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Hoover High School

Public Grades 9-12

319^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 6% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Hoover High School is a public high school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 923 students in grades 9-12. 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. Hoover High School has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Iowa high schools over the past decade, with a statewide ranking between 299-328 out of 332-340 schools.

Hoover High School faces significant challenges, with low graduation rates ranging from 71.4% to 88.3% in recent years, compared to the state average of around 90%. The school also has a very high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 21.6% to 51.4%, significantly higher than the state average. Academically, Hoover High School students consistently perform below the state and district averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science on the ISASP assessments. For example, in 2024-2025, only 51.2% of 10th graders were proficient in ELA, compared to 74.7% statewide. The school also has a very high percentage of students (69.66% to 80.71%) qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Hoover High School's performance lags significantly behind other high schools in the Des Moines area, such as Roosevelt High School and Johnston Senior High School, which have much higher test scores, graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism. The school's challenges may be related to the high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, and addressing these issues will likely require a multi-faceted approach at both the school and district levels.

898

Students ?

20.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,790

Per pupil spending ?

80%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4800 Aurora Ave
Des Moines, IA 50310

(515) 242-7300

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Feeder schools for Hoover High School:

Elementary:	Hillis Elementary School
	Monroe Elementary School
	Moore Elementary School
	Samuelson Elementary School
Middle:	Meredith Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

36.6%

Hispanic:

25.5%

White:

16.7%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Hoover High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 4th percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (46% vs 69% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Iowa average (73% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg47%

Iowa avg69%

319^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 6%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5High 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	5.7	319 of 340	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.8	321 of 338	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	316 of 336	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	299 of 332	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.9	307 of 327	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.9	316 of 327	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.7	311 of 320	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.4	315 of 325	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.1	312 of 320	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.2	312 of 324	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.2	314 of 322	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.5	338 of 351	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	7.5	333 of 351	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts51%-23 vs state

Mathematics42%-24 vs state

Science40%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hoover High 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 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hoover High School	Public	9-12	4800 Aurora Ave	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7300	898	44	20.5	80.0%	150 (16.7%)	329 (36.6%)	229 (25.5%)	134 (14.9%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (5.3%)	5.7	319^th of 340 public high schools	6.2%		4.8	321^st of 338 public high schools	5.0%	2	51.8	51.2	49.7	43.0	45.1	39.5	39.9	$17,790	$689	$17,101
Urbandale High School	Public	9-12	7111 Aurora Avenue	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 457-6800	1,301	88	14.7	36.4%	817 (62.8%)	117 (9.0%)	205 (15.8%)	88 (6.8%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	68 (5.2%)	61.2	150^th of 340 public high schools	55.9%		34.3	263^rd of 338 public high schools	22.2%	113	83.2	82.0	80.4	63.3	68.1	71.0	71.8	$11,428	$388	$11,040
Roosevelt High School	Public	9-12	4419 Center St	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7272	2,051	66	31.2	55.2%	850 (41.4%)	562 (27.4%)	364 (17.7%)	64 (3.1%)	9 (0.4%)	7 (0.3%)	178 (8.7%)	31.5	269^th of 340 public high schools	20.9%		22.5	290^th of 338 public high schools	14.2%	21	71.0	67.5	61.6	58.8	65.4	54.1	60.7	$14,829	$690	$14,140
North High School	Public	9-12	501 Holcomb Ave	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-7200	1,428	66	21.4	84.0%	278 (19.5%)	342 (23.9%)	553 (38.7%)	155 (10.9%)	12 (0.8%)	4 (0.3%)	84 (5.9%)	2.8	326^th of 340 public high schools	4.1%		2.2	325^th of 338 public high schools	3.8%	1	48.0	48.8	38.5	33.5	39.2	34.8	42.1	$15,636	$747	$14,889
Great Oaks High School and Career Center	Public, Charter	9-12	100 East Euclid	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Charter Organization: Oakmont Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(319) 321-9976	72	3	24.1	4.2%	23 (31.9%)	27 (37.5%)	21 (29.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)			25.0			14.3
Walnut Creek Campus	Public	9-12	1020 8th Street	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-6480	152	14	10.8	76.3%	76 (50.0%)	30 (19.7%)	28 (18.4%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (11.2%)	0.6	334^th of 340 public high schools	1.8%		1.2	328^th of 338 public high schools	3.0%	6	23.1	34.8	41.2	7.7	26.1	23.5	26.1	$18,513	$197	$18,315
Virtual Campus	Public, Virtual	9-12	1800 Grand Avenue	Des Moines	50309	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(515) 242-8502	380	16	23.9	69.5%	178 (46.8%)	51 (13.4%)	103 (27.1%)	11 (2.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.9%)	2.8	327^th of 340 public high schools	3.8%		8.9	314^th of 338 public high schools	7.1%	13	51.4	53.9	45.7	21.6	27.0	28.4	37.9
Saydel High School	Public	9-12	5601 NE 7th St	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Saydel Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 262-9325	458	28	16.6	52.8%	311 (67.9%)	9 (2.0%)	93 (20.3%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.0%)	9.5	315^th of 340 public high schools	7.4%		12.6	308^th of 338 public high schools	8.9%	7	53.6	62.7	49.6	41.7	46.4	47.1	44.5	$15,532	$350	$15,182
Johnston Senior High School	Public	10-12	6500 NW 100th Street	Johnston	50131	Polk County	Johnston Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 278-0449	1,820	87	20.8	22.4%	1,233 (67.7%)	195 (10.7%)	142 (7.8%)	145 (8.0%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	93 (5.1%)	77.1	49^th of 340 public high schools	85.6%		75.9	53^rd of 338 public high schools	84.3%	4		85.8	79.5		80.5	78.5	80.5	$11,440	$378	$11,061
Valley High School	Public	10-12	3650 Woodland Ave	West Des Moines	50266	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-4000	2,178	119	18.3	68.0%	1,195 (54.9%)	258 (11.8%)	442 (20.3%)	132 (6.1%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	147 (6.7%)	37.9	254^th of 340 public high schools	25.3%		46.7	212^th of 338 public high schools	37.3%	42		73.2	61.0		64.9	62.7	61.1	$15,551	$791	$14,760

Frequently Asked Questions about Hoover High School

How many students attend Hoover High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 898 students attended Hoover High School.

What schools feed into Hoover High School?

Hoover High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Hillis Elementary School
Elementary : Monroe Elementary School
Elementary : Moore Elementary School
Elementary : Samuelson Elementary School
Middle : Meredith Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Hoover High School?

Students at Hoover High School are 37% African American, 26% Hispanic, 17% White, 15% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

What district is Hoover High School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

Is Hoover High School a good school?

Hoover High School ranks in the bottom 6.2% of Iowa high schools.

Rate Hoover High School!

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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.