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Wapello Elementary School

Q: Is Wapello Elementary School a good school?

Wapello Elementary School ranks 429 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

429^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Wapello Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Wapello, Iowa, with 230 students. The school is part of the Wapello Community School District, which is ranked 266 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Wapello Elementary School faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 18.8% to 23.4%, which are significantly higher than the state average. The school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are generally below the state averages, especially in English Language Arts and Science. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 5th-grade proficiency rates were 51.4% in ELA and 56.8% in Science, compared to state averages of 69.8% and 64.2%, respectively. Additionally, Wapello Elementary has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 28.03% to 37.5% in recent years, suggesting a higher proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

When comparing Wapello Elementary School to nearby schools, such as Mulberry Elementary, Mediapolis Elementary, and Morning Sun Elementary, it becomes evident that Wapello is generally underperforming academically. The school's spending per student of $16,318 in 2018-2019 is also higher than the nearby schools, which may indicate a need to evaluate the effectiveness of resource allocation and identify areas for improvement. Addressing the school's challenges, such as chronic absenteeism and academic performance, through targeted interventions and collaboration with the community could be crucial for providing a high-quality education for its students.

229

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,318

Per pupil spending ?

19.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

505 N Cedar
Wapello, IA 52653

(319) 523-5571

District: Wapello Community School District

Students who attend Wapello Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Wapello Junior High School
High:	Wapello Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.0%

Hispanic:

14.4%

Two or more races:

1.3%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Wapello Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 29th percentile in 2015 → 26th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (64% vs 71% meeting standards)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg64%

Iowa avg71%

429^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 29% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

266^th of 313Wapello 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	35.8	429 of 576	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.3	412 of 557	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.1	378 of 565	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.5	369 of 574	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.1	370 of 567	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.0	454 of 603	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	472 of 567	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	30.4	453 of 574	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	31.2	483 of 599	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	41.7	440 of 616	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	53.6	342 of 603	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	33.2	500 of 624	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.8	509 of 626	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics67%-7 vs state

English Language Arts63%-8 vs state

Science57%-7 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, April 5, 2019

This school district has been destroying the self-esteem of struggling students for years. Teachers torture these students with tons of homework but fail to teach. Lack of understanding for students with hidden learning disabilities like DYSLEXIA staff only understands disabilities that they can physically see. Close Quote

Schools Near Wapello 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 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
Wapello Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	505 N Cedar	Wapello	52653	Louisa County	Wapello Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 523-5571	229	20	11.7	19.2%	190 (83.0%)	1 (0.4%)	33 (14.4%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	35.8	429^th of 576 public elementary schools	25.5%		35.3	412^th of 557 public elementary schools	26.0%	17	65.0	74.2	51.4		80.0	48.4	67.6		56.8	$16,318	$1,228	$15,091
Morning Sun Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	311 Division Street	Morning Sun	52640	Louisa County	Morning Sun Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 868-7701	119	11	11.1	38.7%	117 (98.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	69.7	175^th of 576 public elementary schools	69.6%		66.6	186^th of 557 public elementary schools	66.6%	11	53.8	95.0	76.9	92.3	69.2	85.0	69.2	92.3	84.6	$15,442	$926	$14,515
Louisa-Muscatine Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	14506 170th St	Letts	52754	Louisa County	Louisa-Muscatine Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 726-3634	468	37	12.7	38.7%	419 (89.5%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	62.8	237^th of 576 public elementary schools	58.9%		69.7	165^th of 557 public elementary schools	70.4%	72	68.4	83.1	77.8	78.8	71.9	86.4	81.0	77.3	63.9	$12,487	$443	$12,042
Roundy Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1212 Colton St	Columbus Junction	52738	Louisa County	Columbus Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 728-6218	383	35	10.9	70.2%	112 (29.2%)	26 (6.8%)	202 (52.7%)	39 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	25.1	471^st of 576 public elementary schools	18.2%		33.2	427^th of 557 public elementary schools	23.3%	44	47.4	70.4	56.8	74.3	57.9	63.0	56.8	71.4	47.7	$13,228	$869	$12,358
Mediapolis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	725 N. Northfield	Mediapolis	52637	Des Moines County	Mediapolis Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 394-3101	432	29	14.7	36.8%	391 (90.5%)	3 (0.7%)	17 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.2%)	72.2	146^th of 576 public elementary schools	74.7%		68.7	176^th of 557 public elementary schools	68.4%	30	73.5	88.7	80.3		86.7	83.1	81.7		64.8	$10,838	$206	$10,632
Winfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	208 S Olive	Winfield	52659	Henry County	Winfield-Mt Union Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 257-7702	182	18	10.1	56.6%	166 (91.2%)	6 (3.3%)	9 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43.9	379^th of 576 public elementary schools	34.2%		44	371^st of 557 public elementary schools	33.4%	8	51.9	73.3	73.1		74.1	63.3	76.9		65.4	$10,969	$638	$10,332
Franklin Elementary School	Public	K-6	210 Taylor St	Muscatine	52761	Muscatine County	Muscatine Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 263-5040	295	29	10.3	67.1%	130 (44.1%)	13 (4.4%)	136 (46.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.7%)	52.4	310^th of 576 public elementary schools	46.2%		19	474^th of 557 public elementary schools	14.9%	164	81.8	70.8	64.9	73.1	90.9	70.8	70.3	69.2	62.2	$14,098	$1,533	$12,565
McKinley Elementary School	Public	K-6	621 Kindler Ave	Muscatine	52761	Muscatine County	Muscatine Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 263-9049	394	35	11.3	61.2%	217 (55.1%)	22 (5.6%)	123 (31.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (7.1%)	15.4	505^th of 576 public elementary schools	12.3%		18.8	475^th of 557 public elementary schools	14.7%	30	46.0	58.5	47.6	71.7	50.0	62.3	49.2	66.7	34.9	$13,538	$845	$12,693
Waco Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	200 S. Main Street	Crawfordsville	52621	Washington County	Waco Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 658-2931	317	22	14.3	42.9%	283 (89.3%)	3 (0.9%)	24 (7.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	32.1	451^st of 576 public elementary schools	21.7%					(n/a)	41.9	70.0	60.6	56.8	65.1	73.3	75.8	73.0	60.6	$11,342	$487	$10,856
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	K-6	1000 Mulberry Ave	Muscatine	52761	Muscatine County	Muscatine Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(563) 263-8800	441	37	12.0	68.0%	213 (48.3%)	37 (8.4%)	160 (36.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.3%)	14.5	511^th of 576 public elementary schools	11.3%		19.5	470^th of 557 public elementary schools	15.6%	41	53.8	52.5	45.9	61.4	55.4	57.4	65.6	56.1	47.5	$13,574	$956	$12,618

Frequently Asked Questions about Wapello Elementary School

Is Wapello Elementary School a good school?

Wapello Elementary School ranks 429^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Wapello Elementary School?

Students at Wapello Elementary School are 83% White, 14% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Wapello Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 229 students attended Wapello Elementary School.

What district is Wapello Elementary School in?

Wapello Community School District

What schools do graduates of Wapello Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Wapello Junior High School
High : Wapello Senior High School

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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.