Prairie Trail Elementary

Summary:

Prairie Trail Elementary is a top-performing public elementary school in Ankeny, Iowa, serving students from kindergarten to 5th grade as part of the Ankeny Community School District. The school has consistently ranked among the best in the state, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and placing 8th out of 557 Iowa elementary schools in the 2023-2024 school year.

Prairie Trail Elementary's academic performance is exceptional, with 89.7% of 3rd graders, 91.3% of 4th graders, and 88.5% of 5th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, significantly higher than the district and state averages. In mathematics, the school's proficiency rates are equally impressive, with 97.4% of 3rd graders, 94.2% of 4th graders, and 89.7% of 5th graders performing at or above grade level. The school's 5th-grade science proficiency rate of 78.2% also exceeds the district and state averages.

While Ashland Ridge Elementary and Northeast Elementary have higher percentages of White students, Prairie Trail Elementary has a relatively diverse student population, with 81.96% White, 3.15% African American, 5.95% Hispanic, 2.8% Asian, and 5.78% two or more races. Additionally, the school has a low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at only 7.01%, compared to nearby schools like Southeast Elementary (29.62%) and East Elementary (36.56%).

Detail:

Public K-5

1850 SW College Ave
Ankeny, IA 50023

(515) 965-9605

District: Ankeny Community School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
8^th of 557 Iowa Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,662

Students who attend Prairie Trail Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Parkview Middle School
High:	Ankeny High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.3

Number of students: 571

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.0%

Hispanic:

6.0%

Two or more races:

5.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 7%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Prairie Trail Elementary ranks better than 98.6% of elementary schools in Iowa. It also ranks first among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Ankeny Community School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 91.16. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (82%), Hispanic (6%), two or more races (5.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Ankeny Community School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Prairie Trail Elementary is 16.3. 4 elementary schools in the Ankeny Community School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Prairie Trail Elementary employs 34.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Prairie Trail Elementary is $11,662. 7 elementary schools in the Ankeny Community School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Prairie Trail Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Ankeny Community School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Ankeny Community School District 46^th of 309 Iowa school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Prairie Trail Elementary

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IA State Percentile
2015	92.34	1^st	616	99.8%
2016	91.23	1^st	599	99.8%
2017	92.20	2^nd	574	99.7%
2018	90.63	3^rd	567	99.5%
2019	90.14	18^th	603	97.0%
2021	92.31	10^th	567	98.2%
2022	92.81	4^th	574	99.3%
2023	88.65	18^th	565	96.8%
2024	91.16	8^th	557	98.6%

See the entire list of Iowa Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Iowa Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Prairie Trail Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2013	586	7	16	18	0	1	20	648
2014	646	8	16	14	0	1	20	705
2015	642	9	9	15	0	0	24	699
2016	616	6	11	13	0	0	24	670
2017	635	5	12	13	3	1	27	696
2018	636	3	15	22	3	1	38	718
2019	632	5	16	16	3	1	38	711
2020	620	14	17	20	3	0	38	712
2021	468	6	13	15	1	0	34	537
2022	499	9	17	17	1	0	28	571
2023	468	18	16	34	1	1	33	571

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Prairie Trail Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2013	648	34.5	18.7	7.3
2014	705	35.1	20.0	7.8
2015	699	35.0	19.9	8
2016	670	34.0	19.7	4.9
2017	696	35.4	19.6	5.7
2018	718	38.7	18.5	6.7
2019	711	39.0	18.2	8.4
2020	712	39.8	17.8	8.1
2021	537	32.9	16.3	4.1
2022	571	34.9	16.3	5.8
2023	571	34.9	16.3	7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Prairie Trail Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2013	648	34.5	18.7	7.3
2014	705	35.1	20.0	7.8
2015	699	35.0	19.9	8
2016	670	34.0	19.7	4.9
2017	696	35.4	19.6	5.7
2018	718	38.7	18.5	6.7
2019	711	39.0	18.2	8.4
2020	712	39.8	17.8	8.1
2021	537	32.9	16.3	4.1
2022	571	34.9	16.3	5.8
2023	571	34.9	16.3	7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Prairie Trail Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$230 (2.0%)	$11,432 (98.0%)	$11,662

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Prairie Trail Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 18^th of 603 Elementary schools	Ranks 18^th of 565 Elementary schools	0.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Prairie Trail Elementary)	82.2	87.3	5.1%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Ankeny Community School District)	77.3	78	0.7%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	65.3	66.3	1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Prairie Trail Elementary)	92.4	93.6	1.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Ankeny Community School District)	86.3	83.8	2.5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	71.7	75.3	3.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Prairie Trail Elementary)	94.3	95.3	1%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Ankeny Community School District)	85	86.2	1.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	70.5	73.1	2.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Prairie Trail Elementary)	97.2	93	4.2%
4th Grade Mathematics (Ankeny Community School District)	88.8	84	4.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	72.5	72.9	0.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Prairie Trail Elementary)	84.2	83	1.2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Ankeny Community School District)	84.9	80.7	4.2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	67.3	68.3	1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Prairie Trail Elementary)	87.2	89.4	2.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Ankeny Community School District)	87.7	82.8	4.9%
5th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	69.4	71.3	1.9%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	711	571	19.7%
African American	5	18	260%
American Indian	3	1	66.7%
Asian	16	16
Hispanic	16	34	112.5%
Pacific Islander	1	1
White	632	468	25.9%
Two or More Races	38	33	13.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	8.4%	7%	1.4%

Schools Near Prairie Trail Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ISASP English Language Arts (2024)			ISASP Mathematics (2024)			ISASP Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Prairie Trail Elementary	Public	K-5	1850 SW College Ave	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9605	571	35	16.3	7.0%	468 (82.0%)	18 (3.2%)	34 (6.0%)	16 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.8%)	91.2	8^th of 557 public elementary schools	98.6%		88.7	18^th of 565 public elementary schools	96.8%	10	89.7	91.3	88.5	97.4	94.2	89.7	78.2	$11,662	$230	$11,432
Crocker Elementary School	Public	K-5	2910 SW Applewood St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9710	500	36	13.9	19.2%	394 (78.8%)	16 (3.2%)	34 (6.8%)	14 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.4%)	75.5	108^th of 557 public elementary schools	80.6%		84.8	40^th of 565 public elementary schools	92.9%	68	76.2	84.4	77.9	86.1	79.2	80.5	71.4	$12,111	$254	$11,857
Heritage Elementary	Public	K-5	301 SW Prairie Trail Pky	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9645	610	35	17.4	30.3%	441 (72.3%)	20 (3.3%)	84 (13.8%)	35 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.9%)	62.6	224^th of 557 public elementary schools	59.8%		74.8	118^th of 565 public elementary schools	79.1%	106	69.0	79.2	75.6	81.6	80.2	74.4	55.6
Northwest Elementary School	Public	K-5	1202 W First St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 965-9680	354	26	13.5	33.6%	244 (68.9%)	27 (7.6%)	45 (12.7%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.0%)	55.1	298^th of 557 public elementary schools	46.5%		58.2	257^th of 565 public elementary schools	54.5%	41	59.6	71.0	75.0	73.7	78.3	72.9	66.7	$12,743	$644	$12,099
Westwood Elementary School	Public	K-5	2920 NW 9th St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9690	642	38	16.9	16.4%	538 (83.8%)	19 (3.0%)	44 (6.9%)	7 (1.1%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (4.8%)	82.5	57^th of 557 public elementary schools	89.8%		75	117^th of 565 public elementary schools	79.3%	60	87.0	82.7	81.4	93.5	83.7	82.4	75.7	$11,911	$384	$11,527
Southeast Elementary School	Public	K-5	1005 SE Trilein Dr	Ankeny	50021	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 965-9650	520	36	14.4	29.6%	374 (71.9%)	41 (7.9%)	48 (9.2%)	20 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.1%)	60.4	251^st of 557 public elementary schools	54.9%		72.7	139^th of 565 public elementary schools	75.4%	112	71.4	79.1	68.2	72.4	83.7	68.2	69.4	$11,914	$404	$11,509
East Elementary School	Public	K-5	710 SE 3rd St	Ankeny	50021	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 965-9660	413	29	14.3	36.6%	279 (67.6%)	30 (7.3%)	38 (9.2%)	15 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (12.1%)	53.1	311^th of 557 public elementary schools	44.2%		46.2	359^th of 565 public elementary schools	36.5%	48	73.7	74.6	71.6	77.2	68.3	64.2	61.2	$11,901	$351	$11,551
Ashland Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	2600 NW Ash Drive	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9594	759	38	20.0	10.7%	633 (83.4%)	25 (3.3%)	35 (4.6%)	26 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.3%)	81.2	61^st of 557 public elementary schools	89.0%		85.1	38^th of 565 public elementary schools	93.3%	23	82.0	87.1	85.7	85.0	83.3	84.0	71.2	$11,160	$239	$10,921
Northeast Elementary	Public	K-5	1705 NE Trilein Dr	Ankeny	50021	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9620	655	39	16.8	10.4%	533 (81.4%)	23 (3.5%)	40 (6.1%)	23 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.5%)	83.7	48^th of 557 public elementary schools	91.4%		86.6	30^th of 565 public elementary schools	94.7%	18	83.6	90.5	86.4	94.8	85.7	83.1	66.9	$11,723	$246	$11,477
Cornell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	5817 NE 3rd St	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Saydel Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 244-8173	527	39	13.5	41.9%	386 (73.2%)	4 (0.8%)	96 (18.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (7.6%)	34.5	419^th of 557 public elementary schools	24.8%		44.3	370^th of 565 public elementary schools	34.5%	49	41.9	67.7		76.7	66.7			$12,990	$832	$12,159

Frequently Asked Questions about Prairie Trail Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Prairie Trail Elementary?

Students at Prairie Trail Elementary are 82% White, 6% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% African American, 3% Asian.

What district is Prairie Trail Elementary in?

Ankeny Community School District

Is Prairie Trail Elementary a good school?

Yes! Prairie Trail Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 8^th of 557 Iowa elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Prairie Trail Elementary attend?

Students who attend Prairie Trail Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Parkview Middle School
High : Ankeny High School

How many students attend Prairie Trail Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 571 students attended Prairie Trail Elementary.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.