The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in English language arts. The lowest is 41% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Edward Stone Middle School
Edward Stone Middle School serves only seventh and eighth graders in Burlington, Iowa, as part of the Burlington Community School District. It is a regular public middle school, not a charter or magnet, and it does not have a special designation like Title I status — though the district's overall economic profile suggests many families may qualify for support. The school sits on the bluffs above the Mississippi River in a small micropolitan city that has seen gradual population decline over recent decades, with a mix of historic downtown architecture, manufacturing employment, and a riverboat casino anchoring the local economy.
On the 2024–25 Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, Edward Stone’s students posted mixed results. In English language arts, about two-thirds met the state standard, a stronger showing that puts the school within a reasonable range for a middle school serving a diverse population. In science, roughly half of students reached proficiency. Math was the softer spot, with roughly two out of five students meeting the standard. These scores represent a single year of data, so no trend is yet available. When the school’s combined proficiency across all tested subjects is compared against other districts in Des Moines County, Edward Stone’s overall performance sits in the bottom quarter, below the midpoint of the four districts in the county. That comparison is at the district level, but it offers context for where this middle school stands relative to its closest peers.
The student body is about four hundred seventy strong, split nearly evenly between seventh and eighth grades. Racially, the school is majority White, with a substantial Black enrollment and smaller shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races. A notable share of students — roughly three in five — qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a level of economic need that is higher than state averages. Housing values in Burlington are modest, well below state and national benchmarks, and the local median household income tracks near the national median, reflecting a community where homeownership is relatively affordable but wage growth has been modest.
The district has made some recent investments. Burlington High School completed a major renovation that added science classrooms, a weight room, and security upgrades. The district also launched the VIBE Virtual Learning Program for grades seven through twelve, giving families an alternative to full-time in-person attendance. For a middle school family, that means a remote or hybrid option exists within the district if the traditional classroom setting is not the right fit.
Several pieces of information that some parents look for are not available in the data reviewed. No figures on chronic absenteeism, discipline incidents, or staffing ratios were reported. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to consider. Special education and English learner counts were also absent from the available records. A parent exploring Edward Stone may want to ask the school directly about those details, especially because economic disadvantage is high and student support resources can be a meaningful factor in middle school success.
Overall, Edward Stone Middle School is a midsized, two-grade public school in a district that has made capital improvements and offers learning alternatives. Its reading results are the strongest of the tested subjects, while math proficiency is an area that would benefit from further inquiry. The school’s performance relative to other Des Moines County districts places it at the lower end, but the data are limited to a single year and the comparison is district-wide, not school-to-school. Families considering the school will want to visit, talk to current families, and understand what academic interventions and enrichment are in place for the grades it serves.
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