Black Hawk Elementary School

Set in Burlington, Iowa, Black Hawk Elementary School is a middle-of-the-pack elementary school, one of the schools within Burlington Comm School District. It teaches 305 students across grades K through 4.

Within Burlington Comm School District, which oversees 8 schools and 3,140 students, Black Hawk Elementary School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Black Hawk Elementary School lists that White students make up the majority at 60%. The remainder breaks down as 19% Black, 12% multiracial, 8% Hispanic. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 86%.

Looking at school resources, Black Hawk Elementary School records 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting Black Hawk Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 54% of students at Black Hawk Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is above Des Moines County's rate of about 45%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Black Hawk Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 65.0%, the actual is 60.5%, a residual of -4.6 points.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Des Moines County indicate the typical household earns roughly $62,928 per year, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Des Moines County runs 15 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,632 students), of which Black Hawk Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is James Wilson Grimes School, roughly 1.4 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Black Hawk Elementary School at 5th of 8; the average score across the group is 61.2%.

Black Hawk Elementary School operates from a small-town location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Black Hawk Elementary School has fell 35%, going from 467 students in 2018 to 305 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 66% to 60%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 13.9:1 in 2018 to 11.3:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.