementary has relatively low chronic absenteeism rates compared to the surrounding schools, ranging from 4.3% to 23.4% over the past few years, which is lower than the state average.

Among the nearby schools, Prairie Trail Elementary and Woodward-Granger Elementary also perform well, but Big Creek Elementary maintains a slight edge in overall academic achievement. The schools with the lowest academic performance and highest chronic absenteeism rates are those outside the North Polk Community School District, such as Northwest Elementary and Rock Creek Elementary.

357

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

9.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

340 E Vista Lake Drive
Polk City, IA 50226

(515) 984-3400

District: North Polk Community School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.0%

Two or more races:

4.5%

Hispanic:

3.1%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 89th percentile in 2024 → 89th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (84% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of Iowa elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school84%

District avg84%

Iowa avg71%

65^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 11%▼ down 1 pts since 2024

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 313North Polk 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	81.0	65 of 576	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	81.9	59 of 557	89.4%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics89%+15 vs state

English Language Arts83%+12 vs state

Science75%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Big Creek Elementary

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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 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
Big Creek Elementary	Public	3-5	340 E Vista Lake Drive	Polk City	50226	Polk County	North Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(515) 984-3400	357	25	14.3	9.8%	325 (91.0%)	3 (0.8%)	11 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.5%)	81	65^th of 576 public elementary schools	88.7%		81.9	59^th of 557 public elementary schools	89.4%	6	85.6	85.2	79.3	94.6	89.0	83.7	74.8
North Polk West Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1400 W Broadway	Polk City	50226	Polk County	North Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 984-3400	396	26	15.5	7.3%	369 (93.2%)	3 (0.8%)	10 (2.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.5%)								(n/a)								$10,867	$125	$10,741
Abbie Grove Elementary	Public	K-5	5001 NW 18th St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(515) 965-4815	445	26	17.1	11.5%	375 (84.3%)	13 (2.9%)	17 (3.8%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.5%)								(n/a)
Rock Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	3800 NW Abilene Rd	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9629	639	42	15.2	26.4%	455 (71.2%)	74 (11.6%)	48 (7.5%)	23 (3.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (5.6%)	68.5	186^th of 576 public elementary schools	67.7%		75.9	104^th of 557 public elementary schools	81.3%	82	79.4	81.4	72.6	88.7	84.5	73.2	69.9	$11,986	$349	$11,637
Westwood Elementary School	Public	K-5	2920 NW 9th St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9690	551	35	15.7	17.6%	433 (78.6%)	22 (4.0%)	52 (9.4%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.5%)	79.3	81^st of 576 public elementary schools	85.9%		82.5	57^th of 557 public elementary schools	89.8%	24	83.7	90.4	83.3	84.6	90.4	82.2	70.0	$11,911	$384	$11,527
Ashland Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	2600 NW Ash Drive	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9594	548	35	15.6	14.1%	427 (77.9%)	29 (5.3%)	39 (7.1%)	25 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.1%)	78.5	88^th of 576 public elementary schools	84.7%		81.2	61^st of 557 public elementary schools	89.0%	27	76.8	95.9	81.3	81.1	88.7	83.5	74.7	$11,160	$239	$10,921
North Polk Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	311 NE 141st Ave	Alleman	50007	Polk County	North Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 984-3400	408	27	15.2	9.6%	364 (89.2%)	15 (3.7%)	12 (2.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.4%)	77.6	97^th of 576 public elementary schools	83.2%		70.4	157^th of 557 public elementary schools	71.8%	60	79.4	89.1	80.8	91.2	85.9	78.8	69.2	$12,580	$378	$12,202
Northwest Elementary School	Public	K-5	1202 W First St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 965-9680	346	27	12.8	37.3%	224 (64.7%)	20 (5.8%)	56 (16.2%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (11.8%)	48.6	338^th of 576 public elementary schools	41.3%		55.1	298^th of 557 public elementary schools	46.5%	40	58.0	73.1	72.3	68.0	75.0	73.8	67.7	$12,743	$644	$12,099
Woodward-Granger Elementary School	Public	2-5	2002 Oak Street	Granger	50109	Dallas County	Woodward-Granger Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 999-2357	349	27	12.9	24.6%	317 (90.8%)	3 (0.9%)	21 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	83.8	42^nd of 576 public elementary schools	92.7%		84.1	43^rd of 557 public elementary schools	92.3%	1	83.5	87.0	82.7	92.3	91.3	85.2	77.8	$16,809	$855	$15,954
Woodward-Granger Early Learning Center	Public	PK, KG-1	2200 State Street	Granger	50109	Dallas County	Woodward-Granger Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 999-8058	253	14	18.6	14.6%	227 (89.7%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.5%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Big Creek Elementary

What district is Big Creek Elementary in?

North Polk Community School District

Is Big Creek Elementary a good school?

Big Creek Elementary ranks 65^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Big Creek Elementary?

Students at Big Creek Elementary are 91% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend Big Creek Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 357 students attended Big Creek Elementary.

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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.