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What do students at Cunningham School actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
443
Elementary
DISTRICT 454 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WATERLOO COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 193048001719
Cunningham School
1224 Mobile St, Waterloo, IA 50703 · (319) 433-2600 · Black Hawk County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL443 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.7:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.2:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
91%
405 students
DISTRICT 73% · STATE 41%
Community
4
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 32 | 7% |
| Kindergarten | 80 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 50 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 66 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 70 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 75 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 70 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (80) is 14% larger than its 5th grade class (70).
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · 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
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
36.5%
IA avg 73.6% . -1.5pp since 2023
Math
47.1%
IA avg 70.9% . +1.8pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 37 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 47 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are down about 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 36.5% | 47.1% |
| 2023-24 | 38.0% | 45.3% |
% 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
38.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
46.2%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 38% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% 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 Cunningham School
Cunningham School's state test result (38.1% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cunningham School this school | 443 | 91.4% | 38.1% |
| Hoover Elementary School Cedar Rapids | 420 | 87.6% | 51.3% |
| Lincoln Elementary School Waterloo | 463 | 81.0% | 51.8% |
| Edmunds Elementary School Des Moines | 259 | 93.8% | 33.0% |
| Van Buren Elementary School Cedar Rapids | 429 | 83.7% | 43.7% |
| Prescott Elementary School Dubuque | 352 | 81.5% | 31.8% |
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 Cunningham School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Black Hawk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 38.1% | #554 of 564 | #21 of 21 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 47.1% | #534 of 564 ▲ 5 | #21 of 21 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 36.5% | #558 of 564 ▼ 10 | #21 of 21 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 443 | #157 of 705 | #14 of 21 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.7:1 | #180 of 561 | #9 of 21 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 61.7% | #126 of 561 | #9 of 21 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 91.4% | #8 of 666 | #1 of 21 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +9.9% | #86 of 168 | N/A |
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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
443
+61 (+16%) vs 2020
+46% since 1990-91, when it was 304
Student : Teacher
12.7:1
was 13.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 443 | 34.9 | 12.7:1 | 91% (405) |
| 2023-24 | 401 | 33.1 | 12.1:1 | 92% (367) |
| 2022-23 | 376 | 32.2 | 11.7:1 | 90% (337) |
| 2020-21 | 382 | 29 | 13.2:1 | 92% (352) |
| 2017-18 | 403 | 32.2 | 12.5:1 | 69% (277) |
| 2015-16 | 456 | 35 | 13.0:1 | 93% (423) |
| 2010-11 | 437 | 39 | 11.2:1 | 94% (412) |
| 2000-01 | 187 | 14 | 13.4:1 | 90% (169) |
| 1990-91 | 304 | 13 | 23.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cunningham School.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (403 to 443); teachers up 8% (32.2 to 34.9).
About Cunningham School
Among the schools in Waterloo, Iowa, is Cunningham School, a medium-sized elementary school. Classes run from pre-K through 5, and the school has 443 students. The average for elementary schools in Iowa is about 325 students, so this school is 36% larger than average.
Waterloo Comm School District counts 18 schools and 10,484 students, including Cunningham School.
Cunningham School's enrollment is 58% Black. Next come 14% multiracial, 11% Hispanic, 9% Pacific Islander, and 7% White. Black Hawk County as a whole is about 9% Black, so the school's share is higher. By the diversity index, Cunningham School comes in at 62%.
Staffing totals 34.9 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 12.7:1. That ratio is under the 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Iowa. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Cunningham School is 91%. The average for public schools in Black Hawk County is 52%.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Cunningham School would score about 46.2%. It scores 38.1%, 8.1 points below that figure.
Black Hawk County census figures show that median household income is about $66,417, 30% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Cunningham School is among the 35 public schools in Black Hawk County.
The closest other public school is East High School, about 0.6 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Cunningham School ranks 8th of 8 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 38.1% against a local average of 53.1%.
Its location is classified as City: Small by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Federal counts put enrollment at 382 in 2020-21 and 443 in 2024-25, a 16% rise.
Parents and students can post about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at Cunningham School. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Black Hawk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
131,049
Census ACS
Median income
$66,417
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
30%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
35
18,224 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Waterloo Comm School District
- West High SchoolHigh · 1,696 students
- East High SchoolHigh · 1,016 students
- Hoover Middle SchoolMiddle · 848 students
- Kittrell Elementary SchoolElementary · 576 students
- Expo Alternative Learning CenterHigh · 561 students
- Lowell Elementary SchoolElementary · 538 students
Other schools in Waterloo
- West High SchoolHigh · 1,696 students
- East High SchoolHigh · 1,016 students
- Hoover Middle SchoolMiddle · 848 students
- Kittrell Elementary SchoolElementary · 576 students
- Expo Alternative Learning CenterHigh · 561 students
- Lowell Elementary SchoolElementary · 538 students
Other Cunningham schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Cunningham. Cunningham School is the 2nd largest of the 4.
- Cunningham SchoolMilton, MA · 612 students
- Cunningham SchoolWICHITA FALLS, TX · 437 students
- Cunningham SchoolPawtucket, RI · 355 students
Nearby schools
- East High School0.6 mi · 1,016
- Expo Alternative Learning Center1.1 mi · 561
- Highland Elementary School1.2 mi · 448
- George Washington Carver Academy1.3 mi · 455
- Lowell Elementary School1.7 mi · 538
- Irving Elementary School2.0 mi · 353
Frequently asked questions
About Cunningham SchoolHow large is Cunningham School?
Cunningham School enrolls approximately 443 students in grades PK-05.
Is Cunningham School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Cunningham School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Cunningham School?
Approximately 12.7:1 students per teacher at Cunningham School.
What is the student diversity at Cunningham School?
Student demographics at Cunningham School are roughly 7% White, 11% Hispanic, 58% Black, 1% Asian, 14% Two or more.
Who oversees Cunningham School?
Cunningham School is overseen by Waterloo Comm School District in Black Hawk County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.