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Jackson Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

514^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Jackson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 495 students in grades PK-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.

Jackson Elementary School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 42.0% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are also generally lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics 10-20 percentage points below the state averages. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 72.53% to 80.54% over the past few years, suggesting a high concentration of students from low-income families.

When comparing Jackson Elementary School to the nearby schools in the same district, such as Wright Elementary and River Woods Elementary, the nearby schools generally have similar low performance on test scores and high chronic absenteeism rates, suggesting systemic challenges within the district. However, some of these nearby schools do perform slightly better on certain metrics, indicating that there may be opportunities to learn from their practices. Addressing the issues at Jackson Elementary School and the surrounding schools will require a comprehensive approach that considers the broader context of the district and the socioeconomic factors impacting the school community.

490

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,448

Per pupil spending ?

80.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3825 Indianola Ave
Des Moines, IA 50315

(515) 242-8415

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.6%

African American:

21.8%

White:

20.6%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Jackson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2015 → 11th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (51% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school51%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

514^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^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	12.9	514 of 576	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	512 of 557	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	512 of 565	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.8	522 of 574	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.4	533 of 567	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.3	582 of 603	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.5	531 of 567	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	13.8	511 of 574	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	7.1	570 of 599	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	6.1	585 of 616	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.2	565 of 603	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	8.7	592 of 624	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.2	598 of 626	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts55%-17 vs state

Mathematics52%-22 vs state

Science37%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jackson Elementary 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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Studebaker Elementary School	Public	K-5	300 E County Line Rd	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8436	561	43	13.1	86.3%	160 (28.5%)	104 (18.5%)	245 (43.7%)	20 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.5%)	5.9	543^rd of 576 public elementary schools	5.7%		4	543^rd of 557 public elementary schools	2.5%		48.8	53.1	45.7	48.8	33.3	49.4	38.3	$15,051	$1,299	$13,752
Morris Elementary School	Public	K-5	1401 Geil Avenue	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8421	519	39	13.3	87.7%	185 (35.6%)	70 (13.5%)	215 (41.4%)	10 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	37 (7.1%)	11.6	521^st of 576 public elementary schools	9.5%		9.4	516^th of 557 public elementary schools	7.4%	5	38.4	67.2	50.0	38.4	62.5	54.2	38.9	$16,468	$1,455	$15,012

Frequently Asked Questions about Jackson Elementary School

How many students attend Jackson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 490 students attended Jackson Elementary School.

Is Jackson Elementary School a good school?

Jackson Elementary School ranks in the bottom 10.8% of Iowa elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Jackson Elementary School?

Students at Jackson Elementary School are 41% Hispanic, 22% African American, 21% White, 11% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

What district is Jackson Elementary School 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.