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Best Schools in Cedar Falls, IA
Cedar Falls, IA has 31 public schools (7 high, 7 middle, 16 elementary) serving 15,257 students. On average they score 77% on state proficiency tests against a projected 61%, so schools in Cedar Falls exceed expectations. Rankings below compare each school’s actual results with the projection for its socioeconomic context.
Best High Schools in Cedar Falls, IA
The top high schools in Cedar Falls, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Denver Senior High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Denver Comm School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 262 Students
2. Janesville Junior-senior High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Janesville Consolidated School District • Public • Grades 6 - 12 • 237 Students
3. Dike-new Hartford High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Dike-new Hartford Comm School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 267 Students
4. Hudson High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Hudson Comm School District • Public • Grades 7 - 12 • 342 Students
5. Cedar Falls High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Cedar Falls Comm School District • Public • Grades 10 - 12 • 1302 Students
6. West High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Waterloo Comm School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1652 Students
7. East High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Waterloo Comm School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1022 Students
Best Middle Schools in Cedar Falls, IA
The top middle schools in Cedar Falls, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Denver Middle School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Denver Comm School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 207 Students
2. Dike-new Hartford Junior High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Dike-new Hartford Comm School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 215 Students
3. Holmes Junior High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Cedar Falls Comm School District • Public • Grades 7 - 9 • 639 Students
4. Peet Junior High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Cedar Falls Comm School District • Public • Grades 7 - 9 • 670 Students
5. Hoover Middle School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Waterloo Comm School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 883 Students
6. George Washington Carver Academy
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Waterloo Comm School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 442 Students
7. Central Middle School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Waterloo Comm School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 471 Students
Best Elementary Schools in Cedar Falls, IA
The top elementary schools in Cedar Falls, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. K-5 Elementary School Lincoln Street Building
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Denver Comm School District • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 467 Students
2. Bess Streeter Aldrich Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Cedar Falls Comm School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 6 • 485 Students
3. Helen A Hansen Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Cedar Falls Comm School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 6 • 591 Students
4. Dike Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Dike-new Hartford Comm School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 4 • 312 Students
5. New Hartford Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Dike-new Hartford Comm School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 151 Students
6. Lincoln Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Cedar Falls Comm School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 6 • 453 Students
7. Hudson Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Hudson Comm School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 6 • 524 Students
8. Southdale Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Cedar Falls Comm School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 6 • 530 Students
9. Orchard Hill Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Cedar Falls Comm School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 6 • 436 Students
10. Janesville Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Janesville Consolidated School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 267 Students
Education & Community Snapshot in Cedar Falls, IA
City-level factors that shape the learning environment around local schools.
Community Factors
Cedar Falls, IA has a total population of 41,713 with 35% of that population attending schools. The adult high school graduation rate is 97%, and 51% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Students in Cedar Falls, IA
K-12 Students
High School Graduates
Adults 25+ with HS diplomas
College Graduates
Adults 25+ with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
Demographics statistics provided by Best Neighborhood Cedar Falls, IA.
Safety
Crime Grades summarize reported incidents per 1,000 residents. Use them as neighborhood context, not a school rating.
Overall Crime Grade
14.86 per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crime Grade
1.88 per 1,000 Residents
Property Crime Grade
12.98 per 1,000 Residents
Crime statistics provided by CrimeGrade in Cedar Falls, IA.
Connectivity
Connectivity influences learning at home. We summarize internet infrastructure, typical download speed, and a digital connectivity index for Cedar Falls, IA.
ISP Report Card
Internet Infrastructure Grade
Average Download Speed
Speed Most Residents Can Get
Digital Connectivity Index
ISP Connectivity Demand Report
To read more about these statistics, please visit Cedar Falls, IA Internet Health Assessment.
Questions About Schools in Cedar Falls, IA
How many schools are in Cedar Falls, IA?
Cedar Falls, IA has 31 public schools: 7 high schools, 7 middle schools and 16 elementary schools, serving 15,257 students in total.
How do schools in Cedar Falls perform on state tests?
On average, 31 schools in Cedar Falls score 77% proficient on state assessments. Given the socioeconomic context of their students we project 61%, so on average schools in Cedar Falls exceed expectations.
How does SchoolGrade rank the best schools in Cedar Falls?
Every public school gets a SchoolGrade from A+ to F based on the share of students at or above the state proficiency bar. The Impact Grade compares that result with what we would expect given the school’s student and community context, so schools that outperform their circumstances stand out. Schools cannot pay to change a grade. Read the full methodology.
Best Schools in Cities Near Cedar Falls, IA
Explore nearby cities to widen your school search.
- Actual: 85%
- Projected: 72%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 71%
- Projected: 51%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 81%
- Projected: 67%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 74%
- Projected: 61%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 58%
- Projected: 40%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 86%
- Projected: 71%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 81%
- Projected: 68%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 85%
- Projected: 69%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 84%
- Projected: 68%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 56%
- Projected: 36%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
Every school in Cedar Falls
10 of 11 schools in Cedar Falls carry a SchoolGrade (1 have no school-level proficiency results in our source data). Grade distribution:
A: 5B: 3C: 2
All 11 public schools we grade in Cedar Falls. The ranked lists above show the top ten per level; every school has its own page.
High schools (1)
Middle and junior high schools (2)
Elementary and primary schools (7)
- Bess Streeter Aldrich Elementary
- Cedar Heights Elementary School
- Helen A Hansen Elementary School
- Lincoln Elementary School
- North Cedar Elementary School
- Orchard Hill Elementary School
- Southdale Elementary School
Other schools and academies (1)
Private schools (1)
Private schools have a SchoolGrade only where their state publishes their test results.