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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 50138

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

Schools

833

Students

Top rankedNorthstar Elementary School391^st of 576 Iowa elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Northstar Elementary School up 24 spots statewide this year

See the top-ranked Iowa schools →

Summary:

The zip code 50138 is home to two elementary schools, West Elementary and Northstar Elementary School, both part of the Knoxville Community School District. While the schools share similar characteristics, such as high chronic absenteeism rates and relatively low academic performance compared to state and district averages, there are some notable differences between them.

West Elementary has a free and reduced lunch rate of 48.57%, while Northstar Elementary School has a higher rate of 52.63%. Additionally, West Elementary spends $13,948 per student, slightly more than the $13,116 spent per student at Northstar Elementary School. The student-teacher ratio also varies, with West Elementary having a ratio of 16:1 and Northstar Elementary School a lower ratio of 14.4:1.

Academically, Northstar Elementary School's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are generally lower than the district and state averages, with some exceptions in 4th and 5th-grade Mathematics. The school's statewide ranking has also declined over the past few years, from 391 out of 576 Iowa elementary schools in 2024-2025 to 455 out of 565 in 2022-2023. Both schools face the challenge of high chronic absenteeism rates, which may be an area for further investigation and intervention.

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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 (2025)	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
West Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	306 S Park Lane Dr	Knoxville	50138	Marion County	Knoxville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 842-2185	485	31	15.8	46.4%	434 (89.5%)	6 (1.2%)	11 (2.3%)	5 (1.0%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.2%)								(n/a)								$13,948	$757	$13,191
Northstar Elementary School	Public	3-5	407 W Larson	Knoxville	50138	Marion County	Knoxville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 842-6527	348	25	14.0	49.1%	311 (89.4%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.0%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.3%)	41.5	391^st of 576 public elementary schools	32.1%		34.9	415^th of 557 public elementary schools	25.5%	24	48.6	72.8	66.4	64.9	80.6	79.5	55.7	$13,116	$644	$12,471

Cities Near Zip Code 50138

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Knoxville	0.61 mi	5	337^th
Dallas	9.11 mi	1	353^rd
Melcher	9.9 mi	1	403^rd
Pleasantville	9.93 mi	3	280^th
Pella	11.54 mi	6	26^th

See the top IA Iowa cities

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.