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Lou Henry Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

473^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Lou Henry Elementary School is a public elementary school in Waterloo, Iowa, serving 456 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Waterloo Community School District, which is ranked 287 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Lou Henry Elementary School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 19.0% to 42.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school's test scores, as measured by the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), are generally below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, though the school does show some strengths, such as higher proficiency rates in 3rd grade English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to the district. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 58.49% to 65.79% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

When comparing Lou Henry Elementary School to nearby schools within the Waterloo Community School District, such as Kingsley Elementary School and Orange Elementary School, it becomes evident that Lou Henry Elementary School is performing below average in many areas, including test scores and chronic absenteeism rates. Despite the school's higher spending per student of $13,402, which is higher than the state average and the spending of some nearby schools, this does not appear to be directly translating into improved educational outcomes.

460

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,402

Per pupil spending ?

65.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

312 Rachael St
Waterloo, IA 50701

(319) 433-2860

District: Waterloo Community School District

Students who attend Lou Henry Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Hoover Middle School
High:	West High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.7%

African American:

38.3%

Hispanic:

8.0%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Lou Henry Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 25th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (60% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg62%

Iowa avg71%

473^rd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 25% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Waterloo Community School District

287^th of 313Waterloo 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	24.9	473 of 576	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.9	356 of 557	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.5	386 of 565	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.1	337 of 574	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.9	455 of 567	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.2	509 of 603	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.3	447 of 567	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	38.5	420 of 574	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	40.6	432 of 599	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	37.5	460 of 616	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	23.6	512 of 603	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	41.5	445 of 624	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.7	510 of 626	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics64%-10 vs state

English Language Arts59%-12 vs state

Science49%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lou Henry 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
Lou Henry Elementary School	Public	K-5	312 Rachael St	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2860	460	38	12.1	65.9%	178 (38.7%)	176 (38.3%)	37 (8.0%)	30 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.7%)	30 (6.5%)	24.9	473^rd of 576 public elementary schools	17.9%		45.9	356^th of 557 public elementary schools	36.1%	117	63.6	57.6	56.9	74.2	57.6	58.5	49.2	$13,402	$1,114	$12,288
Kingsley Elementary School	Public	K-5	201 Sunset Rd	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2210	337	29	11.6	49.9%	193 (57.3%)	47 (13.9%)	32 (9.5%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.7%)	42 (12.5%)	69.8	174^th of 576 public elementary schools	69.8%		61.6	232^nd of 557 public elementary schools	58.3%	58	80.6	78.2	72.6	88.7	80.0	87.1	66.1	$12,606	$882	$11,722
Kittrell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1304 Oregon St	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2910	576	46	12.4	71.5%	200 (34.7%)	156 (27.1%)	96 (16.7%)	43 (7.5%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (6.1%)	45 (7.8%)	39	405^th of 576 public elementary schools	29.7%		26.9	451^st of 557 public elementary schools	19.0%	46	47.7	65.3	69.6	77.9	72.0	70.9	58.2	$12,433	$1,211	$11,221
Irving Elementary School	Public	K-5	1115 W. 5th Street	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2800	353	33	10.5	89.2%	70 (19.8%)	127 (36.0%)	64 (18.1%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.9%)	55 (15.6%)	33.3	446^th of 576 public elementary schools	22.6%		32.3	436^th of 557 public elementary schools	21.7%	10	75.5	70.8	58.3	65.3	62.5	66.7	47.9	$13,386	$1,643	$11,742
Lowell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1628 Washington St	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1900	538	42	12.7	77.9%	145 (27.0%)	145 (27.0%)	128 (23.8%)	24 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (5.8%)	64 (11.9%)	17.2	498^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.5%		14	492^nd of 557 public elementary schools	11.7%	6	40.8	48.7	64.3	59.2	43.6	66.1	44.6	$14,090	$1,974	$12,115
Orange Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5805 Kimball Ave	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2880	518	38	13.6	49.6%	364 (70.3%)	56 (10.8%)	38 (7.3%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.2%)	48 (9.3%)	69.7	176^th of 576 public elementary schools	69.4%		63.8	214^th of 557 public elementary schools	61.6%	38	73.6	78.7	78.3	86.1	86.7	78.3	69.6	$12,067	$769	$11,297
Fred Becker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1239 Sheldon St	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2180	501	38	13.1	78.0%	187 (37.3%)	145 (28.9%)	59 (11.8%)	11 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.8%)	74 (14.8%)	16.7	499^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.4%		15.1	489^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.2%	10	49.3	50.0	53.3	64.8	59.1	63.3	48.3	$13,341	$1,146	$12,194
Highland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	812 Idaho St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2630	448	38	11.9	89.5%	126 (28.1%)	115 (25.7%)	131 (29.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.1%)	59 (13.2%)	12.8	515^th of 576 public elementary schools	10.6%		12	502^nd of 557 public elementary schools	9.9%	13	43.1	48.2	50.9	63.9	46.4	66.0	41.5	$12,711	$1,327	$11,383
Cunningham School	Public	PK, KG-5	1224 Mobile St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2600	443	35	12.6	91.4%	32 (7.2%)	258 (58.2%)	50 (11.3%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.8%)	60 (13.5%)	3.8	561^st of 576 public elementary schools	2.6%		3.2	545^th of 557 public elementary schools	2.2%	16	33.9	42.4	32.8	58.1	31.8	52.5	21.7	$14,512	$2,793	$11,718
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	302 Cedar Bend St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1990	463	38	12.0	81.0%	103 (22.2%)	210 (45.4%)	55 (11.9%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.4%)	67 (14.5%)	19.5	491^st of 576 public elementary schools	14.8%		15.4	486^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.7%	5	64.5	62.5	46.6	61.3	62.5	60.3	36.2	$14,309	$1,947	$12,361

Frequently Asked Questions about Lou Henry Elementary School

Is Lou Henry Elementary School a good school?

Lou Henry Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.9% of Iowa elementary schools.

What district is Lou Henry Elementary School in?

Waterloo Community School District

How many students attend Lou Henry Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 460 students attended Lou Henry Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Lou Henry Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Lou Henry Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hoover Middle School
High : West High School

What is the racial makeup of Lou Henry Elementary School?

Students at Lou Henry Elementary School are 39% White, 38% African American, 8% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 7% Two or more races, 2% Pacific Islander.

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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.