Public School Review - Established 2003

Van Buren Elementary School vs. Prairie Ridge Elementary School

Should you attend Van Buren Elementary School or Prairie Ridge Elementary School? Visitors to our site frequently compare these two schools. Compare their rankings, test scores, reviews and more to help you determine which school is the best choice for you.

School Overview

School
Van Buren Elementary School
2525 29th St Sw
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
: 
1/
10
Bottom 50%
Prairie Ridge Elementary School
278 South Prairie Rd Sw
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
: 
10/
10
Top 10%
Top Rankings

Van Buren Elementary School ranks among the top 20% of public schools in Iowa for:

Category
Attribute
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 5%)
Percent Eligible For Free Lunch
Largest percent of students eligible for free lunch (Top 5%)
Student Attention
Lowest student:teacher ratio (Top 20%)

Prairie Ridge Elementary School ranks among the top 20% of public schools in Iowa for:

Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 10%)
Most improved public schools
Most improved public schools (Top 10%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 5%)
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 20%)
Overview
Serving 365 students in grades Kindergarten-5, Van Buren Elementary School ranks in the bottom 50% of all schools in Iowa for overall test scores (math proficiency is bottom 50%, and reading proficiency is bottom 50%).
The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 45-49% (which is lower than the Iowa state average of 64%). The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 40-44% (which is lower than the Iowa state average of 70%).
The student:teacher ratio of 12:1 is lower than the Iowa state level of 14:1.
Minority enrollment is 72% of the student body (majority Black), which is higher than the Iowa state average of 28% (majority Hispanic and Black).
Serving 440 students in grades Prekindergarten-4, Prairie Ridge Elementary School ranks in the top 10% of all schools in Iowa for overall test scores (math proficiency is top 5%, and reading proficiency is top 5%).
The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 85-89% (which is higher than the Iowa state average of 64%). The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 80-84% (which is higher than the Iowa state average of 70%).
The student:teacher ratio of 15:1 is higher than the Iowa state level of 14:1.
Minority enrollment is 25% of the student body (majority Black), which is lower than the Iowa state average of 28% (majority Hispanic).
Grades Offered
K-5
PK-4
Total Students
365 students
440 students
This chart displays total students of Van Buren Elementary School by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays total students of Prairie Ridge Elementary School by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Male | % Female
49% | 51%
51% | 49%
This chart displays gender of Van Buren Elementary School
This chart displays gender of Prairie Ridge Elementary School
Total Classroom Teachers
31 teachers
30 teachers
This chart displays the total teachers of Van Buren Elementary School by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the total teachers of Prairie Ridge Elementary School by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Student : Teacher Ratio
12:1
15:1
This chart displays the student teacher ratio of Van Buren Elementary School and the public school average student teacher ratio of Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the student teacher ratio of Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the public school average student teacher ratio of Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.

Test Scores

#1146 out of 1233 schools in IA
(Bottom 50%)
#72 out of 1233 schools in IA
(Top 10%)
This chart displays the overall school rank of Van Buren Elementary School, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
This chart displays the overall school rank of Prairie Ridge Elementary School, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
45-49%
(Bottom 50% in IA)
85-89%
(Top 5% in IA)
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Van Buren Elementary School and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of public schools in Iowa by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of public schools in Iowa by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
40-44%
(Bottom 50% in IA)
80-84%
(Top 20% in IA)
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Van Buren Elementary School and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Iowa by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Iowa by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
30-39%
(Bottom 50% in IA)
n/a
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Van Buren Elementary School and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of public schools in Iowa by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
n/a

Students by Grade

Students by Grade
This chart displays the students of Van Buren Elementary School by grade.
This chart displays the students of Prairie Ridge Elementary School by grade.
Pre-K Students
-
55
Kindergarten Students
73
78
Grade 1 Students
69
70
Grade 2 Students
46
80
Grade 3 Students
58
81
Grade 4 Students
57
76
Grade 5 Students
62
-

Students by Ethnicity

% American Indian
n/a
n/a
This chart displays the percentage of American Indian students in Van Buren Elementary School and percentage of American Indian public school students in Iowa by year, with the latest 2008-09 school year data.
n/a
% Asian
3%
1%
This chart displays the percentage of Asian students in Van Buren Elementary School and the percentage of Asian public school students in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of Asian students in Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the percentage of Asian public school students in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hispanic
25%
7%
This chart displays the percentage of Hispanic students in Van Buren Elementary School and the percentage of Hispanic public school students in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of Hispanic students in Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the percentage of Hispanic public school students in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Black
36%
11%
This chart displays the percentage of Black students in Van Buren Elementary School and the percentage of Black public school students in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of Black students in Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the percentage of Black public school students in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% White
28%
75%
This chart displays the percentage of White students in Van Buren Elementary School and the percentage of White public school students in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of White students in Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the percentage of White public school students in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hawaiian
1%
n/a
% Two or more races
7%
6%
This chart displays the percentage of students of two or more races in Van Buren Elementary School and the percentage of public school students of two or more races in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students of two or more races in Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the percentage of public school students of two or more races in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
0.73
0.42
This chart displays the diversity score of Van Buren Elementary School and the public school average diversity score of Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the diversity score of Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the public school average diversity score of Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.

Additional Information

Eligible for Free Lunch
76%
30%
This chart displays the percentage of students who is eligible for free lunch in Van Buren Elementary School and the percentage of public school students who is eligible for free lunch in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students who is eligible for free lunch in Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the percentage of public school students who is eligible for free lunch in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Eligible for Reduced Lunch
7%
4%
This chart displays the percentage of students who is eligible for reduced lunch in Van Buren Elementary School and the percentage of public school students who is eligible for reduced lunch in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students who is eligible for reduced lunch in Prairie Ridge Elementary School and the percentage of public school students who is eligible for reduced lunch in Iowa by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
 
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