The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in English language arts. The lowest is 70% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Durant Elementary School
Durant Elementary School serves prekindergarten through sixth grade in the Durant Community School District, a single-campus district in eastern Iowa. The town of Durant sits at the junction of Cedar, Muscatine, and Scott counties, a small, primarily residential community that grew modestly in recent years. Most residents commute to work in nearby larger cities such as Davenport, Muscatine, or Iowa City, and the district and local government are among the primary institutional employers in town. The school itself occupies a dedicated campus separate from Durant’s small downtown commercial core along Fifth Street.
The student body is predominantly white, a characteristic that families may note when considering the range of peer diversity. Roughly a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that is neither exceptionally high nor low for a rural Iowa elementary school. Enrollment spans the full PK–6 range, with each grade holding a comparable number of students, giving the school a stable, neighborhood-school feel. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learner status was not available, so parents seeking information on special education services or language supports may want to follow up directly with the school.
On state assessments, Durant Elementary posted overall proficiency across math, English language arts, and science that placed near the middle among districts in Cedar County, slightly below the county midpoint. The school’s proficiency index falls in the lower half of that comparison group. In practice, roughly seven in ten students met the state’s proficiency bar in each subject. That is a solid showing for a regular public elementary school. Iowa’s assessment, the ISASP, uses a two-level proficiency scale (Levels 2–3), and participation rates were high, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students. The school’s strongest subject by a narrow margin was English language arts, where about seven in ten scored proficient, a slightly higher share than in math and science. These results come from a single testing year, so no trend data is available yet to show whether performance is improving or declining.
No program offerings, course access data, staffing ratios, or discipline figures were available for Durant Elementary in the data provided. That absence is notable for a parent trying to gauge the breadth of enrichment, class sizes, or school climate. A conversation with the school or district office would be the natural next step for those details.
Housing in Durant is generally affordable compared with national norms. Home values have risen modestly, in line with statewide trends, and the area remains a relatively low-cost entry point for families seeking a small-town setting within commuting distance of the Quad Cities or the Iowa City corridor. The district brief turned up no major recent changes such as bond referendums, budget shifts, or curriculum changes, suggesting a period of stability.
For a family weighing Durant Elementary, the picture is straightforward. This is a small, predominantly white elementary school in a stable, commuter-oriented town with academic results solidly in the middle of the pack among its county peers. The school serves a core academic function well, with high participation in state testing and proficiency rates that match or modestly trail the county median. Families who value a traditional small-town setting, a single-campus district, and a straightforward K–6 feeder into the district’s middle and high school will find a coherent, uncomplicated pathway here. Those looking for deep programmatic breadth, significant racial or economic diversity, or a school with a track record of academic growth will want to ask more questions.
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