Enrollment
357
Elementary
DISTRICT 387 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTH POLK COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 192091002314
Big Creek Elementary
340 E Vista Lake Drive, Polk City, IA 50226 · (515) 984-3400 · Polk County
GRADES 03–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL357 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 62% of Iowa public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Iowa public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.3:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.0:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
10%
35 students
DISTRICT 9% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 111 | 31% |
| Grade 4 | 111 | 31% |
| Grade 5 | 135 | 38% |
Student demographics
17%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 15% · STATE 48% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within North Polk Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
83.1%
IA avg 73.6% . +1.8pp since 2023
Math
88.7%
IA avg 70.9% . +1.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 83 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 89 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are up about 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 1 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 83.1% | 88.7% |
| 2023-24 | 81.3% | 87.4% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
83.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
87.0%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 83% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 87% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Iowa's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Big Creek Elementary
Big Creek Elementary's state test result (83.3% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Creek Elementary this school | 357 | 9.8% | 83.3% |
| North Polk West Elementary School Polk City | 396 | 7.3% | N/A |
| North Polk Central Elementary School Alleman | 408 | 9.6% | 79.1% |
| Peosta Elementary School Peosta | 425 | 11.1% | 80.2% |
| Hinton Elementary School Hinton | 299 | 12.4% | 86.2% |
| Alburnett Elementary School Alburnett | 395 | 12.2% | 75.7% |
Matched among Iowa elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Big Creek Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Polk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 83.3% | #73 of 564 | #7 of 78 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 88.7% | #51 of 564 ▲ 17 | #5 of 78 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 83.1% | #94 of 564 ▼ 6 | #12 of 78 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 357 | #281 of 705 | #58 of 89 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.3:1 | #379 of 561 | #51 of 86 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 16.8% | #465 of 561 | #85 of 86 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 9.8% | #649 of 666 | #85 of 89 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 357 | 25 | 14.3:1 | 10% (35) |
| 2023-24 | 337 | 23.3 | 14.5:1 | 11% (38) |
| 2022-23 | 354 | 23.9 | 14.8:1 | 9% (33) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Big Creek Elementary.
About Big Creek Elementary
In Polk City, Iowa, part of Polk County, Big Creek Elementary is an elementary school. It covers grades 3 through 5, with a total enrollment of 357 students.
Big Creek Elementary belongs to North Polk Comm School District, a district of 5 schools and 2,309 students.
Federal enrollment data show Big Creek Elementary is 91% White. Other groups include 4% multiracial and 3% Hispanic. The county population is about 76% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 17% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Teachers at Big Creek Elementary total 25 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 14.3:1. That matches the 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Iowa fairly closely. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 10%. The average for public schools in Polk County is 49%.
Measured against Iowa public elementary schools, Big Creek Elementary receives a B. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
On BeatsExpectations, Big Creek Elementary is 3.8 points below its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Iowa schools.
In the county around the school, Polk County, the median household income is $83,576, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of people live in poverty. There are 137 public schools in Polk County, enrolling about 77,436 students in all.
North Polk West Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.1 miles away. Around the school, 5 other public schools are within five miles. Of 7 schools in the immediate area with test results, Big Creek Elementary ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Rural: Fringe: in rural territory close to an urban area.
Discussions about Big Creek Elementary may include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Polk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
503,175
Census ACS
Median income
$83,576
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
40%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
137
77,436 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in North Polk Comm School District
- North Polk High SchoolHigh · 644 students
- North Polk Middle SchoolMiddle · 504 students
- North Polk Central Elementary SchoolElementary · 408 students
- North Polk West Elementary SchoolElementary · 396 students
Other schools in Polk City
- North Polk West Elementary SchoolElementary · 396 students
Other Big Creek Elementary schools
4 other US public schools in 5 states are named Big Creek Elementary. Big Creek Elementary is the 3rd largest of the 5.
- Big Creek Elementary SchoolCumming, GA · 745 students
- Big Creek Elementary SchoolMiddleburg Hts, OH · 555 students
- Big Creek ElementaryOneida, KY · 136 students
- Big Creek ElementaryBig Creek, CA · 21 students
Nearby schools
- North Polk West Elementary School1.1 mi · 396
- Abbie Grove Elementary3.3 mi · 445
- Rock Creek Elementary4.2 mi · 639
- Westwood Elementary School4.6 mi · 551
- Ankeny Centennial High School4.8 mi · 1,470
- Ashland Ridge Elementary5.2 mi · 548
Frequently asked questions
About Big Creek ElementaryHow many students attend Big Creek Elementary?
Big Creek Elementary enrolls approximately 357 students in grades 03-05.
Is Big Creek Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Big Creek Elementary is an elementary school covering grades 03-05.
How many students per teacher at Big Creek Elementary?
Approximately 14.3:1 students per teacher at Big Creek Elementary.
What is the student diversity at Big Creek Elementary?
Student demographics at Big Creek Elementary are roughly 91% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is Big Creek Elementary in?
Big Creek Elementary is part of North Polk Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.