The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Math. The lowest is 55% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Linn Grove Elementary School
Linn Grove Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in Marion, Iowa, as part of the Linn-Mar Community School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits within a district that has recently reorganized its grade configuration, so families should be aware that after fourth grade students move on to an intermediate school for grades five and six before reaching middle school.
On state assessments in the 2024-25 school year, Linn Grove's results in both math and English language arts fell below the midpoint when measured against other schools in Linn County. The school's overall proficiency across tested grades and subjects placed it in the bottom quartile among the county's districts. Parents looking at these numbers will want to consider them alongside the fact that the school serves only primary grades; some students who are still developing foundational skills may test lower than they will in later years. Science testing data is older, from before the pandemic, and the state changed its science assessment and cut scores since then, so that result is not directly comparable.
About two-fifths of Linn Grove's roughly 400 students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a share that points to meaningful economic diversity in the student body. Racially, the school is predominantly white, with just over one-tenth of students identifying as Black, a smaller share as Hispanic, a similar portion as two or more races, and a few percent as Asian. The school does not report the share of students with disabilities or those who are English learners, so those details are not available from the data at hand.
The housing market around Linn Grove is shaped by Marion's position as a growing suburb within the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area. Home values in the area run above the Iowa state average but below the national median, and they have been climbing modestly. Rents have increased more sharply, and the monthly cost of renting exceeds the estimated mortgage payment for a median-priced home, making homeownership the more affordable option for those who can manage a down payment. Marion itself has seen new housing development in recent years, which is consistent with the district's growth and its construction of new intermediate school buildings.
The Linn-Mar district opened two new intermediate schools a few years ago, Hazel Point and Boulder Peak, shifting fifth and sixth graders out of elementary buildings and into their own campuses. This structural change affects feeder patterns across the district, including for Linn Grove families, who should check current boundary maps to know which intermediate school their child would attend. The district also offers junior kindergarten alongside its preschool programming, an option that families with children younger than kindergarten age may want to explore.
Linn Grove is a school that gives a clear picture of where a family might start their child's education in the Linn-Mar district. The test results are softer than those of many peers in the county, and a parent may want to ask the school about instructional supports and how proficiency rates have shifted over time. The student body is economically mixed, the surrounding housing market is active and increasingly expensive, and the district has invested in new facilities that reshape the path from elementary through middle school. This is not a school that tops county rankings on academic measures, but it serves a defined early grade band in a district with expanding capacity and a growing community.
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