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Poyner Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
333rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools
Better than 42% of Iowa elementary schools
Summary

Poyner Elementary is a public elementary school located in Evansdale, Iowa, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 360 students. The school is part of the Waterloo Community School District, which is ranked 287 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Poyner Elementary consistently outperforms the Waterloo Community School District and the state of Iowa in terms of the percentage of students proficient or better in ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Poyner Elementary had 71.9% of 3rd graders proficient or better in ELA, compared to 58.1% for the district and 67.9% for the state. However, the school has experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state average, ranging from 21.6% to 42.4% in recent years, which may impact student learning and academic performance. Additionally, Poyner Elementary has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 67.78% to 68.78% in recent years, suggesting a higher proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds attending the school.

While Poyner Elementary outperforms nearby schools in the Waterloo Community School District in terms of test scores, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics, some schools, such as Orange Elementary and Kingsley Elementary, have significantly higher test scores and are ranked higher statewide, suggesting they may be providing a stronger academic environment. Addressing the root causes of Poyner Elementary's high chronic absenteeism rates and supporting the unique needs of its student population could be important focus areas for the school and district to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed.

362
Students ?
11.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,693
Per pupil spending ?
59.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1138 Central Ave
       Evansdale, IA  50707

(319) 433-1534

District: Waterloo Community School District


Students who attend Poyner Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Bunger Middle School
High:    East High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
62.4%
Two or more races:
13.5%
African American:
10.8%
more
 See top rated Iowa elementary schools

 Compare Poyner Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 18th percentile in 2015 → 42nd in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2015
Small classes — about 12 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school70%
District avg62%
Iowa avg71%
333rd of 576
Iowa public elementary schools ?
Bottom 42%▲ up 24 pts since 2015
From bottom 18% (2015) to bottom 42% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
3rd of 11Elementary Schools in the Waterloo Community School District
287th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIowa percentileRating
202549.1333 of 57642.2%★★☆☆☆
202431.0440 of 55721.0%★☆☆☆☆
202340.8392 of 56530.6%★★☆☆☆
202238.2406 of 57429.3%★☆☆☆☆
202144.7349 of 56738.4%★★☆☆☆
201937.6420 of 60330.3%★★☆☆☆
201818.9488 of 56713.9%★☆☆☆☆
201723.7481 of 57416.2%★☆☆☆☆
201616.8527 of 59912.0%★☆☆☆☆
201526.5505 of 61618.0%★☆☆☆☆
20149.8561 of 6037.0%☆☆☆☆☆
201316.6569 of 6248.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201221.5562 of 62610.2%★☆☆☆☆
By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?
Mathematics73%~ state avg
English Language Arts69%~ state avg
Science64%~ state avg

1.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Monday, July 20, 2020

Open Quote As I teacher I have worked with multiple principals and elementary school staff. This is the most unprofessional group of "professionals" I have ever worked with. The principal is the most mentally unstable human being I have ever met. She has little to no emotional control. She once stopped a parent meeting to scream at the top of her lungs at students right outside the door. It was excruciatingly embarrassing. She functions much like 6th grade mean girl both cognitively and socially. She is unable to focus on anything in order to accomplish anything. She is unable to follow through on commitments, obligations to staff, and or deadlines. To compensate she makes up scenarios where she is the hero and of a HUGE HR mess, usually a villainous staff situation. It's much like children blaming a sibling to shift the burden of blame. To ensure this simpleton ploy works with her supervisors she spends most of her time gaslighting and gossiping with a large amount of low-level building staff to create social dominance to create a scenario where one staff person is single-handily destroying the building's success. She rallies the troops with half-truths and emotions to make sure they know she is not the one who is failing Poyner. Teacher X is. These low-level, under-educated, under-supported, and under-paid employees love the power they feel when conspiring with a school administrator, who gives them extra breaks, plus they achieve feelings of safety in a toxic work environment. Principal nut job also ENCOURAGES student management behaviors such as bullying, verbal abuse, and physical restraint to control the students as she is terrified, she does not look in control. She sneers at research-based methods to shape behavior and dictates the most disabled students never show they are different. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Poyner Elementary

Students at Poyner Elementary are 62% White, 14% Two or more races, 11% African American, 10% Hispanic, 2% Pacific Islander, 1% Asian.

Poyner Elementary ranks 333rd of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Poyner Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bunger Middle School
High : East High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 362 students attended Poyner Elementary.


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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.





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