Southdale Elementary School

Southdale Elementary School is a K-5 school of sizable scale in Cedar Falls, Iowa, one of the schools within Cedar Falls Comm School District, educateing 539 students in grades pre-K through 6. Compared to the state average of about 325 students per school, that is 66% bigger than typical.

Southdale Elementary School is one of 10 schools operated by Cedar Falls Comm School District, a district that serves 5,853 students overall.

Demographically, Southdale Elementary School logs that 80% of the student body identifies as White; the rest is composed of 6% Asian, 6% multiracial, 4% Black, 3% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Black Hawk County as a whole.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Southdale Elementary School has 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.9:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 22% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Black Hawk County (around 52%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

With demographic context factored in, Southdale Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 80.9%; this one delivers 81.4%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Black Hawk County) shows that median household earnings sit near $66,417, roughly 30% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Southdale Elementary School is one of 35 public schools in Black Hawk County (combined enrollment of about 18,224 students).

Peet Junior High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Southdale Elementary School. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Southdale Elementary School ranks 4th on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 77.4%.

The campus sits in a downtown setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 29%: 755 students in 2018 compared to 539 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 85% to 80% across the same window. Class-load math has fell: from 16.1:1 in 2018 to 13.9:1 in 2025.

On this page, the feed for Southdale Elementary School typically covers classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.