Centennial Elementary

As a middle-of-the-pack elementary campus in Altoona, Iowa, Centennial Elementary educates 423 students from grades pre-K through 5, one of the schools within Southeast Polk Comm School District. By comparison, Iowa's public schools average about 325 students each, so Centennial Elementary sits 30% bigger than that benchmark.

Across the 10 schools in Southeast Polk Comm School District (6,359 students total), Centennial Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Centennial Elementary shows that the largest single group is White, at 72% of enrollment; the rest looks like 10% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 9% Black.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Centennial Elementary lists 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.1:1. The state averages about 13.7:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 38% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Polk County runs at roughly 49%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Centennial Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 72.9%; this one delivers 79.4%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Polk County put median household earnings sit near $83,576, about 40% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Across Polk County's 137 public schools (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students), Centennial Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Altoona Elementary, around 0.6 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Centennial Elementary comes 1st of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 73.3%.

Centennial Elementary operates from an outer-ring location.

Five-year trend. Centennial Elementary's enrollment has held roughly steady since 2018, when it stood at 433 (now 423). White enrollment moved from 78% to 72% across the same window.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the feed for Centennial Elementary typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.