Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 62298

The 62298 zip code area is home to three elementary schools: W.J. Zahnow Elementary School, Rogers Elementary School, and Gardner Elementary School. These schools serve students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, as evidenced by the varying free and reduced lunch rates.

Among the three schools, Rogers Elementary School stands out as the top performer, consistently achieving high proficiency rates in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, exceeding district and state averages. The school has maintained a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating its strong overall performance. In contrast, Gardner Elementary School has shown a steady improvement in its SchoolDigger ranking, moving from 427th in 2022-2023 to 312th in 2024-2025, suggesting that the school is making positive strides.

A common concern across all three schools is the relatively high chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4% for the 2024-2025 school year. This issue may negatively impact student learning and academic outcomes, and the Waterloo CUSD 5 district should consider implementing targeted interventions to address this concern. Additionally, the varying student-teacher ratios, ranging from 14.2 at W.J. Zahnow Elementary School to 16.6 at Gardner Elementary School, may also play a role in the schools' performance and the level of personalized attention available to students.