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Downtown School

Q: Is Downtown School a good school?

Downtown School ranks 145 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

145^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 75% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Downtown School is an elementary school located in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 235 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District, which is ranked 306 out of 313 school districts in Iowa and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the district's low ranking, Downtown School consistently outperforms the district and state averages in academic proficiency across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 73.5% of 3rd graders at Downtown School were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 46% for the district and 67.9% for the state. Similarly, in Mathematics, 85.3% of 3rd graders at Downtown School were proficient or better, compared to 52.6% for the district and 75.8% for the state. Additionally, Downtown School has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 18.72% to 25.1% over the past few years, which is significantly lower than many of the nearby schools.

When comparing Downtown School to the nearby schools within the same district, such as Moulton Elementary, Hubbell Elementary, and Carver Elementary, which have much higher rates of students from low-income families, Downtown School's strong academic performance and efficient resource allocation stand out. Despite having lower spending per student than some of the nearby schools, Downtown School is able to achieve stronger academic outcomes, indicating effective use of available funds.

197

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,247

Per pupil spending ?

21.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1800 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309

(515) 284-5848

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Downtown School usually attend:

Middle:	Callanan Middle School
High:	Roosevelt High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.5%

Hispanic:

13.2%

Two or more races:

9.6%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Downtown School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 54th percentile in 2023 → 75th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (80% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 75th (2025) from a 54th-percentile low (2023)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school80%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

145^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 25%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From top 13% (2015) to top 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 38Elementary Schools in the Des Moines Independent Community School District

306^th of 313Des Moines Independent Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	72.3	145 of 576	74.8%	★★★★☆
2024	71.2	149 of 557	73.2%	★★★★☆
2023	57.5	261 of 565	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.5	180 of 574	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	77.2	110 of 567	80.6%	★★★★☆
2019	65.4	213 of 603	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.6	90 of 567	84.1%	★★★★☆
2017	79.2	80 of 574	86.1%	★★★★☆
2016	81.8	51 of 599	91.5%	★★★★★
2015	78.6	78 of 616	87.3%	★★★★☆
2014	75.9	97 of 603	83.9%	★★★★☆
2013	62.9	245 of 624	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.9	190 of 626	69.6%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics84%+10 vs state

English Language Arts78%+7 vs state

Science76%+12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Downtown School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)			ISASP Mathematics (2025)			ISASP Science (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Downtown School	Public	K-5	1800 Grand Avenue	Des Moines	50309	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 284-5848	197	15	13.4	21.3%	133 (67.5%)	16 (8.1%)	26 (13.2%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (9.6%)	72.3	145^th of 576 public elementary schools	74.8%		71.2	149^th of 557 public elementary schools	73.2%	4	73.5	71.4	85.7	85.3	82.1	83.3	76.2	$14,247	$621	$13,626
Walnut Street School	Public	PK, KG-5	901 Walnut St	Des Moines	50309	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8438	257	17	14.9	62.3%	76 (29.6%)	84 (32.7%)	49 (19.1%)	13 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (13.6%)	22.4	485^th of 576 public elementary schools	15.8%		33	430^th of 557 public elementary schools	22.8%	55	55.8	72.0	63.0	39.5	61.5	51.9	59.3	$16,042	$659	$15,382
Edmunds Elementary School	Public	K-5	950 15th Street	Des Moines	50314	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 243-1174	259	29	9.0	93.8%	19 (7.3%)	187 (72.2%)	36 (13.9%)	6 (2.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.5%)	1	574^th of 576 public elementary schools	0.3%		1.7	551^st of 557 public elementary schools	1.1%	23	22.5	45.5	37.8	37.5	33.3	40.5	18.9	$18,276	$2,057	$16,219
Greenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	316 37th Street	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8410	293	20	14.6	46.4%	164 (56.0%)	49 (16.7%)	37 (12.6%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	34 (11.6%)	40.7	398^th of 576 public elementary schools	30.9%		45.1	364^th of 557 public elementary schools	34.6%	34	65.9	84.4	57.1	63.4	81.3	64.3	57.1	$16,236	$666	$15,571
King Elementary School	Public	K-5	1849 Forest Ave	Des Moines	50314	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8417	315	24	13.1	96.2%	19 (6.0%)	126 (40.0%)	128 (40.6%)	25 (7.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)	1.5	573^rd of 576 public elementary schools	0.5%		1	555^th of 557 public elementary schools	0.4%	18	34.1	29.7	43.9	46.3	27.0	17.1	26.8	$18,403	$2,345	$16,058
Moulton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1541 8th Street	Des Moines	50314	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8427	465	33	14.2	94.2%	28 (6.0%)	240 (51.6%)	140 (30.1%)	27 (5.8%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.6%)	9	534^th of 576 public elementary schools	7.3%		7.2	526^th of 557 public elementary schools	5.6%	8	36.5	44.3	54.0	40.5	34.4	66.7	38.1	$16,426	$1,675	$14,751
Hubbell Elementary	Public	K-5	800 42nd St	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8414	362	24	14.8	42.8%	213 (58.8%)	57 (15.7%)	49 (13.5%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.9%)	44.2	375^th of 576 public elementary schools	34.9%		45.4	360^th of 557 public elementary schools	35.4%	15	67.2	76.7	67.2	70.7	66.7	70.5	60.7	$14,542	$654	$13,888
Carver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	705 E University Ave	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8418	436	31	14.1	92.4%	31 (7.1%)	96 (22.0%)	260 (59.6%)	19 (4.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.0%)	3.2	565^th of 576 public elementary schools	1.9%		3.7	544^th of 557 public elementary schools	2.3%	21	33.9	47.4	36.5	44.6	47.4	47.6	36.5	$17,672	$1,648	$16,024
McKinley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1610 SE 6th Street	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8423	275	23	11.9	86.9%	73 (26.5%)	36 (13.1%)	128 (46.5%)	10 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (10.2%)	8.4	536^th of 576 public elementary schools	6.9%		8.1	519^th of 557 public elementary schools	6.8%	17	44.0	57.9	48.5	45.1	55.3	51.5	45.5	$18,844	$1,470	$17,374
Park Ave Elementary School	Public	K-5	3141 SW 9th St	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8429	380	29	13.2	82.6%	148 (38.9%)	84 (22.1%)	105 (27.6%)	17 (4.5%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	20 (5.3%)	3.5	563^rd of 576 public elementary schools	2.3%		4.4	540^th of 557 public elementary schools	3.1%	23	39.6	40.8	36.8	45.3	46.9	47.4	38.6	$16,460	$1,357	$15,103

Frequently Asked Questions about Downtown School

What schools do graduates of Downtown School attend?

Students who attend Downtown School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Callanan Middle School
High : Roosevelt High School

Is Downtown School a good school?

Downtown School ranks 145^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Downtown School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Downtown School?

Students at Downtown School are 68% White, 13% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 8% African American, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Downtown School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 197 students attended Downtown School.

Rate Downtown School!

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IAIowa Elementary School Rankings

IAIowa District Rankings

Schools in Des Moines, IA

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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.