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River Woods Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

517^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 10% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

River Woods Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 505 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.

River Woods Elementary School faces several challenges. It 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 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. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics were around 10-20 percentage points below the state averages. Additionally, River Woods has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 80.4% to 89.72% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.

When comparing River Woods Elementary School to nearby schools in the Des Moines Independent Community School District, it becomes evident that River Woods is one of the lower-performing schools in the district. Most of the nearby schools, such as Capitol View Elementary School, Mitchell Early Childhood Center, and Wright Elementary School, have higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and lower percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. River Woods Elementary School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Iowa elementary schools over the past several years, suggesting that the school has been struggling to improve student outcomes for an extended period.

493

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,278

Per pupil spending ?

86.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2929 SE 22nd St
Des Moines, IA 50320

(515) 242-8433

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend River Woods Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Weeks Middle School
High:	East High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.9%

African American:

18.9%

Asian:

17.8%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare River Woods Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2015 → 10th in 2025

Strengths

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

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (50% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 25 pts below the Iowa average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

517^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 10%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 4% (2015) to bottom 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^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	12.1	517 of 576	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.7	521 of 557	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	489 of 565	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.2	542 of 574	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.5	534 of 567	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.5	591 of 603	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.0	517 of 567	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.2	534 of 574	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.3	564 of 599	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.7	589 of 616	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	10.9	557 of 603	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	8.1	593 of 624	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.8	583 of 626	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Science53%-11 vs state

English Language Arts50%-21 vs state

Mathematics49%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near River Woods 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
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
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
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
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
Willard Elementary School	Public	K-5	2941 Dean Avenue	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8439	247	24	10.3	88.7%	81 (32.8%)	25 (10.1%)	116 (47.0%)	13 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.9%)	20.1	490^th of 576 public elementary schools	14.9%		10.9	507^th of 557 public elementary schools	9.0%	17	50.0	64.7	51.2	67.5	61.8	65.1	41.9	$16,503	$1,680	$14,822
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about River Woods Elementary School

What district is River Woods Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What is the racial makeup of River Woods Elementary School?

Students at River Woods Elementary School are 47% Hispanic, 19% African American, 18% Asian, 12% White, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend River Woods Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 493 students attended River Woods Elementary School.

Is River Woods Elementary School a good school?

River Woods Elementary School ranks in the bottom 10.2% of Iowa elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of River Woods Elementary School attend?

Students who attend River Woods Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Weeks Middle School
High : East 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.