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Hubbell Elementary

Q: Is Hubbell Elementary a good school?

Hubbell Elementary ranks 375 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

375^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Hubbell Elementary is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 383 students in grades K-5. As part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District, Hubbell consistently outperforms the district and the state of Iowa in standardized test scores, with 67.2% of 3rd-graders proficient in English Language Arts compared to 46% for the district and 67.9% for the state.

However, Hubbell has faced challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.9% to 42.0% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school also has a moderate percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 40.21% to 44.34%, lower than some nearby schools. Interestingly, Downtown School, which is ranked higher than Hubbell, has significantly lower test scores in several subjects and grade levels.

While Hubbell Elementary appears to be a relatively strong-performing school within the district, the high chronic absenteeism rates and potential resource constraints, as evidenced by its lower per-student spending compared to some nearby schools, may be areas that the school and district need to address to further improve student outcomes.

362

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,542

Per pupil spending ?

42.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

800 42nd St
Des Moines, IA 50312

(515) 242-8414

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Hubbell Elementary usually attend:

High:

Roosevelt High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.8%

African American:

15.7%

Hispanic:

13.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Hubbell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 35th percentile in 2015 → 35th in 2025

Strengths

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school69%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

375^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^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	44.2	375 of 576	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	360 of 557	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	407 of 565	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.3	350 of 574	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.2	308 of 567	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.5	488 of 603	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.2	394 of 567	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.2	368 of 574	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	59.9	282 of 599	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	48.6	400 of 616	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	48.6	387 of 603	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	62.3	252 of 624	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	43.8	427 of 626	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts70%~ state avg

Mathematics69%-5 vs state

Science61%-3 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, February 8, 2018

We love Hubbell and especially the principal, Carrie Belt, who is involved in what's happening in the school and with the children. She knows almost every kindergarten child on the first day of school and greets each student by name. From helping with loose teeth to tracking down lost permission slips, she's there! She sets a great tone for the school as a loving environment that is still rigorous and full of inquiry.

The school is IB, and students create their own service projects each year. In the past, classes have organized marches and canned food drives. They also study geography. Their geography work begins in kindergarten when they work on maps of the school, and it grows each year until they're working with world maps.

They also work closely with Drake University. Tutors from the university come every week to work with students who are below level in reading. There are also a number of practicum students and student teachers from Drake, and so it feels like Hubbell is always receiving the benefit of new research and strategies in education.

My only concern with this school is that it's becoming popular with parents outside the school boundaries who want to open enroll their children. Class sizes are growing with no room to expand! So, while my older child has a more typical class size (22), my younger child has 28 other kids in her kindergarten class! Close Quote

Schools Near Hubbell 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
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
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
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
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
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
Monroe Elementary School	Public	K-5	2250 30th St	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8425	341	30	11.3	90.3%	37 (10.9%)	160 (46.9%)	85 (24.9%)	45 (13.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	12 (3.5%)	2.9	567^th of 576 public elementary schools	1.6%		1.8	550^th of 557 public elementary schools	1.3%	17	38.5	40.0	38.5	50.0	51.1	40.4	29.4	$19,913	$3,902	$16,011
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
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
Hillis Elementary School	Public	K-5	2401 56th St	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8412	279	24	11.4	76.3%	100 (35.8%)	60 (21.5%)	71 (25.4%)	28 (10.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.8%)	4.2	557^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.3%		17.8	479^th of 557 public elementary schools	14.0%	78	38.1	50.0	41.5	50.0	56.5	34.1	29.3	$16,776	$1,702	$15,074

Frequently Asked Questions about Hubbell Elementary

What schools do graduates of Hubbell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hubbell Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Roosevelt High School

Is Hubbell Elementary a good school?

Hubbell Elementary ranks 375^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Hubbell Elementary?

Students at Hubbell Elementary are 59% White, 16% African American, 14% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Hubbell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 362 students attended Hubbell Elementary.

What district is Hubbell Elementary in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

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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.