The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Math. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Carter Lake Elementary School
Carter Lake Elementary School serves students from preschool through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Council Bluffs Community School District. The school sits in the small city of Carter Lake, a residential suburb of Omaha that is the only Iowa community located west of the Missouri River, surrounded on three sides by Nebraska and on the fourth by the river itself. The city has a working-class texture, with Eppley Airfield as a dominant neighbor and a tribal casino among its notable commercial elements. For an elementary school serving a community of this size, the enrollment is moderate in scale for the grade band.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and smaller representations of Black students and students of two or more races. A sizeable share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the economic profile of the community. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available, so a parent who wants to understand how the school serves those groups would need to ask the school or district directly.
State testing results from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress provide a picture of academic performance for the grades that are tested—third through fifth for math and English language arts, and fifth grade only for science. In math, roughly six in ten students met the state’s proficiency standard. In English language arts, the figure was just over half. Science proficiency was notably lower, with about four in ten tested students reaching the bar. Participation rates were high, meaning the results reflect nearly all enrolled students in those grades. When compared against other districts in Pottawattamie County, Carter Lake Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects placed it in the bottom quarter. This is the school’s most notable soft spot, and a parent may want to ask the school about academic supports, curriculum, and how the school works to raise outcomes.
Because this is an elementary school serving only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. No chronic absenteeism data, disciplinary information, or staffing ratios were available, so those aspects of school climate remain unexamined here. Course access and program offerings beyond the core elementary curriculum were also not provided. This is common for elementary schools where the academic picture is largely defined by reading, math, and science instruction.
Housing in the area around Carter Lake is priced modestly relative to state and national benchmarks, and home values have seen a modest uptick. The school belongs to the Council Bluffs Community School District, which serves a broader area that includes the city of Council Bluffs. No recent district-level changes of lasting impact to parents were found in publicly reported sources.
Carter Lake Elementary is a neighborhood school in a small, geographically isolated Iowa suburb, serving a diverse-by-income student body with a predominantly white demographic. Its academic results lag behind those of most other districts in the county, particularly in English and science, while math performance is more mixed. A family considering this school would want to learn more about the instructional approach, how the school addresses student learning gaps, and what support services are available for students who are struggling.
See more original research from School Decision →