The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Math. The lowest is 50% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Elementary School
Jefferson Elementary School serves about that many students in prekindergarten through fifth grade in Clinton, part of the Clinton Community School District. The school sits south of the city’s downtown, in a residential neighborhood of a mid-sized Mississippi River city that mixes manufacturing, healthcare, and retail employment with a riverfront park system and two historic commercial districts.
The student body is majority White, with substantial Hispanic and Black populations and a notable share identifying as two or more races. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a student population with significant economic need. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It serves no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.
On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) for the most recent school year, Jefferson’s results show a mixed picture. The proficiency rate for all tested students in mathematics is above the midpoint, at a level where a little more than half of students met the state’s proficiency standard. In English language arts, the proficiency rate is slightly lower, with roughly the same share of students meeting the bar. In science, about half of tested students were proficient. The participation rate on the assessments was very high, which means the results reflect nearly all enrolled students in the tested grades.
When compared to other districts in Clinton County on an overall proficiency index that averages results across subjects and grades, Jefferson Elementary places in the bottom quartile of the county districts. The comparison set is districts within Clinton County, not schools, and the index shows the school’s combined proficiency is lower than the county median for districts. A parent may want to investigate how the school’s performance compares specifically to other elementary schools serving similar demographics in the region, as the county-level district comparison may smooth over differences among schools within large districts.
No multi-year academic trend data was available beyond a single year’s results, so it is not possible to say whether the school’s performance is improving or declining. The data for students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, so how the school serves those groups in terms of academic outcomes is not clear from the available information.
The district has undergone significant facility and enrollment changes in recent years. A bond referendum in 2020 funded a new middle school, science additions at the high school, and a renovation of Bluff Elementary. At the same time, the district closed two elementary schools because of declining enrollment, which has reshaped attendance boundaries. A new evidence-based literacy curriculum was adopted for kindergarten through fifth grade, so Jefferson’s teachers are now using a structured literacy approach aligned with a state science-of-reading mandate. The district also raised its property tax levy for the 2025 fiscal year to cover rising costs.
Clinton itself has seen industrial expansion from major employers such as Archer Daniels Midland, Nestle Purina, and Big River Packaging, which have added jobs and spurred new housing developments. The city’s riverfront has been improved with recreational amenities through state grants. A new high school building opened in 2023, replacing the historic high school that was demolished.
Housing in the Clinton area is notably less expensive than the national and state medians, and rents are also below national averages. This means families can often find more affordable homeownership or rental options compared to larger metropolitan areas, though the local economy’s median household income is below the national average.
Jefferson Elementary is a neighborhood school in a district that has been consolidating and modernizing its facilities. It serves a high-poverty student population with proficiency rates that are lower than the average of districts in Clinton County, particularly in English language arts and science. For a family, the appeal lies in the smaller-scale elementary setting, the affordability of the community, and the district’s recent investments in new buildings and literacy instruction. The lower academic performance on state assessments is a consideration worth discussing directly with the school to understand the specific supports and interventions in place.
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