Helen Lemme Elementary School

Q: Is Helen Lemme Elementary School a good school?

Helen Lemme Elementary School ranks 245 th of 557 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Helen Lemme Elementary School is a public elementary school in Iowa City, Iowa, serving 391 students in grades PK-6. The school is part of the Iowa City Community School District, which is ranked 221 out of 309 districts in the state.

Helen Lemme Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 76.7% of 5th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 72% for the district and 69% for the state. In Mathematics, 80% of 3rd-grade students were proficient or better, compared to 72.7% for the district and 76.3% for the state. The school's performance in 5th-grade Science is also noteworthy, with 65% proficient or better, compared to 61.5% for the district and 59.6% for the state.

When compared to nearby schools, Helen Lemme Elementary stands out as a relatively high-performing school, particularly in terms of academic achievement. Schools like Bohumil Shimek Elementary and Grant Wood Elementary, which have similar or lower percentages of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, perform at a comparable or slightly lower level than Helen Lemme. The school's strong academic performance, despite its diverse student population and relatively high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, suggests that it may have effective teaching practices, curriculum, or other factors that contribute to its success.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

3100 Washington St
Iowa City, IA 52245

(319) 688-1125

District: Iowa City Community School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
245^th of 557 Iowa Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,605

Students who attend Helen Lemme Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Southeast Junior High School
High:	Iowa City High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.6

Number of students: 391

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.5%

Hispanic:

18.9%

African American:

8.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 34.8%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Helen Lemme Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Helen Lemme Elementary School ranks better than 56% of elementary schools in Iowa. It also ranks 5^th among 19 ranked elementary schools in the Iowa City Community School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 60.65. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Helen Lemme Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Iowa City Community School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Helen Lemme Elementary School is $12,605. 14 elementary schools in the Iowa City Community School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Helen Lemme Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Iowa City Community School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Iowa City Community School District 221^st of 309 Iowa school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Helen Lemme Elementary School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IA State Percentile
2012	57.46	306^th	626	51.1%
2013	61.84	256^th	624	59.0%
2014	65.27	227^th	603	62.4%
2015	60.72	274^th	616	55.5%
2016	66.67	215^th	599	64.1%
2017	64.67	230^th	574	59.9%
2018	62.79	238^th	567	58.0%
2019	68.31	186^th	603	69.2%
2021	48.80	321^st	567	43.4%
2022	58.63	256^th	574	55.4%
2023	60.45	243^rd	565	57.0%
2024	60.65	245^th	557	56.0%

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 Helen Lemme Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	324	8	13	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	346
1989	330	10	6	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	351
1990	345	12	5	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	365
1991	334	15	5	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	354
1992	341	15	9	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	367
1993	350	15	8	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	374
1994	346	10	8	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	369
1995	311	12	6	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	337
1996	311	12	6	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	337
1997	320	20	6	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	358
1998	281	18	7	11	3	n/a	n/a	0	320
1999	273	20	8	15	3	n/a	n/a	0	319
2000	265	16	9	19	2	n/a	n/a	-16	295
2001	246	17	9	30	2	n/a	n/a	0	304
2002	219	20	9	32	1	n/a	n/a	0	281
2003	219	20	9	32	1	n/a	n/a	0	281
2004	215	21	12	32	1	n/a	n/a	0	281
2005	200	23	10	33	1	n/a	n/a	0	267
2006	224	14	8	33	0	n/a	n/a	0	279
2007	236	13	6	28	0	n/a	n/a	0	283
2008	234	25	6	24	0	n/a	n/a	0	289
2009	239	22	7	28	0	n/a	n/a	0	296
2010	258	27	7	34	3	0	0	0	329
2011	246	30	11	42	4	0	0	0	333
2012	250	29	14	43	4	0	4	0	344
2013	256	29	12	50	0	0	13	0	360
2014	267	28	18	68	0	0	18	0	399
2015	258	26	18	77	0	1	20	0	400
2016	248	36	14	65	0	1	26	0	390
2017	239	28	14	64	0	2	28	0	375
2018	240	31	12	65	0	2	26	0	376
2019	263	30	10	59	1	2	30	0	395
2020	252	31	4	55	0	1	25	0	368
2021	232	29	5	50	0	1	22	0	339
2022	248	32	4	61	0	0	31	0	376
2023	256	32	3	74	0	0	26	0	391

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 Helen Lemme Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	346	16.7	20.7	2.6
1989	351	18.4	19.0	5.7
1990	365	19.9	18.3	4.9
1991	354	20.3	17.4	5.1
1992	367	17.0	21.5	6.5
1993	374	16.8	22.3	5.6
1994	369	16.5	22.4	5.7
1995	337	14.5	23.2	4.7
1996	337	14.5	23.2	4.7
1997	358	17.4	20.6	6.7
1998	320	15.5	20.6	8.4
1999	319	15.7	20.3	15.4
2000	295	15.3	19.3	15.4
2001	304	16.0	19.0	21.1
2002	281	17.5	16.1	16.4
2003	281	17.5	16.1	16.4
2004	281	18.0	15.6	19.9
2005	267	17.5	15.3	20.6
2006	279	16.5	16.9	18.6
2007	283	18.0	15.7	18
2008	289	18.0	16.1	22.8
2009	296	6.2	47.7	25.3
2010	329	19.3	17.0	25.5
2011	333	21.5	15.4	29.7
2012	344	23.6	14.5	26.5
2013	360	23.7	15.1	22.8
2014	399	26.5	15.0	26.6
2015	400	27.0	14.8	26.3
2016	390	26.0	15.0	27.4
2017	375	21.0	17.8	30.7
2018	376	24.9	15.0	29
2019	395	23.9	16.5	29.4
2020	368	22.1	16.6	27.7
2021	339	21.3	15.8	27.1
2022	376	24.4	15.3	30.6
2023	391	24.9	15.6	34.8

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 Helen Lemme Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	346	16.7	20.7	2.6
1989	351	18.4	19.0	5.7
1990	365	19.9	18.3	4.9
1991	354	20.3	17.4	5.1
1992	367	17.0	21.5	6.5
1993	374	16.8	22.3	5.6
1994	369	16.5	22.4	5.7
1995	337	14.5	23.2	4.7
1996	337	14.5	23.2	4.7
1997	358	17.4	20.6	6.7
1998	320	15.5	20.6	8.4
1999	319	15.7	20.3	15.4
2000	295	15.3	19.3	15.4
2001	304	16.0	19.0	21.1
2002	281	17.5	16.1	16.4
2003	281	17.5	16.1	16.4
2004	281	18.0	15.6	19.9
2005	267	17.5	15.3	20.6
2006	279	16.5	16.9	18.6
2007	283	18.0	15.7	18
2008	289	18.0	16.1	22.8
2009	296	6.2	47.7	25.3
2010	329	19.3	17.0	25.5
2011	333	21.5	15.4	29.7
2012	344	23.6	14.5	26.5
2013	360	23.7	15.1	22.8
2014	399	26.5	15.0	26.6
2015	400	27.0	14.8	26.3
2016	390	26.0	15.0	27.4
2017	375	21.0	17.8	30.7
2018	376	24.9	15.0	29
2019	395	23.9	16.5	29.4
2020	368	22.1	16.6	27.7
2021	339	21.3	15.8	27.1
2022	376	24.4	15.3	30.6
2023	391	24.9	15.6	34.8

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 Helen Lemme Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$204 (1.6%)	$12,400 (98.4%)	$12,605

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Helen Lemme 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 186^th of 603 Elementary schools	Ranks 243^rd of 565 Elementary schools	12.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Helen Lemme Elementary School)	66	68.8	2.8%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Iowa City Community School District)	64.5	63.9	0.6%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	65.3	66.3	1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Helen Lemme Elementary School)	70	77.1	7.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Iowa City Community School District)	72	70.2	1.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	71.7	75.3	3.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Helen Lemme Elementary School)	86.5	75.4	11.1%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa City Community School District)	69.8	76	6.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	70.5	73.1	2.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Helen Lemme Elementary School)	75.7	80.3	4.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Iowa City Community School District)	69.5	72.4	2.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	72.5	72.9	0.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Helen Lemme Elementary School)	71.9	66.7	5.2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa City Community School District)	65.9	65	0.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	67.3	68.3	1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Helen Lemme Elementary School)	86	71.2	14.8%
5th Grade Mathematics (Iowa City Community School District)	69.4	67.4	2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	69.4	71.3	1.9%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Helen Lemme Elementary School)	77.3	82.5	5.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa City Community School District)	72.6	77	4.4%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	67.5	72.7	5.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Helen Lemme Elementary School)	83.3	80.7	2.6%
6th Grade Mathematics (Iowa City Community School District)	78.7	74.6	4.1%
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	395	391	1%
African American	30	32	6.7%
American Indian	1	0	100%
Asian	10	3	70%
Hispanic	59	74	25.4%
Pacific Islander	2	0	100%
White	263	256	2.7%
Two or More Races	30	26	13.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	29.4%	34.8%	5.4%

Schools Near Helen Lemme 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
Helen Lemme Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3100 Washington St	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1125	391	25	15.6	34.8%	256 (65.5%)	32 (8.2%)	74 (18.9%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.6%)	60.7	245^th of 557 public elementary schools	56.0%		60.5	243^rd of 565 public elementary schools	57.0%	2	71.1	76.1	76.7	66.7	80.0	80.4	75.0	77.8	65.0	$12,605	$204	$12,400
Robert Lucas Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	830 Southlawn Dr	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1140	285	25	11.4	43.5%	139 (48.8%)	88 (30.9%)	29 (10.2%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (8.8%)	34.5	420^th of 557 public elementary schools	24.6%		47.6	347^th of 565 public elementary schools	38.6%	73	52.6	51.7	81.3	69.8	55.3	48.3	81.3	48.8	71.9	$14,649	$1,493	$13,155
Herbert Hoover Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1355 Barrington Rd	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1110	504	39	13.0	48.2%	232 (46.0%)	87 (17.3%)	138 (27.4%)	24 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.6%)	55.5	297^th of 557 public elementary schools	46.7%		54.1	292^nd of 565 public elementary schools	48.3%	5	75.0	72.2	78.7	76.6	76.2	70.4	73.8	59.4	63.9
Longfellow Elementary School	Public	K-6	1130 Seymour Ave	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1135	385	32	12.1	57.4%	177 (46.0%)	104 (27.0%)	69 (17.9%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (7.3%)	37	401^st of 557 public elementary schools	28.0%		40.4	394^th of 565 public elementary schools	30.3%	7	62.5	65.5	66.0	73.2	54.7	56.9	64.0	80.5	60.0	$13,112	$279	$12,833
Mark Twain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1355 DeForest Avenue	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1165	246	25	9.8	65.0%	84 (34.1%)	63 (25.6%)	79 (32.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.9%)	23.3	462^nd of 557 public elementary schools	17.1%		21.5	474^th of 565 public elementary schools	16.1%	12	58.3	52.4	61.3	66.7	66.7	28.6	64.5	47.6	48.4	$15,834	$1,165	$14,669
Horace Mann Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	521 N Dodge St	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1145	213	17	12.5	35.2%	147 (69.0%)	26 (12.2%)	24 (11.3%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	12 (5.6%)	49.5	333^rd of 557 public elementary schools	40.2%		56.5	271^st of 565 public elementary schools	52.0%	62	69.7	67.7	67.9	81.5	69.7	51.6	71.4	77.8	67.9	$16,025	$649	$15,377
Grant Wood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1930 Lakeside Dr	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1180	391	35	11.1	73.1%	94 (24.0%)	189 (48.3%)	79 (20.2%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	19 (4.9%)	7.9	520^th of 557 public elementary schools	6.6%		6.7	533^rd of 565 public elementary schools	5.7%	13	42.5	44.9	58.0	52.8	55.0	34.7	42.0	37.7	44.0	$15,646	$1,067	$14,579
Bohumil Shimek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1400 Grissel Place	Iowa City	52245	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1160	214	17	12.2	20.1%	157 (73.4%)	19 (8.9%)	11 (5.1%)	10 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.9%)	75.1	111^th of 557 public elementary schools	80.1%		73.8	129^th of 565 public elementary schools	77.2%	18	80.0	73.7	87.9	91.3	88.0	65.0	81.8	73.9	78.8	$14,044	$230	$13,813
Alexander Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	3571 Sycamore St.	Iowa City	52240	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1095	345	31	11.1	67.5%	81 (23.5%)	163 (47.2%)	56 (16.2%)	10 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	32 (9.3%)	17.1	482^nd of 557 public elementary schools	13.5%		26.8	453^rd of 565 public elementary schools	19.8%	29	55.2	59.5	62.8	60.0	51.7	50.0	55.8	50.0	41.9	$15,246	$1,427	$13,819
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	K-6	300 Teeters Court	Iowa City	52246	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1130	223	16	13.9	31.8%	122 (54.7%)	47 (21.1%)	18 (8.1%)	18 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	15 (6.7%)	75.9	105^th of 557 public elementary schools	81.1%		77	108^th of 565 public elementary schools	80.9%	3	70.6	82.6	93.1	84.0	79.4	82.6	89.7	72.0	89.7	$13,259	$202	$13,057

Frequently Asked Questions about Helen Lemme Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Helen Lemme Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Helen Lemme Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Southeast Junior High School
High : Iowa City High School

Is Helen Lemme Elementary School a good school?

Helen Lemme Elementary School ranks 245^th of 557 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Helen Lemme Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 391 students attended Helen Lemme Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Helen Lemme Elementary School?

Students at Helen Lemme Elementary School are 65% White, 19% Hispanic, 8% African American, 7% Two or more races.

What district is Helen Lemme Elementary School in?

Iowa City Community School District

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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.