James Van Allen Elementary School

James Van Allen Elementary School operates as a reasonably sized elementary-level community in North Liberty, Iowa, part of Iowa City Comm School District. Current enrollment sits at 376 students spanning grades pre-K through 5.

Within Iowa City Comm School District, which oversees 29 schools and 15,111 students, James Van Allen Elementary School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, James Van Allen Elementary School records that 60% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 15% Hispanic, 13% Black, 7% Asian, 5% multiracial. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 76%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.7:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting James Van Allen Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 30% of students at James Van Allen Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, James Van Allen Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 76.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 70.1%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Johnson County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $74,935 per year, about 55% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. In all, Johnson County runs 43 public schools (combined enrollment of about 20,019 students), of which James Van Allen Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is North Central Middle School, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), James Van Allen Elementary School ranks 8th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 77.9%.

The campus sits in a suburban setting.

Five-year trend. James Van Allen Elementary School's enrollment has shrank 33% since 2018, when it stood at 565 (now 376). Over the same period, the White share declined from 74% to 60%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 19.0:1 in 2018 to 14.7:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the James Van Allen Elementary School community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.