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D

Cedar Rapids Community School District

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 5 towns

Serves Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, Robins, Palo and Bertram, and parts of Marion.

Cedar Rapids’ School Grade D better than 12% of Iowa school districts

Students
15,003
Schools
31
Spent per student
$14,892
IA $13,713
Students per teacher
15:1
Free or reduced lunch
56%
Debt
$113.8M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Cedar Rapids Community School District

  • Its letter, D: results better than 6% of Iowa districts
  • Math proficiency 13 pts below the state
  • Reading proficiency 9 pts below the state
  • Graduation rate 10 pts below the state
  • Spends 9% more per student than the IA average
  • 15 students per teacher
  • Enrollment up 6.3% since 2020–21
  • Debt of $113.8M, about $7,586 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

D: better than 6% of the 326 Iowa school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well below the state, 2021–22
D
GraduationFour-year graduation well below the state, class of 2023
D
The towns it serves, and their School Grades

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Cedar Rapids. Grade by grade →

PK–523 elementary schoolsThis district
6–88 middle schoolsCollege Community School District
9–126 high schoolsCollege Community School District

Test scores vs. IA

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency51%
State average 63.8% · 9,674 students tested
Reading / language arts61%
State average 69.7% · 9,651 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)78%
State average 87.5% · 1,206 in the class

95% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$14,892 per student · 9% above IA
Spending
Classroom instruction 55%Support & administration 39%Other 6%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 39%State 50%Federal 11%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
14,110’20
14,295’21
14,769’22
14,866’23
15,003’24

Up 6.3% since 2020–21.

Students
White 54%Black 23%Two or more races 11%Hispanic 10%Asian 2%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%

Schools in the district

31 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Iowa’s other public schools.

Viola Gibson Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Cedar Rapids
A−
565 students17:1
West Willow Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Cedar Rapids
B−
555 students16:1
Maple Grove Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Cedar Rapids
B−
539 students15:1
Kenwood Leadership Academy School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Cedar Rapids
C−
386 students13:1
Grant Wood Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Cedar Rapids
D
356 students15:1
Cedar River Academy at Taylor
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Cedar Rapids
D−
355 students13:1
Hiawatha Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Hiawatha
C−
334 students12:1
Nixon Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Hiawatha
C−
289 students12:1
Wright Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Cedar Rapids
D
282 students15:1
Truman Early Learning Center
Prekindergarten · Grades PK · Cedar Rapids
279 students16:1
Trailside Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cedar Rapids
429 students14:1
Van Buren Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cedar Rapids
D
429 students12:1
Hoover Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cedar Rapids
D−
420 students11:1
Pierce Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cedar Rapids
C
334 students14:1
Johnson STEAM Academy School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cedar Rapids
D−
324 students12:1
Grant Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cedar Rapids
D−
312 students12:1
Erskine Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cedar Rapids
C−
308 students16:1
Harrison Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cedar Rapids
D−
277 students13:1
Cleveland Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cedar Rapids
D
254 students12:1
Madison Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cedar Rapids
D
153 students14:1
Harding Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Cedar Rapids
C+
710 students16:1
Taft Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Cedar Rapids
C
593 students15:1
Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Cedar Rapids
D
484 students14:1
Franklin Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Cedar Rapids
C−
469 students14:1
McKinley STEAM Academy
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Cedar Rapids
D
426 students13:1
Wilson Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Cedar Rapids
D
422 students14:1
John F Kennedy High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Cedar Rapids
B
1,648 students18:1
Thomas Jefferson High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Cedar Rapids
C−
1,501 students18:1
George Washington High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Cedar Rapids
C−
1,182 students15:1
Metro High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Cedar Rapids
D−
288 students11:1
City View High
Secondary · Grades 9–11 · Cedar Rapids
100 students17:1

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Iowa.