The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Math. The lowest is 73% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pierce Elementary School
Pierce Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Cedar Rapids Community School District. It is a neighborhood elementary, not a magnet or charter. The school operates on the east side of Cedar Rapids, in a section of the city that mixes older residential blocks with newer development.
On state testing through the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress for the 2024-25 school year, Pierce posted solid results. Math proficiency reached a level that put a strong majority of tested students at or above the state standard. English language arts and science proficiency were also in a similar range, each showing that roughly three-quarters of students met the bar. These are single-year figures; the data does not yet show a trend over time. When measured against other elementary schools in Linn County using an index that averages all tested subjects, Pierce’s combined proficiency sits below the midpoint of the county’s eleven schools with reported results. The county range runs from a lower mark to a high one, and Pierce lands in the lower half of that spread.
The student body is large enough to fill six grade-level classrooms at typical elementary sizes. The composition is predominantly white, with a smaller but notable share of students who identify as Black, two or more races, or Hispanic. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is roughly one-third, a level that places the school within a typical range for a regular elementary in an urban district. The school’s count of students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available data, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about special education and language support programs.
The housing market in the area around Pierce shows home values that are slightly below the statewide median and below the national median. Rents have been rising at a noticeable pace. Mortgage payments on a typical home in the zip code are well above local rents, making renting the more affordable option for most households. The broader economic context of eastern Iowa and the national mortgage rate climate are part of what a family considers when moving to a school attendance zone.
Cedar Rapids is a mid-sized city that functions as the commercial and industrial anchor of eastern Iowa. Major employers include Collins Aerospace, grain processors such as Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill, and a large Quaker Oats mill. The city is divided by the Cedar River, and the downtown core holds museums, theaters, and government buildings. The metropolitan area has seen steady population growth in recent decades. Recent development includes a large data center project announced in 2025, which officials described as the largest economic development in the city’s history.
The parent district, Cedar Rapids Community School District, has been actively reshaping its elementary footprint. Under a multi-year facilities master plan funded by a statewide sales tax, the district opened three new elementary schools between 2022 and 2024, closed and consolidated older buildings, and redrew attendance boundaries. These changes directly affect which school a child attends and what kind of building they learn in. At the same time, the district has experienced a decline in overall enrollment, which led to budget reductions for the 2024-25 school year that included staff cuts and program adjustments. The district also opened a new high school with a community-based, experiential learning model, giving families another option at the secondary level.
For a parent evaluating Pierce Elementary, the picture is that of a straightforward neighborhood school with decent academic results that fall in the middle to lower part of the county’s range. The student body is majority white with moderate economic diversity. The surrounding housing market is relatively affordable compared to national averages, rents are climbing, and the district is in the middle of a significant facilities transition that will continue to shape which school a child attends. The school’s performance data is limited to a single year, and the absence of reported figures on special education and English learner enrollment means a family with those needs should follow up directly with the school office.
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