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What's the biggest difference between Lou Henry Elementary School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
460
Elementary
DISTRICT 454 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WATERLOO COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 193048001165
Lou Henry Elementary School
312 Rachael St, Waterloo, IA 50701 · (319) 433-2860 · Black Hawk County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL460 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.1:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.2:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
66%
303 students
DISTRICT 73% · STATE 41%
Community
5
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 90 | 20% |
| Grade 1 | 85 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 79 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 74 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 63 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 69 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (90) is 30% larger than its 5th grade class (69).
Student demographics
69%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
59.4%
IA avg 73.6% . -7.2pp since 2023
Math
63.7%
IA avg 70.9% . -6.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 59 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 64 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 7 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 7 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 59.4% | 63.7% |
| 2023-24 | 66.6% | 70.4% |
% 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
62.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
59.0%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 62% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 59% 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 Lou Henry Elementary School
Lou Henry Elementary School's state test result (62.3% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Henry Elementary School this school | 460 | 65.9% | 62.3% |
| Ernest Horn Elementary School Iowa City | 453 | 58.5% | 64.8% |
| Weber Elementary Iowa City | 456 | 55.5% | 61.6% |
| Fillmore Elementary School Davenport | 388 | 63.7% | 51.8% |
| Kittrell Elementary School Waterloo | 576 | 71.5% | 61.5% |
| Walnut Street School Des Moines | 257 | 62.3% | 58.7% |
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 Lou Henry Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Black Hawk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 62.3% | #442 of 564 | #14 of 21 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 63.7% | #456 of 564 ▼ 78 | #16 of 21 ▼ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 59.4% | #458 of 564 ▼ 106 | #16 of 21 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 460 | #135 of 705 | #10 of 21 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.1:1 | #129 of 561 | #6 of 21 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.9% | #61 of 561 | #7 of 21 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 65.9% | #95 of 666 | #8 of 21 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.4% | #298 of 359 | #12 of 13 |
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
460
-26 (-5%) vs 2020
-13% since 2010-11, when it was 527
Student : Teacher
12.1:1
was 12.2:1
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 | 460 | 38 | 12.1:1 | 66% (303) |
| 2023-24 | 456 | 34.9 | 13.1:1 | 66% (300) |
| 2022-23 | 465 | 35.6 | 13.1:1 | 58% (272) |
| 2020-21 | 486 | 40 | 12.2:1 | 65% (317) |
| 2017-18 | 481 | 37.1 | 13.0:1 | 55% (266) |
| 2015-16 | 481 | 34 | 14.2:1 | 57% (274) |
| 2010-11 | 527 | 36 | 14.6:1 | 53% (278) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Lou Henry Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (481 to 460); teachers up 2% (37.1 to 38).
About Lou Henry Elementary School
Lou Henry Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school in Waterloo, Iowa, under Waterloo Comm School District. It enrolled 460 students in kindergarten through 5 for the 2024-25 school year. Enrollment is 42% higher than the average for elementary schools in Iowa, which is about 325.
Lou Henry Elementary School is one of 18 schools in Waterloo Comm School District, which enrolls 10,484 students in total.
Enrollment at Lou Henry Elementary School is mixed, with White students the largest group at 39%. It is also 38% Black, 8% Hispanic, 7% Asian, and 7% multiracial. For comparison, the population of Black Hawk County is roughly 80% White. Lou Henry Elementary School has a diversity index of 69%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Staffing totals 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 12.1:1. That ratio is under the 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Iowa. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Lou Henry Elementary School is 66%. That is 14 points above the 52% average for public schools in Black Hawk County.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Lou Henry Elementary School, the prediction is 59.0% and the result is 62.3%.
Census Bureau estimates for Black Hawk County 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. A total of 35 public schools operate in Black Hawk County, serving about 18,224 students.
The closest other public school is Hoover Middle School, less than a tenth of a mile away. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Lou Henry Elementary School is 4th of 9 on proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes Lou Henry Elementary School as City: Small.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count dropped from 486 to 460.
If you have questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes at Lou Henry Elementary School, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
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
Nearby schools
- Hoover Middle School0.1 mi · 848
- West High School0.8 mi · 1,696
- Kingsley Elementary School1.1 mi · 337
- Kittrell Elementary School1.6 mi · 576
- Irving Elementary School1.8 mi · 353
- Lowell Elementary School2.2 mi · 538
Frequently asked questions
About Lou Henry Elementary SchoolHow large is Lou Henry Elementary School?
Lou Henry Elementary School enrolls approximately 460 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Lou Henry Elementary School serve?
Lou Henry Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lou Henry Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Lou Henry Elementary School is approximately 12.1:1 (38 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Lou Henry Elementary School?
At Lou Henry Elementary School, the student body is approximately 39% White, 8% Hispanic, 38% Black, 7% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Is Lou Henry Elementary School public or private?
Lou Henry Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Waterloo Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.