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Brubaker Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

560^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Brubaker Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Des Moines, Iowa, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 618 students. The school is part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District, which is ranked 306 out of 313 school districts in Iowa and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Brubaker Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Iowa elementary schools over the past several years, with a ranking of 560 out of 576 schools for the 2024-2025 school year. The school has received a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past decade, indicating poor overall performance. This is due to several key factors, including very high chronic absenteeism rates, significantly lower test scores compared to state and district averages, and a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

When comparing Brubaker Elementary to other nearby schools within the Des Moines district, such as Capitol View, Garton, and Phillips Elementary, it is clear that Brubaker is one of the lowest-performing schools in the district. Expanding the comparison to schools outside the Des Moines district, Brubaker Elementary also performs significantly worse than schools in the neighboring Southeast Polk Community School District, such as Willowbrook, Clay, and Delaware Elementary.

622

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,004

Per pupil spending ?

83.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2900 E 42nd Street
Des Moines, IA 50317

(515) 242-8405

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Brubaker Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Hoyt Middle School
High:	East High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

36.7%

Hispanic:

29.7%

African American:

20.4%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Brubaker Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

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

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

560^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

31^st 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	3.9	560 of 576	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.6	547 of 557	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	536 of 565	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.5	545 of 574	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.1	541 of 567	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.6	575 of 603	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	502 of 567	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	6.1	540 of 574	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.1	576 of 599	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.1	600 of 616	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	3.9	585 of 603	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.2	603 of 624	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.7	606 of 626	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts46%-25 vs state

Mathematics43%-31 vs state

Science34%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Brubaker 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
Brubaker Elementary School	Public	K-5	2900 E 42nd Street	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8405	622	52	12.0	83.3%	228 (36.7%)	127 (20.4%)	185 (29.7%)	26 (4.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	51 (8.2%)	3.9	560^th of 576 public elementary schools	2.8%		2.6	547^th of 557 public elementary schools	1.8%	13	47.6	48.0	41.9	42.9	48.0	38.1	33.7	$16,004	$1,458	$14,547
Stowe Elementary School	Public	K-5	1411 E 33rd St	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8435	297	25	12.0	84.2%	96 (32.3%)	49 (16.5%)	124 (41.8%)	9 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	17 (5.7%)	4	558^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.1%		2	548^th of 557 public elementary schools	1.6%	10	46.9	36.4	50.0	44.9	24.2	35.3	32.4	$17,791	$1,908	$15,883
Delaware Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4401 E 46th St	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 262-3197	440	36	12.1	45.9%	267 (60.7%)	63 (14.3%)	57 (13.0%)	25 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	26 (5.9%)	65.6	215^th of 576 public elementary schools	62.7%		72.2	138^th of 557 public elementary schools	75.2%	77	83.6	87.1	72.9	86.6	83.9	64.3	64.3	$15,865	$1,352	$14,513
Garton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2820 E 24th St	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8408	535	36	14.8	89.3%	101 (18.9%)	94 (17.6%)	243 (45.4%)	58 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (7.1%)	5	552^nd of 576 public elementary schools	4.2%		12.4	499^th of 557 public elementary schools	10.4%	53	37.8	49.2	33.8	63.5	47.6	41.3	28.8	$16,721	$1,650	$15,072
Phillips Elementary	Public	K-5	1701 Lay St	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8431	263	24	10.9	79.1%	129 (49.0%)	24 (9.1%)	89 (33.8%)	5 (1.9%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.3%)	9.6	530^th of 576 public elementary schools	8.0%		11.5	504^th of 557 public elementary schools	9.5%	26	40.0	56.3	43.2	66.0	59.4	40.5	32.4	$16,246	$669	$15,577
Pleasant Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4801 E Oakwood Dr	Des Moines	50327	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8432	241	20	11.8	68.9%	137 (56.8%)	25 (10.4%)	61 (25.3%)	6 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.0%)	24.5	477^th of 576 public elementary schools	17.2%		39.5	389^th of 557 public elementary schools	30.2%	88	58.3	67.7	60.0	66.7	64.5	56.0	44.0	$15,655	$628	$15,027
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
Willowbrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	300 17th Ave SW	Altoona	50009	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 967-7512	523	39	13.3	53.0%	334 (63.9%)	62 (11.9%)	57 (10.9%)	14 (2.7%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	52 (9.9%)	38.9	407^th of 576 public elementary schools	29.3%		35.2	413^th of 557 public elementary schools	25.9%	6	68.8	75.3	61.6	80.5	67.9	53.4	52.1	$13,785	$487	$13,298
Clay Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3200 First Avenue S.	Altoona	50009	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 967-4198	700	43	16.4	36.1%	423 (60.4%)	98 (14.0%)	104 (14.9%)	22 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (7.6%)	48	343^rd of 576 public elementary schools	40.5%		61	242^nd of 557 public elementary schools	56.6%	101	68.3	77.7	68.3	74.0	73.8	61.0	66.3	$12,723	$186	$12,537
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Brubaker Elementary School

How many students attend Brubaker Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 622 students attended Brubaker Elementary School.

Is Brubaker Elementary School a good school?

Brubaker Elementary School ranks in the bottom 2.8% of Iowa elementary schools.

What district is Brubaker Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What schools do graduates of Brubaker Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Hoyt Middle School
High : East High School

What is the racial makeup of Brubaker Elementary School?

Students at Brubaker Elementary School are 37% White, 30% Hispanic, 20% African American, 8% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

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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.