Summary:
The 50703 zip code area of Waterloo, Iowa is home to 6 schools serving grades K-12, including 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 2 high schools, all part of the Waterloo Community School District. While the district is ranked 287 out of 313 in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, a few schools stand out in both positive and negative ways.
East High School and Expo Alternative Learning Center are the two high schools in the area, both of which consistently rank in the bottom 10-15% of Iowa high schools. East High has the highest enrollment with 1,013 students, but only 50-60% are proficient in English Language Arts and 45-50% in Math, well below state averages. Expo Alternative has even lower test scores, with just 30-40% proficiency in ELA and 10-30% in Math. In contrast, Lincoln Elementary School stands out as the highest-performing, with 60-65% proficiency in core subjects and a ranking in the top half of Iowa elementary schools.
Across the schools, there are significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates (21.6% at the high schools), very low graduation rates (88.3% at the high schools), and extremely high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (73.64% to 91.52%). These socioeconomic factors likely contribute to the academic struggles, as the schools spend between $12,711 and $15,126 per student, in line with state averages. Addressing the disparities within the Waterloo Community School District will be crucial to improving educational opportunities for students in the 50703 zip code area.
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