The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in Math. The lowest is 69% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Alan Shepard Elementary School
Alan Shepard Elementary School serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Long Grove, Iowa, as part of the North Scott Community School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The school sits in a small, mainly residential community that has grown steadily in recent decades, with new homes built around the city’s edges.
Academically, the school posts consistently strong results on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP). In both math and English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above is very high. Science proficiency, while still solid, trails a bit behind, landing at a level a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand the curriculum or instructional approach in that subject. When placed alongside other public school districts in Scott County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint of the comparison group. No multi-year trend data is available beyond the single year of results, so it is not possible to say whether performance has been improving or declining.
The student body is predominantly White, with small shares of Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is quite low, indicating that the school serves a population with relatively little economic disadvantage. Data on the number of students with disabilities (served under an IEP) and English learner students were not reported; families who need information on special education or language support should check directly with the school.
Because the school ends at sixth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism, discipline incidents, and course access were not available in the provided materials. Program offerings, such as art, music, or extracurricular activities, were also not described; the school’s website or a direct inquiry would fill that gap.
Long Grove is a very small city where nearly all residents drive alone to work, with average commute times typical of a bedroom community serving the nearby Quad Cities area. The homeownership rate is high and housing values are well above state and national medians, reflecting a market that has appreciated in recent years. The town does not have a walkable commercial district or public transit; daily life is car-dependent. The school itself is located within the city, and for grades seven through twelve, students attend North Scott Junior High and North Scott High School in the neighboring community of Eldridge.
The district brief turned up no recent changes that would materially affect a family’s decision, such as boundary shifts, program eliminations, or major bond initiatives. The school’s name honors astronaut Alan Shepard, and it opened alongside the residential growth in Long Grove, serving as a community anchor alongside city hall and the annual Strawberry Festival.
For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a high-performing elementary in a growing, relatively affluent small town where most children walk or get driven to school. The strong math and reading results, low poverty rate, and stable district context are clear positives. The softer spot in science and the missing data on special populations and programs are the main areas where a parent would want to follow up. The school fits families who value solid academic foundations in a suburban-rural setting and who are comfortable with a car-dependent lifestyle and a community that has no downtown or public transit.
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