The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in Math. The lowest is 81% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Carver Elementary School
Carver Elementary School, in Dubuque, Iowa, serves children from preschool through fifth grade and is part of the Dubuque Community School District. The school is located on the city’s Radford Road, in a residential part of Dubuque, a mid-sized regional hub on the Mississippi River that has undergone sustained revitalization over the past three decades and still has a strong manufacturing and health-care base. The school draws from a surrounding housing market where the cost of buying is well above the state norm, a dynamic that families may want to consider when evaluating the neighborhood.
Enrollment at Carver stands at what is considered a moderate size for a K-5 school. The student body is predominantly White, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, Asian, multiracial, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that suggests a mix of economic backgrounds. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so families with children in those categories may want to ask the school directly about staffing and support.
Academically, Carver’s state test results from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress are strong. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was well above the midpoint among tested grades; the same holds for English language arts and for science. The school’s overall proficiency index, which combines results across subjects and grades, sits in the top quarter of all Dubuque County elementary schools, a position that points to consistently solid performance relative to the district.
The district context matters here. The Dubuque Community School District passed a bond referendum in late 2024, funding facility improvements across multiple schools including HVAC, security, and classroom additions. That construction is slated through 2027, so families arriving at Carver will be in a district where older buildings are being upgraded. The district has also been transitioning to Standards-Based Learning, a model that measures students against specific learning standards rather than traditional letter grades. It began in elementary schools a few years ago and was extended to high schools recently, so Carver families should expect report cards that look different from the conventional A-F system. In addition, the district now operates a virtual school for older grades, a permanent alternative for families who want a full-time online option later on.
Because Carver only serves through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate for this school, and state testing data applies only to the grades it covers. The program offerings data was also not available, so it is not possible to speak to the breadth of extracurricular or enrichment options beyond the core academic program.
The school benefits from being in a city with a strong sense of place: a revitalized downtown and riverfront, a mix of historic and newer neighborhoods, and major employers like John Deere and the health-care sector that anchor the local economy. Growth has been steady rather than explosive, driven by downtown redevelopment and continuous flood-mitigation work. Transit is limited, and outlying areas are car-dependent; walkability is strongest downtown and along the riverfront rather than in all residential zones.
For a family looking at Carver, the picture is of an elementary school with above-peer academic results, a mix of economic backgrounds among families, and a district that is actively investing in facilities and changing how it assesses student progress. The absence of program and special-population data means a parent should ask about what enrichment, special education, and English-learner supports look like at this particular building. The strong test scores offer a confident read on the core academic program, while the housing landscape and district policy changes are the practical context any new family will need to weigh.
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