Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Howe Elementary

Public Grades K-5

562^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Howe Elementary is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 303 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District, which is ranked 306 out of 313 school districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Howe Elementary faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 42.0% over the past few years, which is much higher than the state and district averages. The school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are also consistently lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts ranged from 33.9% to 50%, compared to the state average of 67.9% to 76%. Additionally, Howe Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 77.89% to 88.56% over the past few years.

When comparing Howe Elementary to other nearby schools in the district, such as Walnut Street School and Wright Elementary School, it becomes clear that Howe is one of the lower-performing schools in the district, with significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates and lower test scores. Despite the school's higher-than-average spending per student of $16,527, the challenges faced by Howe Elementary appear to be persistent, and the school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Iowa elementary schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

297

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,527

Per pupil spending ?

90.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2900 Indianola
Des Moines, IA 50315

(515) 242-8413

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Howe Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Weeks Middle School
High:	Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.1%

White:

22.9%

African American:

20.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Howe Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 4th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (40% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (35% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

562^nd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

32^nd 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	3.6	562 of 576	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	506 of 557	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.7	501 of 565	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	526 of 574	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.2	527 of 567	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.5	581 of 603	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.0	548 of 567	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.2	542 of 574	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.5	589 of 599	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.5	592 of 616	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	10.2	559 of 603	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	13.9	576 of 624	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	6.1	603 of 626	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts42%-30 vs state

Mathematics41%-33 vs state

Science32%-33 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Howe Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Howe Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Howe 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 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
Howe Elementary	Public	K-5	2900 Indianola	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8413	297	26	11.4	90.9%	68 (22.9%)	61 (20.5%)	131 (44.1%)	22 (7.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.7%)	3.6	562^nd of 576 public elementary schools	2.4%		11.2	506^th of 557 public elementary schools	9.2%	56	33.9	44.0	50.0	44.6	28.0	52.6	31.6	$16,527	$1,727	$14,800
Jackson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3825 Indianola Ave	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8415	490	33	14.9	80.6%	101 (20.6%)	107 (21.8%)	199 (40.6%)	55 (11.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (5.5%)	12.9	514^th of 576 public elementary schools	10.8%		10.2	512^th of 557 public elementary schools	8.1%	2	61.7	49.2	53.3	65.0	42.9	48.3	36.7	$15,448	$1,376	$14,072
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
South Union Elementary School	Public	K-5	4201 South Union	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8409	422	34	12.4	84.8%	96 (22.7%)	91 (21.6%)	149 (35.3%)	41 (9.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (10.0%)	10.6	527^th of 576 public elementary schools	8.5%		7	528^th of 557 public elementary schools	5.2%	1	41.9	69.2	50.0	45.2	53.8	51.7	39.7	$14,822	$1,433	$13,389
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
River Woods Elementary School	Public	K-5	2929 SE 22nd St	Des Moines	50320	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8433	493	43	11.5	86.8%	59 (12.0%)	93 (18.9%)	231 (46.9%)	88 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.5%)	12.1	517^th of 576 public elementary schools	10.2%		7.7	521^st of 557 public elementary schools	6.5%	4	53.2	42.6	55.7	48.4	41.2	55.7	52.9	$15,278	$1,674	$13,604
Lovejoy Elementary School	Public	K-5	801 E Kenyon Ave	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8419	394	33	12.1	89.3%	85 (21.6%)	106 (26.9%)	133 (33.8%)	45 (11.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.8%)	2.2	570^th of 576 public elementary schools	1.0%		4.1	542^nd of 557 public elementary schools	2.7%	28	35.6	45.5	40.4	44.1	47.3	30.8	32.7	$17,256	$2,903	$14,353
Wright Elementary School	Public	K-5	5001 SW 14th St	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8442	265	22	12.2	77.7%	105 (39.6%)	34 (12.8%)	89 (33.6%)	11 (4.2%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.1%)	22 (8.3%)	4.2	556^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.5%		21.3	466^th of 557 public elementary schools	16.3%	90	41.9	53.8	44.4	37.2	51.3	38.9	36.1	$15,928	$1,243	$14,685
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Howe Elementary

What district is Howe Elementary in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What schools do graduates of Howe Elementary attend?

Students who attend Howe Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Weeks Middle School
High : Lincoln High School

Is Howe Elementary a good school?

Howe Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.4% of Iowa elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Howe Elementary?

Students at Howe Elementary are 44% Hispanic, 23% White, 21% African American, 7% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Howe Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 297 students attended Howe Elementary.

Rate Howe Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

IAIowa Elementary School Rankings

IAIowa District Rankings

Schools in Des Moines, IA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Howe Elementary!

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.