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Studebaker Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

543^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Studebaker Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 553 students in grades K-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. Studebaker Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Iowa elementary schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Studebaker Elementary faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 42% 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 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 45.7% to 53.1%, compared to the state averages of 67.9% to 76%. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rates ranged from 33.3% to 49.4%, compared to the state averages of 71.5% to 75.8%. Additionally, Studebaker Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 80.29% to 88.15% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.

When comparing Studebaker Elementary to other nearby schools within the same district, such as Jefferson Elementary, it becomes clear that Studebaker is performing significantly worse across multiple metrics. This suggests that the school may be facing significant socioeconomic challenges that could be impacting student performance, and addressing these underlying issues could be crucial in improving the school's overall outcomes.

561

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,051

Per pupil spending ?

86.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 E County Line Rd
Des Moines, IA 50315

(515) 242-8436

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Studebaker Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	McCombs Middle School
High:	Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.7%

White:

28.5%

African American:

18.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Studebaker Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (45% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

543^rd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

23^rd 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	5.9	543 of 576	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	543 of 557	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	543 of 565	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.9	543 of 574	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.5	552 of 567	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.7	563 of 603	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	528 of 567	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.3	520 of 574	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	18.2	524 of 599	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.7	544 of 616	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	8.2	565 of 603	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.3	588 of 624	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	11.2	589 of 626	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts49%-22 vs state

Mathematics44%-30 vs state

Science38%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Studebaker 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2425 Watrous Ave	Des Moines	50321	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8416	312	22	14.2	41.3%	204 (65.4%)	33 (10.6%)	38 (12.2%)	10 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	24 (7.7%)	60.7	259^th of 576 public elementary schools	55.0%		49	341^st of 557 public elementary schools	38.8%	82	76.9	69.6	77.6	86.5	69.6	79.6	65.3	$13,945	$622	$13,323
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Studebaker Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Studebaker Elementary School?

Students at Studebaker Elementary School are 44% Hispanic, 29% White, 19% African American, 6% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Studebaker Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 561 students attended Studebaker Elementary School.

What district is Studebaker Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What schools do graduates of Studebaker Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : McCombs Middle School
High : Lincoln High School

Is Studebaker Elementary School a good school?

Studebaker Elementary School ranks in the bottom 5.7% of Iowa elementary schools.

Rate Studebaker Elementary 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.