The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in Math. The lowest is 56% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Marshall Elementary School
Marshall Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Dubuque, a mid-sized Mississippi River city that has diversified its economy beyond manufacturing into health care, publishing, financial services, and tourism. The school is part of the Dubuque Community School District and draws from a neighborhood of older residential streets climbing the bluffs above the river; walkability is strongest downtown and near the riverfront, while outlying areas are more auto-dependent.
The student body of about that size for an elementary school is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, and Asian. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a substantial low-income population. Data on the share of students with special education plans or English learner status was not available, a gap a parent may want to ask the school about directly.
On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), proficiency rates for math, English language arts, and science all cluster near the middle of the range. In each subject, a little more than half of test-takers scored at or above the proficient level. Participation in testing was nearly universal, which means the results reflect nearly all enrolled students. When compared with other districts in Dubuque County, the school’s combined proficiency index sits on the lower side of that small group—a fact worth noting, though with only two districts in the county the comparison is a narrow one. No multi-year trend data is available yet, so it is not possible to say whether performance is moving up or down from prior years.
The school itself is a regular public elementary with no charter or magnet designation. It does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate. The district recently passed a bond referendum for facility improvements, including HVAC upgrades, security enhancements, and classroom additions that are planned through 2027, so families moving into the catchment area can expect construction activity in the coming years. The district has also been shifting to a Standards-Based Learning model, which started at the elementary level a few years ago and replaces traditional letter grades with progress measures tied to specific learning standards. This change affects how student reports look and how teachers communicate about achievement.
Dubuque itself has seen sustained reinvestment since the 1990s, with the Port of Dubuque riverfront redevelopment, the Bee Branch Creek restoration, and continued flood-mitigation work. Major employers include John Deere, the school district itself, and several health care systems, giving the local economy a broad base. Housing in the area remains more affordable than in many parts of the country, and home values and rents have been rising at a steady clip.
For a family considering Marshall Elementary, the school offers a mid-sized, neighborhood-anchored elementary experience within a district that is investing in its buildings and updating how it assesses learning. The proficiency results are moderate, and a parent may want to explore whether the school’s supports for students from low-income households and its special education services match their child’s needs, since detailed data on those populations was not reported. The setting is a city with a lively downtown, a strong sense of local history, and a mix of older bluff-top homes and newer development, all within a region that has been growing more slowly but steadily.
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