Orchard Hill Elementary School

Q: Is Orchard Hill Elementary School a good school?

Orchard Hill Elementary School ranks 206 th of 557 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Orchard Hill Elementary School is a public elementary school in Cedar Falls, Iowa, serving 436 students in grades PK-6 as part of the Cedar Falls Community School District. The school maintains a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger, ranking in the top half of elementary schools in the state.

Orchard Hill's student population has a higher percentage of White students (80.05%) compared to the state average and nearby schools in the Cedar Falls district. The school also has a lower percentage of African American and Hispanic students, but a higher percentage of Asian and multiracial students. Academically, Orchard Hill's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are consistently higher than the state averages across all grade levels, though slightly lower than the district average in ELA. The school's Science proficiency rates for 5th grade are also higher than the state average.

While Orchard Hill is a solid-performing school, Bess Streeter Aldrich Elementary and Helen A. Hansen Elementary, both within the Cedar Falls district, outperform Orchard Hill in academic measures and have higher SchoolDigger rankings. This suggests that Orchard Hill could benefit from learning best practices and strategies from these higher-performing schools to further enhance its academic outcomes.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

3909 Rownd St
Cedar Falls, IA 50613

(319) 553-2465

District: Cedar Falls Community School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
206^th of 557 Iowa Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,775

Students who attend Orchard Hill Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Peet Junior High School
High:	Cedar Falls High School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.8

Number of students: 436

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.0%

Two or more races:

7.3%

Asian:

5.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 31.7%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Orchard Hill Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Orchard Hill Elementary School ranks better than 63% of elementary schools in Iowa. It also ranks 5^th among 7 ranked elementary schools in the Cedar Falls Community School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 64.29. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (80%), two or more races (7.3%), Asian (5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 31.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Orchard Hill Elementary School is 12.8, which is the 2^nd best among 7 elementary schools in the Cedar Falls Community School District. (See more...)

Compare Orchard Hill Elementary School employs 33.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Orchard Hill Elementary School is $12,775, which is the 3^rd highest among 7 elementary schools in the Cedar Falls Community School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Orchard Hill Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Cedar Falls Community School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Cedar Falls Community School District 53^rd of 309 Iowa school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Orchard Hill Elementary School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IA State Percentile
2012	57.14	312^th	626	50.2%
2013	48.63	394^th	624	36.9%
2014	63.70	242^nd	603	59.9%
2015	57.66	303^rd	616	50.8%
2016	70.01	173^rd	599	71.1%
2017	72.65	144^th	574	74.9%
2018	74.35	123^rd	567	78.3%
2019	73.41	145^th	603	76.0%
2021	74.54	125^th	567	78.0%
2022	66.02	209^th	574	63.6%
2023	66.93	184^th	565	67.4%
2024	64.29	206^th	557	63.0%

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 Orchard Hill Elementary School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	310	3	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	315
1989	309	2	4	4	7	n/a	n/a	0	326
1990	316	6	12	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	339
1991	291	9	13	5	3	n/a	n/a	0	321
1992	306	6	15	3	3	n/a	n/a	0	333
1993	302	4	15	2	2	n/a	n/a	0	325
1994	291	9	12	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	313
1995	275	10	19	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	309
1996	275	10	19	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	309
1997	276	14	10	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	304
1998	268	13	22	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	309
1999	268	10	14	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	296
2000	280	17	13	8	0	n/a	n/a	-20	298
2001	258	20	15	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	302
2002	261	21	8	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	299
2003	261	21	8	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	299
2004	264	25	9	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	317
2005	264	24	15	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	316
2006	271	21	17	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	324
2007	274	28	22	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	334
2008	277	29	14	6	2	n/a	n/a	0	328
2009	299	36	15	9	2	n/a	n/a	0	361
2010	299	21	16	10	2	0	18	0	366
2011	289	25	20	8	2	1	22	0	367
2012	298	32	25	7	3	0	24	0	389
2013	339	39	20	11	2	0	24	0	435
2014	331	34	11	11	1	0	25	0	413
2015	334	25	12	11	1	2	21	0	406
2016	326	19	11	10	1	3	24	0	394
2017	312	20	14	11	0	1	27	0	385
2018	294	16	15	10	0	1	27	0	363
2019	317	15	18	8	1	1	27	0	387
2020	353	19	26	12	1	1	24	0	436
2021	361	21	29	9	1	0	26	0	447
2022	353	13	21	10	2	7	24	0	430
2023	349	9	22	13	1	10	32	0	436

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 Orchard Hill Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	315	14.5	21.7	17.5
1989	326	1.5	217.3	19.9
1990	339	15.0	22.6	17.4
1991	321	15.0	21.4	15.3
1992	333	16.0	20.8	19.2
1993	325	15.0	21.7	17.8
1994	313	16.0	19.6	17.9
1995	309	16.0	19.3	17.8
1996	309	16.0	19.3	17.8
1997	304	16.0	19.0	16.4
1998	309	16.0	19.3	16.5
1999	296	20.1	14.7	26.4
2000	298	18.5	16.1	25.2
2001	302	20.9	14.4	24.5
2002	299	18.9	15.8	23.7
2003	299	18.9	15.8	23.7
2004	317	18.8	16.9	24.6
2005	316	25.6	12.3	24.1
2006	324	27.2	11.9	21.9
2007	334	24.9	13.4	24.9
2008	328	18.3	17.9	21
2009	361	16.0	22.6	23.8
2010	366	21.5	17.0	27
2011	367	23.8	15.4	25.1
2012	389	25.1	15.4	28
2013	435	29.7	14.6	32.9
2014	413	29.2	14.1	32.9
2015	406	31.0	13.0	29.6
2016	394	30.0	13.1	32.7
2017	385	27.7	13.8	26.8
2018	363	27.8	13.0	20.9
2019	387	29.9	12.9	21.7
2020	436	33.3	13.0	23.2
2021	447	33.8	13.2	26.6
2022	430	31.8	13.4	26.3
2023	436	33.8	12.8	31.7

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 Orchard Hill Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	315	14.5	21.7	17.5
1989	326	1.5	217.3	19.9
1990	339	15.0	22.6	17.4
1991	321	15.0	21.4	15.3
1992	333	16.0	20.8	19.2
1993	325	15.0	21.7	17.8
1994	313	16.0	19.6	17.9
1995	309	16.0	19.3	17.8
1996	309	16.0	19.3	17.8
1997	304	16.0	19.0	16.4
1998	309	16.0	19.3	16.5
1999	296	20.1	14.7	26.4
2000	298	18.5	16.1	25.2
2001	302	20.9	14.4	24.5
2002	299	18.9	15.8	23.7
2003	299	18.9	15.8	23.7
2004	317	18.8	16.9	24.6
2005	316	25.6	12.3	24.1
2006	324	27.2	11.9	21.9
2007	334	24.9	13.4	24.9
2008	328	18.3	17.9	21
2009	361	16.0	22.6	23.8
2010	366	21.5	17.0	27
2011	367	23.8	15.4	25.1
2012	389	25.1	15.4	28
2013	435	29.7	14.6	32.9
2014	413	29.2	14.1	32.9
2015	406	31.0	13.0	29.6
2016	394	30.0	13.1	32.7
2017	385	27.7	13.8	26.8
2018	363	27.8	13.0	20.9
2019	387	29.9	12.9	21.7
2020	436	33.3	13.0	23.2
2021	447	33.8	13.2	26.6
2022	430	31.8	13.4	26.3
2023	436	33.8	12.8	31.7

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 Orchard Hill Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$396 (3.1%)	$12,378 (96.9%)	$12,775

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Orchard Hill Elementary School

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 145^th of 603 Elementary schools	Ranks 184^th of 565 Elementary schools	8.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Orchard Hill Elementary School)	66.7	84.2	17.5%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Cedar Falls Community School District)	78.6	84.8	6.2%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	65.3	66.3	1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Orchard Hill Elementary School)	78.4	89.5	11.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Cedar Falls Community School District)	82	87.3	5.3%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	71.7	75.3	3.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Orchard Hill Elementary School)	92.2	74.5	17.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Cedar Falls Community School District)	84.7	83.3	1.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	70.5	73.1	2.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Orchard Hill Elementary School)	82.4	70.9	11.5%
4th Grade Mathematics (Cedar Falls Community School District)	82.8	80	2.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	72.5	72.9	0.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Orchard Hill Elementary School)	83.7	75	8.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Cedar Falls Community School District)	80.9	78.1	2.8%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	67.3	68.3	1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Orchard Hill Elementary School)	71.4	80.8	9.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Cedar Falls Community School District)	79.5	79.2	0.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	69.4	71.3	1.9%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Orchard Hill Elementary School)	83.8	79.7	4.1%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Cedar Falls Community School District)	81.7	86.6	4.9%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	67.5	72.7	5.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Orchard Hill Elementary School)	77.9	66.1	11.8%
6th Grade Mathematics (Cedar Falls Community School District)	79.7	78.9	0.8%
6th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	69.4	69.9	0.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	387	436	12.7%
African American	15	9	40%
American Indian	1	1
Asian	18	22	22.2%
Hispanic	8	13	62.5%
Pacific Islander	1	10	900%
White	317	349	10.1%
Two or More Races	27	32	18.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	21.7%	31.7%	9.9%

Schools Near Orchard Hill Elementary School

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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Orchard Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3909 Rownd St	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2465	436	34	12.8	31.7%	349 (80.0%)	9 (2.1%)	13 (3.0%)	22 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.3%)	32 (7.3%)	64.3	206^th of 557 public elementary schools	63.0%		66.9	184^th of 565 public elementary schools	67.4%	22	68.0	75.0	82.0	78.4	94.0	81.7	72.0	70.6	62.0	$12,775	$396	$12,378
Southdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	627 Orchard Dr	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2900	530	40	13.2	23.0%	418 (78.9%)	22 (4.2%)	18 (3.4%)	38 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.4%)	73.9	119^th of 557 public elementary schools	78.6%		80.8	72^nd of 565 public elementary schools	87.3%	47	81.8	91.2	87.1	74.3	89.1	77.9	81.4	75.7	71.4	$11,540	$473	$11,067
Cedar Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2417 Rainbow Dr	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 553-2855	474	33	14.4	39.5%	383 (80.8%)	34 (7.2%)	11 (2.3%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	36 (7.6%)	59.7	258^th of 557 public elementary schools	53.7%		62.4	221^st of 565 public elementary schools	60.9%	37	70.1	80.9	63.3	86.4	88.1	74.5	70.0	74.6	55.0	$11,656	$449	$11,208
Fred Becker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1239 Sheldon St	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2180	473	35	13.4	75.7%	209 (44.2%)	142 (30.0%)	45 (9.5%)	9 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.6%)	50 (10.6%)	15.1	489^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.2%		14.6	506^th of 565 public elementary schools	10.4%	17	44.4	52.7	48.5		61.9	58.2	54.5		47.0	$13,341	$1,146	$12,194
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	321 8th Street	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 553-2950	453	33	13.7	45.3%	364 (80.4%)	41 (9.1%)	15 (3.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	27 (6.0%)	69.7	166^th of 557 public elementary schools	70.2%		63.8	212^th of 565 public elementary schools	62.5%	46	77.8	86.8	74.2	79.7	81.0	81.1	72.6	79.7	71.0	$13,045	$435	$12,609
Bess Streeter Aldrich Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2526 Ashworth Drive	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2901	485	29	16.5	8.0%	433 (89.3%)	5 (1.0%)	5 (1.0%)	19 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.5%)	91.5	7^th of 557 public elementary schools	98.7%		89.2	15^th of 565 public elementary schools	97.3%	8	87.1	93.1	95.9	93.5	90.0	94.4	95.9	88.7	87.8	$10,912	$517	$10,395
Helen A Hansen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	616 Holmes Dr	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2775	591	34	17.4	15.7%	494 (83.6%)	27 (4.6%)	15 (2.5%)	20 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.8%)	85.7	30^th of 557 public elementary schools	94.6%		87.7	23^rd of 565 public elementary schools	95.9%	7	86.0	87.7	85.7	90.8	87.2	81.5	82.9	96.1	81.9	$10,408	$395	$10,013
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	302 Cedar Bend St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1990	471	38	12.3	86.2%	96 (20.4%)	223 (47.3%)	46 (9.8%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.5%)	80 (17.0%)	15.4	486^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.7%		15.5	502^nd of 565 public elementary schools	11.2%	16	51.0	56.9	33.3		71.4	60.0	53.0		27.3	$14,309	$1,947	$12,361
Kingsley Elementary School	Public	K-5	201 Sunset Rd	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2210	343	26	12.9	53.4%	207 (60.3%)	43 (12.5%)	26 (7.6%)	11 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	52 (15.2%)	61.6	232^nd of 557 public elementary schools	58.3%		73.4	130^th of 565 public elementary schools	77.0%	102	72.5	73.8	70.8		88.2	85.2	66.7		56.3	$12,606	$882	$11,722
Irving Elementary School	Public	K-5	1115 W. 5th Street	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2800	402	32	12.5	91.8%	82 (20.4%)	149 (37.1%)	67 (16.7%)	22 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.0%)	50 (12.4%)	32.3	436^th of 557 public elementary schools	21.7%		26.5	456^th of 565 public elementary schools	19.3%	20	67.9	50.9	55.2		75.5	58.5	70.7		44.8	$13,386	$1,643	$11,742

Frequently Asked Questions about Orchard Hill Elementary School

Is Orchard Hill Elementary School a good school?

Orchard Hill Elementary School ranks 206^th of 557 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Orchard Hill Elementary School?

Students at Orchard Hill Elementary School are 80% White, 7% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 2% Pacific Islander, 2% African American.

What district is Orchard Hill Elementary School in?

Cedar Falls Community School District

How many students attend Orchard Hill Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 436 students attended Orchard Hill Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Orchard Hill Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Orchard Hill Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Peet Junior High School
High : Cedar Falls High School

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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.