Longfellow Elementary School, Belle Plaine IA

Original Research by School Decision on Longfellow Elementary School

Longfellow Elementary School serves the small town of Belle Plaine, Iowa, as the public elementary school for the Belle Plaine Community School District. It provides pre-kindergarten through sixth grade and, as a regular public school, does not serve the high school grades, so measures like a graduation rate do not apply here. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary school in a community of this size, and the student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic student population present in smaller numbers and a very small share of students who are Asian, Black, or of two or more races. A substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a context where economic need is a factor for a notable share of families. Data on the shares of students with individualized education plans or who are English learners was not available in the records provided.

On the 2024-25 Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), Longfellow Elementary’s students performed in a way that a parent should examine closely. For the combined grades tested, the school’s overall proficiency across math, English language arts, and science places it in the bottom quartile relative to the other districts in Benton County. Specifically, about seven in ten students scored proficient or above in math, a similar share in English language arts, and roughly seven in ten in science. These are solid attainment levels in an absolute sense, but they fall below the average and median performance of the county’s handful of other districts, meaning peer schools in nearby communities showed higher proficiency rates. There is only a single year of data available for this assessment, so no trend information exists to show whether performance is improving or declining.

The school environment is shaped by its small-town setting. Belle Plaine is a community with a historic downtown that underwent a large revitalization project in the 2010s, and the school is integrated into this fabric rather than isolated on a separate campus. The district operates two attendance centers: Longfellow Elementary for pre-K through sixth grade, and a combined building for junior high and high school. For families considering this school, the town offers civic amenities like parks, a library, a museum, an aquatic center, and a theater, all within a compact geography. A Kirkwood Community College center in town provides dual-credit opportunities for older students, though this does not affect the elementary grades directly.

The school appears to be a straightforward neighborhood elementary option for Belle Plaine families. Its academic results, while not weak, are below the norms of surrounding Benton County districts. A parent considering this school should be aware of that performance gap and may wish to ask the school or district about specific instructional supports, particularly for students who are not yet proficient, and about what programs or curricula are in place to raise achievement. The absence of data on special education and English learner populations is a meaningful gap; a parent with a child who might need those services should inquire directly with the school. There were no substantial recent changes reported for the district that would alter the basic picture of this school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-871%

School 71% · District 73% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

English language arts

Grades 3-868%

School 68% · District 73% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Science

Grades 3-869%

School 69% · District 66% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median

This schoolBelle Plaine Comm School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income82%46 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income55%Higher-income44%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income88%38 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income88%Higher-income94%7 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income58%Higher-income78%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income82%46 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income45%Higher-income56%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income75%Higher-income94%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income81%Higher-income94%13 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income59%Higher-income82%23 pp gap