The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in Math. The lowest is 70% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Maple Grove Elementary
Maple Grove Elementary is a public elementary school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade. It opened in 2022 as part of the Cedar Rapids Community School District’s ongoing facilities master plan, which has replaced older buildings with new ones using state sales tax revenue rather than local property tax increases. The school is located on the northwest side of the city, in a residential area of a mid-sized city that functions as Eastern Iowa’s economic hub, dominated by grain processing, manufacturing, and a growing data-center sector.
State testing results from the 2024-25 school year show that a substantial majority of Maple Grove students met proficiency benchmarks on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress. In math, roughly three in four students scored proficient or above, and in English language arts the share was similar. Science proficiency, tested only at certain grades, was slightly lower, at about seven in ten. These figures place Maple Grove’s overall performance below the midpoint among elementary schools in Linn County, meaning several other county schools posted higher average proficiency rates. Because this is the first year of testing for a new school, no trend data is available to show whether scores are rising or falling.
The student body is large for an elementary school, and the demographic profile is predominantly White, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. Roughly two-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that falls near the middle of the district’s socioeconomic range. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records, so a parent who needs information on special education or language support services would want to ask the school directly.
The school is part of a district that has been navigating enrollment decline and budget pressures. The Cedar Rapids district approved staffing reductions and program adjustments for the 2024-25 school year, citing a drop in total enrollment and state aid that has not kept up with inflation. Those changes may affect class sizes and resource availability at Maple Grove, though the new building itself reflects a significant capital investment and likely offers modern facilities common among the district’s recently built elementary schools. The district also opened a new alternative high school focused on experiential learning, but that does not directly shape the elementary experience.
Cedar Rapids itself provides a mix of urban amenities and industrial character. The downtown core contains cultural institutions such as a museum of art, a Czech and Slovak museum, and a performing arts theater. Major employers include Collins Aerospace, several large grain processors, and a trucking company; a large data center was announced in 2025. The metropolitan area has grown steadily, though the city is still recovering from a devastating flood years earlier. The housing market in the school’s ZIP code shows home values and rents that are somewhat below national benchmarks, making it a more affordable market relative to many other parts of the country.
For a family considering Maple Grove Elementary, the academic picture is one of solid but not top-tier proficiency relative to the county, paired with a new physical plant and the stability of a large district. The school serves a broad socioeconomic mix, and the absence of publicly available discipline and attendance data means those are areas a parent would need to investigate directly. The district’s budget constraints are a real factor that could influence staffing and programs moving forward. Families who value a recently built school in a mid-sized Midwestern city with a diverse employment base may find Maple Grove a reasonable fit, while those seeking the highest county-level test scores or detailed special-population data would want to compare options.
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