Lawson Elementary School

Lawson Elementary School is a big elementary campus in Johnston, Iowa, part of Johnston Comm School District. The school enrolls 545 students in grades K through 5. By comparison, Iowa's public schools average about 325 students each, so Lawson Elementary School sits 68% above that benchmark.

Johnston Comm School District runs 8 schools in total, collectively educating 7,339 students. Lawson Elementary School is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, Lawson Elementary School lists that White students make up the majority at 62%; the rest consists of 14% Asian, 9% Black, 8% Hispanic, 7% multiracial. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 76%.

In terms of school funding signals, Lawson Elementary School lists 41 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.3:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 33% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is south of Polk County's rate of about 49%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Lawson Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 75.3%; this one delivers 78.1%.

Across the wider county, census data for Polk County shows median household income runs about $83,576, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Polk County runs 137 public schools (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students), of which Lawson Elementary School is one.

Henry A Wallace Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Lawson Elementary School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Lawson Elementary School at 4th of 9; the average score across the group is 66.6%.

Lawson Elementary School operates from an outer-ring location.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Lawson Elementary School has decreased 16%, going from 649 students in 2018 to 545 in 2025. The White share of enrollment ticked down from 72% to 62% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 15.1:1 in 2018 to 13.3:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.