Willowbrook Elementary

Willowbrook Elementary operates as a large K-5 school in Altoona, Iowa, operated by Southeast Polk Comm School District. Current enrollment sits at 523 students spanning grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 61% above the state mean of about 325.

Willowbrook Elementary is one of 10 schools operated by Southeast Polk Comm School District, a district that teaches 6,359 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Willowbrook Elementary lists that White students make up the majority at 64%; the rest reads as 12% Black, 11% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, 3% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 76% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school reports having 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.4:1. The state averages about 13.7:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 53% of students at Willowbrook Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Willowbrook Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 65.5%; this one delivers 63.5%.

In the broader community, Polk County reports that median household income runs about $83,576, about 40% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. In all, Polk County runs 137 public schools (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students), of which Willowbrook Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Altoona Elementary, roughly 0.9 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Willowbrook Elementary. On composite proficiency, Willowbrook Elementary comes 6th of 8 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 66.5%.

Willowbrook Elementary operates from a residential location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Willowbrook Elementary's enrollment has declined 5% since 2018, when it stood at 553 (now 523). White enrollment moved from 75% to 64% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 15.8:1 in 2018 to 13.4:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the feed for Willowbrook Elementary typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.