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

Wright Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

556^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Wright Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 244 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.

Wright Elementary School faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 42% 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, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics around 40-50%, compared to the state averages of 67.9% and 75.8%, respectively. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 67.21% to 83.15% over the past few years, suggesting a high concentration of students from low-income families.

When comparing Wright Elementary School to nearby schools within the same district, it becomes evident that Wright is one of the lower-performing schools in the area. For example, Jefferson Elementary School, located just over a mile away, has significantly higher test scores and a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. The combination of low academic performance, high poverty rates, and high chronic absenteeism at Wright Elementary School suggests that there may be equity issues within the district, and addressing the root causes of these issues will be crucial for improving the educational outcomes for the students at the school.

265

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,928

Per pupil spending ?

77.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5001 SW 14th St
Des Moines, IA 50315

(515) 242-8442

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Wright Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Brody Middle School
High:	Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.6%

Hispanic:

33.6%

African American:

12.8%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Wright Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (43% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

556^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 15% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

27^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	4.2	556 of 576	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	466 of 557	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	4.1	547 of 565	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.6	533 of 574	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.9	493 of 567	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.5	519 of 603	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	474 of 567	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.4	474 of 574	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	20.8	514 of 599	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.2	526 of 616	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	10.9	555 of 603	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	13.5	577 of 624	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.5	609 of 626	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%-25 vs state

Mathematics42%-31 vs state

Science36%-28 vs state

4.5

2 ratings

5★1

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Wright Elementary School

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 Wright 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Wright Elementary School

Is Wright Elementary School a good school?

Wright Elementary School ranks in the bottom 3.5% of Iowa elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Wright Elementary School?

Students at Wright Elementary School are 40% White, 34% Hispanic, 13% African American, 8% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Wright Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 265 students attended Wright Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Wright Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Brody Middle School
High : Lincoln High School

What district is Wright Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

Rate Wright Elementary School!

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 Wright Elementary School!

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.