The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Math. The lowest is 57% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Table Mound Elementary School
Table Mound Elementary sits in a residential neighborhood on the bluffs above Dubuque’s riverfront, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Dubuque Community School District. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Hispanic, Black, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of economic diversity that families may want to weigh.
On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, the school’s combined proficiency rate across tested subjects places its academic performance below the midpoint relative to other elementary schools in Dubuque County, in what is a two-district comparison set. The limitation of that comparison is worth noting: the county contains only a handful of school districts, so the bucket carries less resolution than a wider peer group would provide. In math, a majority of students scored proficient or above. In English language arts, the share was lower, falling below the math result. Science proficiency landed between the two. These figures represent a single year of data, so no trend is available. Participation rates on all three tests were high, supporting the reliability of the results.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and state assessment data for secondary subjects does not apply. No chronic absenteeism or discipline data was available, nor was there information on staffing ratios, course access, or special education and English learner counts. Families with children receiving specialized services would want to follow up with the school directly to understand how those supports are structured.
The Dubuque Community School District is in the middle of several notable changes. Voters approved a substantial bond referendum in late 2024 to fund facility upgrades including HVAC, security improvements, and classroom additions across the district, with construction planned through 2027. The district has also been transitioning to Standards-Based Learning since the 2022-2023 school year, beginning at the elementary level, which shifts how student progress is assessed and reported compared to traditional letter grades. Additionally, a full-time Dubuque Online School for grades six through twelve has been launched, a permanent virtual option within the district for families who want it.
Dubuque itself is a mid-sized regional hub at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin along the Mississippi River, functioning as the main commercial and cultural center for the surrounding tri-state area. Its economy diversified in the 1990s to include health care, publishing, financial services, and tourism alongside a still-significant manufacturing base anchored by employers such as John Deere, the Dubuque Community School District, and several major medical centers. The city has undergone sustained riverfront redevelopment, including the Port of Dubuque project, which transformed former industrial land into a cultural and recreational campus. The Bee Branch Creek restoration has added parks and trails while addressing flooding. Housing values in the area have risen in recent years and sit above the state median, reflecting demand in a market that has seen steady growth rather than explosive change.
For a family considering Table Mound Elementary, the picture is one of a neighborhood school that serves a largely white, moderately economically diverse student body in a district that is actively investing in facilities and changing how it measures learning. The academic results from the most recent testing year offer a starting point rather than a trend, and the county-level comparison is a narrow one. A parent may want to explore how the school’s proficiency results compare to the district’s other elementary schools and what specific supports for English language arts look like at the building level.
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