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Hanawalt Elementary

Public Grades K-5

437^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 24% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Hanawalt Elementary is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 317 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.

Hanawalt Elementary consistently outperforms the district and the state of Iowa in standardized test scores, with 80% of its 5th-grade students scoring proficient or better in ISASP Mathematics, compared to 51.2% for the district and 71.5% for the state. However, the school faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 42.0% in recent years, which are significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Hanawalt has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 46.37% to 53.11% in recent years, suggesting a higher proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

When compared to nearby schools within the same district, Hanawalt Elementary performs better than some, such as Hillis Elementary, in terms of test scores and school rankings. However, it lags behind higher-performing schools like Cowles Elementary, which consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state. Hanawalt's statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years, ranging from 285 out of 567 Iowa elementary schools in 2020-2021 to 437 out of 576 in 2024-2025, suggesting its performance is not consistently at the top of the state, but it has shown some improvement in recent years.

312

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,934

Per pupil spending ?

49.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

225 56th Street
Des Moines, IA 50312

(515) 242-8411

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Hanawalt Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Merrill Middle School
High:	Roosevelt High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.4%

African American:

26.0%

Hispanic:

13.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Hanawalt Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 41st percentile in 2015 → 24th in 2025

Strengths

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

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (64% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

437^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 24%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to bottom 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	34.8	437 of 576	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	50.3	325 of 557	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.8	356 of 565	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.4	354 of 574	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.1	285 of 567	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.5	429 of 603	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.1	321 of 567	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.2	333 of 574	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.7	386 of 599	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.4	364 of 616	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	64.3	236 of 603	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	67.5	185 of 624	70.4%	★★★★☆
2012	73.2	110 of 626	82.4%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics70%-4 vs state

English Language Arts60%-11 vs state

Science58%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hanawalt 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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hanawalt Elementary	Public	K-5	225 56th Street	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8411	312	24	13.0	49.4%	173 (55.4%)	81 (26.0%)	42 (13.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.5%)	34.8	437^th of 576 public elementary schools	24.1%		50.3	325^th of 557 public elementary schools	41.7%	112	47.3	70.2	64.0				58.2	72.3	80.0				58.0		$14,934	$665	$14,269
Hillside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	713 8th St	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-6200	548	47	11.6	71.7%	247 (45.1%)	98 (17.9%)	141 (25.7%)	12 (2.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (8.4%)	40.7	397^th of 576 public elementary schools	31.1%		22.8	463^rd of 557 public elementary schools	16.9%	66	67.8	81.1	64.7	60.3			71.2	81.1	69.1	64.7			47.1		$14,221	$423	$13,798
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
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
Windsor Elementary	Public	K-5	5912 University Avenue	Des Moines	50311	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8440	254	22	11.7	57.5%	128 (50.4%)	35 (13.8%)	56 (22.0%)	7 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (11.0%)	24.4	478^th of 576 public elementary schools	17.0%		28	448^th of 557 public elementary schools	19.6%	30	50.0	75.0	55.6				61.8	64.7	54.5				44.4		$15,936	$723	$15,213
Cowles Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	6401 College Ave	Des Moines	50324	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7818	392	23	16.7	20.2%	308 (78.6%)	4 (1.0%)	30 (7.7%)	12 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.2%)	70.6	167^th of 576 public elementary schools	71.0%		61	243^rd of 557 public elementary schools	56.4%	76	62.2	97.0	93.3	85.2	93.8	100.0	70.3	84.8	83.3	77.8	93.8	96.8	83.3	96.8	$14,566	$624	$13,942
Perkins Elementary School	Public	K-5	4301 College	Des Moines	50311	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8430	438	29	15.0	62.8%	188 (42.9%)	85 (19.4%)	98 (22.4%)	22 (5.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (9.6%)	24.7	474^th of 576 public elementary schools	17.7%		49	342^nd of 557 public elementary schools	38.6%	132	53.8	60.9	64.5				64.6	62.5	59.2				55.3		$14,697	$1,156	$13,541
Fairmeadows Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	807 23rd St	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-6500	542	34	15.8	43.5%	339 (62.5%)	50 (9.2%)	82 (15.1%)	27 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.9%)	52.4	311^th of 576 public elementary schools	46.0%		63.9	212^th of 557 public elementary schools	61.9%	99	75.7	77.8	72.1	80.0			73.0	72.8	62.3	81.3			49.2		$13,706	$194	$13,513
Horizon Science Academy Des Moines	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	4801 Franklin Ave 2nd	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Charter Organization: Concept Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(515) 335-1937	150	8	18.7	79.3%	68 (45.3%)	41 (27.3%)	21 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (13.3%)	18.1	496^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.9%					(n/a)	36.8	50.0					73.7	58.3
Clive Learning Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	1600 73rd Street	Des Moines	50324	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-5800	551	43	12.6	59.7%	250 (45.4%)	100 (18.1%)	99 (18.0%)	41 (7.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (10.7%)	49	334^th of 576 public elementary schools	42.0%		50.2	327^th of 557 public elementary schools	41.3%	7	62.0	74.6	75.4	79.1			64.8	71.2	72.5	73.5			66.7		$14,178	$481	$13,696

Frequently Asked Questions about Hanawalt Elementary

What schools do graduates of Hanawalt Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hanawalt Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Merrill Middle School
High : Roosevelt High School

Is Hanawalt Elementary a good school?

Hanawalt Elementary ranks in the bottom 24.1% of Iowa elementary schools.

What district is Hanawalt Elementary in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Hanawalt Elementary?

Students at Hanawalt Elementary are 55% White, 26% African American, 13% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Hanawalt Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 312 students attended Hanawalt Elementary.

Rate Hanawalt Elementary!

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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.