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Walnut Street School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

485^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Walnut Street School is an elementary school located in Des Moines, Iowa, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 244 students. It 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. Walnut Street School has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Iowa elementary schools, ranking between 430-522 out of 557-616 schools over the past 10 years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Walnut Street School faces several key challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates, significantly lower test scores compared to the district and state averages, and a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population. However, the school's spending per student is higher than the district average, and it has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, suggesting that additional resources are being directed to the school.

When comparing Walnut Street School to other nearby schools in the same district, such as Downtown School, it becomes clear that Walnut Street School is performing significantly worse. Downtown School, which is less than a mile away, has much higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism, and a lower percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients. While the district is providing additional resources to Walnut Street School, more targeted and comprehensive interventions may be necessary to help the school improve and better serve its students.

257

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,042

Per pupil spending ?

62.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

901 Walnut St
Des Moines, IA 50309

(515) 242-8438

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Walnut Street School usually attend:

Middle:	Callanan Middle School
High:	Roosevelt High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

32.7%

White:

29.6%

Hispanic:

19.1%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Walnut Street School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 10th percentile in 2022 → 16th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 16th (2025) from a 10th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (56% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 25 pts below the Iowa average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

485^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 26% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^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	22.4	485 of 576	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.0	430 of 557	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	444 of 565	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	517 of 574	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	480 of 567	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.7	522 of 603	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.3	469 of 567	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.2	493 of 574	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.4	521 of 599	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	37.8	454 of 616	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.2	510 of 603	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.3	538 of 624	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	16.1	575 of 626	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts62%-9 vs state

Science59%-5 vs state

Mathematics49%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Walnut Street 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
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
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
Edmunds Elementary School	Public	K-5	950 15th Street	Des Moines	50314	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 243-1174	259	29	9.0	93.8%	19 (7.3%)	187 (72.2%)	36 (13.9%)	6 (2.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.5%)	1	574^th of 576 public elementary schools	0.3%		1.7	551^st of 557 public elementary schools	1.1%	23	22.5	45.5	37.8	37.5	33.3	40.5	18.9	$18,276	$2,057	$16,219
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
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
Moulton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1541 8th Street	Des Moines	50314	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8427	465	33	14.2	94.2%	28 (6.0%)	240 (51.6%)	140 (30.1%)	27 (5.8%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.6%)	9	534^th of 576 public elementary schools	7.3%		7.2	526^th of 557 public elementary schools	5.6%	8	36.5	44.3	54.0	40.5	34.4	66.7	38.1	$16,426	$1,675	$14,751
King Elementary School	Public	K-5	1849 Forest Ave	Des Moines	50314	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8417	315	24	13.1	96.2%	19 (6.0%)	126 (40.0%)	128 (40.6%)	25 (7.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)	1.5	573^rd of 576 public elementary schools	0.5%		1	555^th of 557 public elementary schools	0.4%	18	34.1	29.7	43.9	46.3	27.0	17.1	26.8	$18,403	$2,345	$16,058
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
Greenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	316 37th Street	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8410	293	20	14.6	46.4%	164 (56.0%)	49 (16.7%)	37 (12.6%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	34 (11.6%)	40.7	398^th of 576 public elementary schools	30.9%		45.1	364^th of 557 public elementary schools	34.6%	34	65.9	84.4	57.1	63.4	81.3	64.3	57.1	$16,236	$666	$15,571
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Walnut Street School

What schools do graduates of Walnut Street School attend?

Students who attend Walnut Street School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Callanan Middle School
High : Roosevelt High School

Is Walnut Street School a good school?

Walnut Street School ranks in the bottom 15.8% of Iowa elementary schools.

How many students attend Walnut Street School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 257 students attended Walnut Street School.

What district is Walnut Street School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Walnut Street School?

Students at Walnut Street School are 33% African American, 30% White, 19% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

Rate Walnut Street School!

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Schools in Des Moines, IA

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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.