Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Iowa City Comm School District

This page covers 21 elementary schools in Iowa City Comm School District. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

21
Schools Ranked
Iowa
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 21
1
rank
Norman Borlaug Elementary School
Grades PK–06417 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.7:1) · above-average investment ($16,540/student)
62
/100
Student:Teacher
12.7:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,540
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
39%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Hills Elementary School
Grades PK–06141 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (8.6:1) · above-average investment ($16,540/student)
62
/100
Student:Teacher
8.6:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,540
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
76%
High economic need
3
rank
Kirkwood Elementary School
Grades PK–06269 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (9.3:1) · above-average investment ($16,540/student)
62
/100
Student:Teacher
9.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,540
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
69%
High economic need
4
rank
Mark Twain Elementary
Grades PK–06246 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (9.9:1) · above-average investment ($16,540/student)
62
/100
Student:Teacher
9.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,540
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
65%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
Lincoln Elementary School
Grades KG–06223 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,540/student)
61
/100
Student:Teacher
14.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,540
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
32%
Low economic need
6
rank
Penn Elementary School
Grades PK–06542 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,540/student)
60
/100
Student:Teacher
16.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,540
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
14%
Low economic need
7
rank
Buford Garner Elementary
Grades PK–06453 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (13.3:1) · above-average investment ($16,540/student)
60
/100
Student:Teacher
13.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,540
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
40%
Near nat'l 52.2%
8
rank
Central Elementary School
Grades PK–06485 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.4:1) · above-average investment ($16,540/student)
60
/100
Student:Teacher
12.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,540
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
53%
Near nat'l 52.2%
9
rank
Alexander Elementary
Grades PK–06345 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.2:1) · above-average investment ($16,540/student)
59
/100
Student:Teacher
11.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,540
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
68%
High economic need
10
rank
Wickham Elementary
Grades PK–06383 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,540/student)
59
/100
Student:Teacher
16.7:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,540
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
13%
Low economic need
11 more elementary schools in Iowa City Comm School District not shown here.
View all schools in Iowa City Comm School District
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
21
Elementary Schools
29
Total Schools
62
#1 Score
59
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Compare Iowa City Comm School District with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.