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McKinley Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

536^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

McKinley Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 269 students. 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.

McKinley Elementary has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 42.0% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and the rates of nearby schools like Park Ave Elementary School and Carver Elementary. The school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are also consistently lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, McKinley's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics were around 45-55%, compared to the district's 46-56% and the state's 68-76%.

Despite the higher spending per student at McKinley Elementary, which was $18,844 for the 2018-2019 school year, the school's performance still lags behind nearby schools. This suggests that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution, and that a more comprehensive approach to addressing the school's challenges, such as the high rates of chronic absenteeism and the high percentage of students from low-income families (ranging from 78.07% to 91.45% over the past few years), may be necessary to improve the school's overall performance.

275

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,844

Per pupil spending ?

86.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1610 SE 6th Street
Des Moines, IA 50315

(515) 242-8423

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend McKinley Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Weeks Middle School
High:	Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.5%

White:

26.5%

African American:

13.1%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare McKinley Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 3rd percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (49% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 24 pts below the Iowa average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

536^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 3% (2015) to bottom 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^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	8.4	536 of 576	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	519 of 557	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	535 of 565	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.3	550 of 574	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.6	547 of 567	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	579 of 603	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.3	557 of 567	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.0	555 of 574	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.9	562 of 599	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.8	595 of 616	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	7.7	569 of 603	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.6	586 of 624	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.7	592 of 626	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics50%-24 vs state

English Language Arts50%-22 vs state

Science46%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near McKinley 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
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
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
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
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
Carver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	705 E University Ave	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8418	436	31	14.1	92.4%	31 (7.1%)	96 (22.0%)	260 (59.6%)	19 (4.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.0%)	3.2	565^th of 576 public elementary schools	1.9%		3.7	544^th of 557 public elementary schools	2.3%	21	33.9	47.4	36.5	44.6	47.4	47.6	36.5	$17,672	$1,648	$16,024
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about McKinley Elementary School

What district is McKinley Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

How many students attend McKinley Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 275 students attended McKinley Elementary School.

Is McKinley Elementary School a good school?

McKinley Elementary School ranks in the bottom 6.9% of Iowa elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of McKinley Elementary School?

Students at McKinley Elementary School are 47% Hispanic, 27% White, 13% African American, 10% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What schools do graduates of McKinley Elementary School attend?

Students who attend McKinley Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Weeks Middle School
High : Lincoln 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.