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Garton Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

552^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Garton Elementary is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 429 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District, which is ranked 306 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Garton Elementary faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, significantly lower test scores compared to the district and state averages, and a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. When compared to nearby schools within the same district, such as Cattell Elementary, Stowe Elementary, and Willard Elementary, Garton Elementary is one of the lower-performing schools in the area. Despite the higher spending per student at Garton Elementary, the school's performance metrics indicate that the resources may not be effectively utilized to support student learning and achievement.

Garton Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Iowa elementary schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. This suggests that the school has been struggling to improve student outcomes for an extended period. Addressing the school's challenges, such as the high rates of chronic absenteeism and the high percentage of students from low-income families, may be crucial for improving the school's overall performance and supporting student learning and achievement.

535

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,721

Per pupil spending ?

89.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2820 E 24th St
Des Moines, IA 50317

(515) 242-8408

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Garton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Goodrell Middle School
High:	North High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

45.4%

White:

18.9%

African American:

17.6%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Garton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (43% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

552^nd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 8% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^th 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	5.0	552 of 576	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	499 of 557	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	3.1	552 of 565	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.5	546 of 574	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.2	516 of 567	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.7	577 of 603	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	521 of 567	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.4	536 of 574	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.1	565 of 599	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.0	568 of 616	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.7	552 of 603	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	15.4	574 of 624	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	21.6	560 of 626	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics51%-23 vs state

English Language Arts40%-32 vs state

Science29%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Garton Elementary

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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Garton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2820 E 24th St	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8408	535	36	14.8	89.3%	101 (18.9%)	94 (17.6%)	243 (45.4%)	58 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (7.1%)	5	552^nd of 576 public elementary schools	4.2%		12.4	499^th of 557 public elementary schools	10.4%	53	37.8	49.2	33.8		63.5	47.6	41.3		28.8	$16,721	$1,650	$15,072
Phillips Elementary	Public	K-5	1701 Lay St	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8431	263	24	10.9	79.1%	129 (49.0%)	24 (9.1%)	89 (33.8%)	5 (1.9%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.3%)	9.6	530^th of 576 public elementary schools	8.0%		11.5	504^th of 557 public elementary schools	9.5%	26	40.0	56.3	43.2		66.0	59.4	40.5		32.4	$16,246	$669	$15,577
Cattell Elementary School	Public	K-5	3101 E 12th St	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8403	314	27	11.6	86.3%	88 (28.0%)	65 (20.7%)	101 (32.2%)	28 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	28 (8.9%)	6.8	542^nd of 576 public elementary schools	5.9%		29.4	443^rd of 557 public elementary schools	20.5%	99	47.7	60.0	40.4		47.7	46.0	54.4		26.3	$16,110	$1,920	$14,190
Stowe Elementary School	Public	K-5	1411 E 33rd St	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8435	297	25	12.0	84.2%	96 (32.3%)	49 (16.5%)	124 (41.8%)	9 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	17 (5.7%)	4	558^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.1%		2	548^th of 557 public elementary schools	1.6%	10	46.9	36.4	50.0		44.9	24.2	35.3		32.4	$17,791	$1,908	$15,883
Madison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	806 E Hoffman St	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8420	285	24	12.0	88.8%	60 (21.1%)	18 (6.3%)	154 (54.0%)	30 (10.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.4%)	15.2	508^th of 576 public elementary schools	11.8%		4.9	538^th of 557 public elementary schools	3.4%	30	30.8	70.6	60.0		38.5	55.9	62.5		30.0	$18,238	$1,698	$16,540
Brubaker Elementary School	Public	K-5	2900 E 42nd Street	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8405	622	52	12.0	83.3%	228 (36.7%)	127 (20.4%)	185 (29.7%)	26 (4.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	51 (8.2%)	3.9	560^th of 576 public elementary schools	2.8%		2.6	547^th of 557 public elementary schools	1.8%	13	47.6	48.0	41.9		42.9	48.0	38.1		33.7	$16,004	$1,458	$14,547
Findley Elementary School	Public	K-6	3025 Oxford Street	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8407	324	25	12.7	85.2%	92 (28.4%)	62 (19.1%)	93 (28.7%)	43 (13.3%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	29 (9.0%)	4.6	553^rd of 576 public elementary schools	4.0%		10.2	513^th of 557 public elementary schools	7.9%	40	35.7	44.4	40.4	66.7	33.3	33.3	36.2	54.5	36.2	$16,683	$1,316	$15,366
Capitol View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	320 E. 16th	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8402	533	40	13.3	92.3%	91 (17.1%)	101 (18.9%)	296 (55.5%)	14 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.6%)	3.9	559^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.0%		5.3	532^nd of 557 public elementary schools	4.5%	27	41.3	48.6	41.7		57.3	29.2	41.7		31.9	$18,793	$3,389	$15,405
Willard Elementary School	Public	K-5	2941 Dean Avenue	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8439	247	24	10.3	88.7%	81 (32.8%)	25 (10.1%)	116 (47.0%)	13 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.9%)	20.1	490^th of 576 public elementary schools	14.9%		10.9	507^th of 557 public elementary schools	9.0%	17	50.0	64.7	51.2		67.5	61.8	65.1		41.9	$16,503	$1,680	$14,822
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Garton Elementary

Is Garton Elementary a good school?

Garton Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.2% of Iowa elementary schools.

How many students attend Garton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 535 students attended Garton Elementary.

What district is Garton Elementary in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What schools do graduates of Garton Elementary attend?

Students who attend Garton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Goodrell Middle School
High : North High School

What is the racial makeup of Garton Elementary?

Students at Garton Elementary are 45% Hispanic, 19% White, 18% African American, 11% Asian, 7% Two or more races.

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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.