The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in English language arts. The lowest is 54% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Grant Elementary School
Grant Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the Muscatine Community School District, a regular public school in a river city with a strong industrial and manufacturing base. The school occupies a building on Barry Avenue in Muscatine, a city set on bluffs and hills at a major bend in the Mississippi River.
The school's enrollment is moderate for an elementary serving this grade range. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a noticeable portion of families face economic pressure. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and smaller numbers of Black students, multiracial students, and very small shares of Asian, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs and on English learner identification were not available in the information we examined, so a parent relying on that information may want to ask the school directly.
On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress for the most recent school year, Grant Elementary posted results that give a clear picture of academic performance. In English language arts, a strong majority of students scored at the proficient level or above. In math, a clear majority also reached proficiency. In science, about half of students tested met the proficiency bar. The proficiency rate for science was tested across a smaller group of students, as science assessments typically cover fewer grade levels. When placed against other districts in Muscatine County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint of the comparison set. The school had full participation in testing, and the results represent a single year of data, as no prior-year comparison was available to show a trend.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data appeared in the available records. Information on course access, staffing ratios, and discipline was also absent from the data provided.
The Muscatine Community School District, which oversees Grant Elementary, did not have any major parent-relevant changes or strategic initiatives surfaced in public reporting that we could include. The district operates across the city, and Grant is one of its elementary schools.
Muscatine itself is a mixed-use city with a historic downtown and West Hill area listed on the National Register of Historic Places, alongside industrial corridors and residential neighborhoods on ridges divided by Papoose and Mad Creeks. The economy is anchored by a substantial concentration of Fortune-level manufacturers and corporate headquarters, including HNI Corporation, Bridgestone Bandag, Bayer, and Kent Corporation. The riverfront provides a civic and cultural hub with parks, the Muscatine Art Center, and the Pearl Button Museum. The city’s street layout follows the topography, with the most walkable area concentrated downtown and along the riverfront, while the hillier residential areas are less pedestrian-friendly. MuscaBus operates weekday bus routes across the city. Population growth has been modest over the past two decades, and the city has been ranked within the top tier of micropolitan statistical areas for economic strength by one research firm.
For a family considering Grant Elementary, the picture is grounded. The school serves a mid-sized elementary population with economic diversity. Academic results show a majority of students meeting state proficiency standards in English and math, with a more moderate showing in science, and the school’s overall performance sits behind some of its county peers. The surrounding community offers stable employment in manufacturing and industry, a historic downtown, and riverfront amenities, but the city’s hilly terrain and auto-oriented layout mean that car access matters for most errands and activities outside the downtown core. A parent may want to follow up on the missing special education and English learner data to understand how the school supports those populations.
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