Summary:
Waterloo, Indiana is served by a single public elementary school: Waterloo Elementary School, which enrolls 247 students in grades PK through 5 at 300 E Douglas St. It is part of the DeKalb County Ctl United School District. Because it is the only elementary school in the city, families in Waterloo have no other local public elementary option to compare it against.
The school's clearest strengths are attendance and parts of math and science. Chronic absenteeism is 12.9%, better than the district's 13.1% and the state's 16.7%, meaning fewer students here are missing class regularly than elsewhere in Indiana. All-grades Math proficiency is 40.51%, slightly above the district's 39.84%, and all-grades Science is 42.86% versus the district's 39.38%. Fourth-grade Math is a genuine bright spot at 57.14%, above the state's 52%. Science also improved from 29.63% to 42.86% year over year, and 5th-grade Social Studies rose from 12.82% to 20%. About 63.56% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, spending is $13,076 per student, and the student/teacher ratio is 17.7.
The challenges are significant. The school holds a 1-star rating and ranked 719 of 1,015 Indiana elementary schools in 2025–2026, the 29th percentile — though that has edged up from the 26th percentile three years ago. The district, by contrast, is 3-star and in the 52nd percentile. English Language Arts is the biggest weakness at 20.25% across all grades, barely half the district's 40.64%, and below the state at every tested grade: 14.29% in 3rd, 28.57% in 4th, and 20% in 5th. Fifth-grade Math is 30% versus 46.15% district and 42% state, and 5th-grade Social Studies is 20% versus 47.69% district and 47.2% state.
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