The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Science. The lowest is 54% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Truman Elementary School
Truman Elementary School is a regular public school in the Davenport Community School District, serving students from prekindergarten through sixth grade. The school sits in a mid-sized Mississippi River city that was once a major manufacturing hub but has seen most of that industrial base depart, with population levels holding flat in recent decades. The immediate neighborhood around the school, in the northern part of Davenport, is a residential area within a city that blends older bluff-top districts, riverfront amenities, and car-dependent commercial corridors.
Academically, Truman’s performance on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress places it below the midpoint among schools in its county on an overall proficiency index. In the most recent testing year, about half of the students who took the assessments met proficiency benchmarks in math and in English language arts. Science results looked somewhat stronger. These are the majority of students scoring at standard, but a substantial share fell short of that mark, and a parent may wish to ask the school how it supports those who are not yet at proficiency, what interventions are in place, and how progress is measured over time within a grade and across grade levels. The school has only a single year of available assessment data in this record, so no trend is visible yet to show whether results are improving or declining.
The student body is diverse. The largest single group is White students, followed by Black students, students of two or more races, and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Asian students and a tiny number of American Indian or Native Hawaiian students. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a school where a majority of families face some level of economic challenge. Data on special education identification and English learner status were not reported in the available records, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about the support available for students with disabilities and for students learning English.
Truman is part of the Davenport Community School District, and the district brief did not surface any recent significant changes such as boundary adjustments, programming shifts, or referendums. That stability may be reassuring to some families, while others may want to contact the district to learn about current strategic priorities, class-size targets, or any emerging plans for elementary buildings.
In terms of the community context, housing values in the area around Truman are below the national median price, and rents are also lower than the national typical, making this a more affordable entry point for families buying or renting in Davenport compared to many other parts of the country. The city itself has over twenty miles of recreational paths, a downtown with cultural institutions like the Figge Art Museum, and seasonal festivals that bring foot traffic to the core. Outside downtown, however, daily life is largely car-dependent, with residential neighborhoods and commercial strips served by interstates and major highways.
For a family considering Truman, the school offers a full pre-K through sixth-grade pathway in a diverse, moderately sized elementary setting. Academic proficiency rates are modest relative to county peers, and the school serves a population where economic need is common. Parents who value a diverse student body and a school that reflects the broader demographics of Davenport will find that here. Those who are weighing this school against others in the district should look closely at how the school communicates about academic support, enrichment, and the specific programs that might make a difference for their child, particularly if their child is not yet scoring at the proficient level. The available data does not include information on staffing ratios, discipline rates, or special program offerings, so those would need to come from a school visit or conversation with the principal.
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