Poyner Elementary

Summary:

Poyner Elementary is a public elementary school in Evansdale, Iowa, serving 362 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Waterloo Community School District. While the school generally outperforms the district and state in academic assessments, it faces challenges related to its high poverty rates, with over 65% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

Poyner Elementary stands out for its lower student-teacher ratio compared to nearby schools, ranging from 11.2 to 11.8 students per teacher. The school also has a higher percentage of white students (66.85%) than the surrounding area. In terms of academic performance, Poyner's 3rd-grade students outperformed the district and state in English Language Arts proficiency in the 2023-2024 school year, with a 63.3% proficiency rate compared to 56.7% for the district and 64.2% for the state. However, some nearby schools, such as Orange Elementary and Kingsley Elementary, have significantly higher proficiency rates and statewide rankings.

Poyner Elementary's performance has been inconsistent, with its statewide ranking fluctuating between 349 out of 567 Iowa elementary schools in 2020-2021 to 440 out of 557 in 2023-2024. Its star rating from SchoolDigger has also varied from 0 to 2 stars out of 5. These factors, combined with the school's high poverty rates, suggest that Poyner Elementary faces unique challenges that may require further investigation to understand the factors contributing to its strengths and areas for improvement.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 1138 Central Ave
       Evansdale, IA  50707


(319) 433-1534

District: Waterloo Community School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
440th of 557 Iowa Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,693 Help


Students who attend Poyner Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Bunger Middle School
High:    East High School

Student/teacher ratio:  11.2 Help
Number of students:  362

Racial breakdown:

White:
66.9%
Hispanic:
11.3%
Two or more races:
11.3%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  68.8% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Poyner Elementary ranks worse than 79% of elementary schools in Iowa. It also ranks 5th among 11 ranked elementary schools in the Waterloo Community School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 31.04. (See more...)
Help
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
Help
Compare Details Poyner Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Waterloo Community School District.  (See more...)
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Poyner Elementary is $13,693, which is the 4th highest among 11 elementary schools in the Waterloo Community School District.
Schooldigger Rankings:

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

Waterloo Community School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Waterloo Community School District 293rd of 309 Iowa school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Poyner Elementary.

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Rank History for Poyner Elementary

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools IA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2012 21.46 562nd 626 10.2%
2013 16.57 569th 624 8.8%
2014 9.84 561st 603 7.0%
2015 26.54 505th 616 18.0%
2016 16.84 527th 599 12.0%
2017 23.72 481st 574 16.2%
2018 18.94 488th 567 13.9%
2019 37.63 420th 603 30.3%
2021 44.69 349th 567 38.4%
2022 38.18 406th 574 29.3%
2023 40.84 392nd 565 30.6%
2024 31.04 440th 557 21.0%
See the entire list of Iowa Elementary School Rankings!

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

Poyner Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    





Data source: Iowa Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Monday, July 20, 2020

Open Quote As I teacher I have worked with multiple principals and elementary school staff. This is the most unprofessional group of "professionals" I have ever worked with. The principal is the most mentally unstable human being I have ever met. She has little to no emotional control. She once stopped a parent meeting to scream at the top of her lungs at students right outside the door. It was excruciatingly embarrassing. She functions much like 6th grade mean girl both cognitively and socially. She is unable to focus on anything in order to accomplish anything. She is unable to follow through on commitments, obligations to staff, and or deadlines. To compensate she makes up scenarios where she is the hero and of a HUGE HR mess, usually a villainous staff situation. It's much like children blaming a sibling to shift the burden of blame. To ensure this simpleton ploy works with her supervisors she spends most of her time gaslighting and gossiping with a large amount of low-level building staff to create social dominance to create a scenario where one staff person is single-handily destroying the building's success. She rallies the troops with half-truths and emotions to make sure they know she is not the one who is failing Poyner. Teacher X is. These low-level, under-educated, under-supported, and under-paid employees love the power they feel when conspiring with a school administrator, who gives them extra breaks, plus they achieve feelings of safety in a toxic work environment. Principal nut job also ENCOURAGES student management behaviors such as bullying, verbal abuse, and physical restraint to control the students as she is terrified, she does not look in control. She sneers at research-based methods to shape behavior and dictates the most disabled students never show they are different. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Poyner Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2008 390 30 7 21 5 n/a n/a 0 453
2009 413 33 10 18 2 n/a n/a 0 476
2010 403 26 4 13 1 1 22 0 470
2011 395 22 6 11 1 1 19 0 455
2012 420 18 4 13 1 2 30 0 488
2013 433 24 6 19 1 1 37 0 521
2014 435 22 6 25 1 2 40 0 531
2015 407 23 6 28 0 2 43 0 509
2016 373 23 6 27 0 0 40 0 469
2017 371 22 3 26 0 0 45 0 467
2018 359 16 2 32 3 0 41 0 453
2019 326 18 0 30 4 0 42 0 420
2020 288 20 0 30 2 0 37 0 377
2021 263 24 0 33 1 0 37 0 358
2022 256 24 1 37 1 0 38 0 357
2023 242 35 1 41 1 1 41 0 362

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 Poyner Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2008 453 34.0 13.3 49
2009 476 30.2 15.8 51.1
2010 470 39.0 12.0 51.9
2011 455 35.0 13.0 58
2012 488 33.9 14.3 55.5
2013 521 35.1 14.8 60.8
2014 531 37.0 14.3 58.6
2015 509 36.0 14.1 56.2
2016 469 33.0 14.2 57.1
2017 467 33.5 13.9 61
2018 453 34.2 13.2 54.5
2019 420 32.2 13.0 60.2
2020 377 26.7 14.1 59.7
2021 358 30.2 11.8 65.6
2022 357 31.2 11.4 68.1
2023 362 32.2 11.2 68.8

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 Poyner Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2008 453 34.0 13.3 49
2009 476 30.2 15.8 51.1
2010 470 39.0 12.0 51.9
2011 455 35.0 13.0 58
2012 488 33.9 14.3 55.5
2013 521 35.1 14.8 60.8
2014 531 37.0 14.3 58.6
2015 509 36.0 14.1 56.2
2016 469 33.0 14.2 57.1
2017 467 33.5 13.9 61
2018 453 34.2 13.2 54.5
2019 420 32.2 13.0 60.2
2020 377 26.7 14.1 59.7
2021 358 30.2 11.8 65.6
2022 357 31.2 11.4 68.1
2023 362 32.2 11.2 68.8

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 Poyner Elementary

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,573 (11.5%) $12,118 (88.5%) $13,693

Data source: Iowa Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Poyner 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 420th of 603 Elementary schoolsRanks 392nd of 565 Elementary schools
 0.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Poyner Elementary)66.760
 6.7%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Waterloo Community School District)50.354.6
 4.3%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)65.366.3
 1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Poyner Elementary)70.470
 0.4%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Waterloo Community School District)49.567.5
 18%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Iowa)71.775.3
 3.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Poyner Elementary)6854.5
 13.5%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Waterloo Community School District)54.759.6
 4.9%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)70.573.1
 2.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Poyner Elementary)5647.7
 8.3%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Waterloo Community School District)53.561.9
 8.4%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)72.572.9
 0.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Poyner Elementary)62.473.3
 10.9%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Waterloo Community School District)5660.2
 4.2%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)67.368.3
 1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Poyner Elementary)63.580
 16.5%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Waterloo Community School District)55.770
 14.3%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)69.471.3
 1.9%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students420362
 13.8%
African American1835
 94.4%
American Indian41
 75%
Asian01
Hispanic3041
 36.7%
Pacific Islander01
White326242
 25.8%
Two or More Races4241
 2.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients60.2%68.8%
 8.5%


Schools Near Poyner Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Poyner Elementary

Poyner Elementary ranks in the bottom 21.0% of Iowa elementary schools.

Students at Poyner Elementary are 67% White, 11% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 10% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 362 students attended Poyner Elementary.

Students who attend Poyner Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bunger Middle School
High : East 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.





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