116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Hills looks to the future and continued growth after the closure of its only school
Iowa City schools closed Hills Elementary School last year, but city leaders and residents say the town is ‘more than just one school’
Mar. 30, 2025 5:30 am, Updated: Mar. 31, 2025 10:34 am
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HILLS — It’s been nearly a year since teachers and staff sent off the last school bus of students from Hills Elementary. It was the end of an era for the school and for the community, which fought hard against the closure of its only school, an institution that welcomed thousands of students over its 60 years.
The decision to close the school at the end of the 2023-24 school year was made by the Iowa City Community School District board, whose members were looking for ways to cut $7.5 million from the budget because of what they called “chronic and persistent underfunding by the state.”
Closing Hills Elementary — the smallest school in the district — was projected to save about $1.66 million annually.
Today, the building that stood at 301 Main St. is gone. The school district and the city decided to demolish it last year, and it was removed in January.
In its place is a vacant lot, and as of last week, the playground equipment also has been removed from the site.
For many small towns, the loss of a school is the beginning of community-wide losses — declining population, stagnant property values, and business closures. But even before the school district decided to close the school, Hills Mayor Tim Kemp’s messaging was clear: the closure of Hills Elementary does not mean the death of Hills.
“I don't think anybody moved here just because we had an elementary, though the fact that we had one was a nice selling point,” said Kemp. “We're growing. I think we've got a nice community to live in, we have things for all ages to use while you're living in town. We're just a nice small town where you can raise a family and be close to your job, whether it's here in Hills or in the surrounding area.”
Hills sees steady population growth, new construction
Aaron Last, has lived in Hills since 2020. As a father, he said moving to a place within walking distance of a school was a selling point. His two young children would have gone to Hills Elementary once they were school-age.
“A community school is usually a cornerstone of a community. Even in Iowa City, the different schools around have their own different little communities. And it's kind of the same here in Hills, and it was really just kind of sad to see it go,” he said.
However, Last notes, the school wasn’t the only cornerstone in Hills. He pointed to institutions like Stutsman’s, a family-owned agricultural store in Hills, as well as a bar and grill, Old Tap 218. And Last said he’s hopeful the district will decide to build another school in Hills.
“What makes Hills a great place to live, besides the former school, is that we're 10 minutes from Iowa City here, you've got grocery stores and everything you want from city life within a really short distance. But then you get to come out here, and you get a small town feel and everybody's really nice and friendly. It’s walkable, you see kids playing on the streets. I think it's really positioned to grow. We enjoy it a lot,” he said.
Emily Hudachek, a member of the Hills City Council who grew up in Hills, attended the elementary school, and returned after college, believes the city has much to offer prospective residents, even without a school.
“'I’m a firm believer that our community is more than just one school … I think the fear is out there, just because it's the fear of unknown. We don't know what to expect, because we are all used to having a school there. I think it's just about finding new ways to incentivize families and young families to come to Hills and there's still a lot of great things that we offer in town,” she said.
Hills’ population has been trending up, particularly in the last 15 years. In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported there were 679 residents. In 2010, the population was up to 703. Ten years later, in 2020, that number had jumped by more than 20 percent to 863. Today, estimates put the population just above 900 people.
City staff report 52 new single-family homes and small apartment buildings have been built in the area since 2020. Currently, Hills has multiple single family homes under construction.
Urban Acres Real Estate cofounder Ross Nusser, whose Coralville-based company lists multiple properties for sale in Hills, said the town continues to be an option for buyers who want to live in a more rural area within proximity to Iowa City.
“(The school closure) was a devastating loss to the community. But at the same time, you look around, you see houses are being built, so the community is definitely growing,” Nusser said. “Hills bank continues to be a central force in the community. It's so close to Iowa City and Hills has an attractive price point, so it's great for buyers that might not mind a little small commute.”
Nusser said single-family homes in Hills often are available for less than $400,000.
City of Hills looking to buy school district property
The Iowa City school district still owns the land where Hills Elementary once stood, and there are no plans to sell it, said Kristin Pedersen, the district’s spokesperson.
The city had hoped to buy the land to build a new fire station and other city offices, Kemp said.
“We had gone through the building and decided we didn't want it,” he said, “and at that point last summer, (the district) decided they were going to tear it down, and asked if we were fine with that, and we said, yeah. We were still hoping to be able to acquire the land at that time too, but that hasn't happened.”
For now, the city’s fire station plans are on hold.
The school district removed the playground equipment after the city turned down an offer that would have kept it in place.
“The usable playground equipment at the site is being relocated to other schools within the district,” Pedersen wrote in an email to The Gazette. “We proposed a 28E agreement with the City of Hills; however, the City declined to participate in that agreement.”
Kemp said the 28E agreement — a contract between governmental entities — would have required the city to insure the playground equipment and mow seven acres of land.
The city has play structure equipment at three other locations in the city. Kemp said they’re planning to replace some of the equipment at those other locations.
School district had planned to build a new school in Hills
Of the more than 100 students who attended Hills Elementary last year, only 45 lived within Hills city limits. The rest were bused to the school from areas north of Hills, the southern portion of Iowa City and unincorporated parts of Johnson County.
The majority of the students in the Hills attendance area now go to school at Alexander Elementary on the south side of Iowa City.
“Some students have transferred to other school districts, like Highland and Lone Tree and didn't go up there,” Kemp said, referring to the Iowa City school district. “But I think for the most part people have accepted it. I mean, you have no alternative, so people are making the best of it.”
Voters in the district approved two measures in November 2021 that extended the Iowa City school district’s Physical Plant and Equipment Levy to 2035 and a 1 percent local-option sales tax to 2051.
Renewing the levies ensured there would be funding for the district’s facility master plan, which included more than a dozen projects. Among those projects was a recommendation to build a new elementary school in Hills.
In 2022, the Iowa City school board approved construction of a new elementary school in Hills after months of debate over whether the district should maintain a school in Hills. But that plan was delayed, and eventually abandoned.
Kemp said that back and forth, and the eventual closure have resulted in some hard feelings, but in the end, it’s the education that matters.
“We want our kids to get a good education, and they do with the Iowa City Community School District. It’s just we fought this for years and years, and then they told us they were going to build a new school, and then decided to close our school and tear it down. So that kind of leaves a bad feeling,” said Kemp.
Hudachek, who spoke out against the elementary closure at a school board meeting last year, said there’s still a lot to love about Hills, but she mourned the loss of the school.
“I think Hills was just something special and different from any other elementary school in the district,” Hudachek said “I always say I got the best of both worlds, because I got to live in a small town, and I got all the opportunities from the Iowa City school district because they do amazing things. It was very heartbreaking, it definitely was kind of an end of an era type of thing.”
Grace King of The Gazette contributed to this report
Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com
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