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Cornell Elementary School

Q: Is Cornell Elementary School a good school?

Cornell Elementary School ranks 227 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

227^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Cornell Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Des Moines, Iowa, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 560 students. The school is part of the Saydel Community School District, which is ranked 258 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cornell Elementary School has seen a fluctuating statewide ranking over the past several years, ranging from 227 out of 576 Iowa elementary schools (3-star rating) in 2024-2025 to as low as 511 out of 603 (1-star rating) in 2018-2019. The school's overall performance, as measured by the SchoolDigger rating, has been consistently low, with a 1-star or 2-star rating for most of the past decade. However, the school's test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics have been mixed, with 3rd and 4th-grade students performing better than the state average in 2024-2025, but more inconsistent results in recent years. The school has also experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 13.9% to 24.7% over the past few years.

When compared to nearby schools, Cornell Elementary School's performance is mixed. It generally outperforms schools in the Des Moines Independent Community School District, such as Garton Elementary, Cattell Elementary, and Findley Elementary, in both test scores and statewide rankings. However, it lags behind the high-performing schools in the Ankeny Community School District, such as Crocker Elementary and Prairie Trail Elementary, which consistently rank among the top elementary schools in the state.

555

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,990

Per pupil spending ?

15.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5817 NE 3rd St
Des Moines, IA 50313

(515) 244-8173

District: Saydel Community School District

Students who attend Cornell Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Woodside Middle School
High:	Saydel High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.5%

Hispanic:

20.7%

Two or more races:

6.3%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Cornell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 28th percentile in 2015 → 61st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (79% vs 73% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 33 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Iowa median (61st percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school79%

District avg79%

Iowa avg73%

227^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 33 pts since 2015

From bottom 28% (2015) to top 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

258^th of 313Saydel 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	64.3	227 of 576	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.5	419 of 557	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.3	370 of 565	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.7	378 of 574	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.6	363 of 567	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.6	511 of 603	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.1	461 of 567	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.5	479 of 574	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.6	495 of 599	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	40.5	443 of 616	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	28.9	498 of 603	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	27.7	528 of 624	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics81%+6 vs state

English Language Arts76%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cornell 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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cornell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	5817 NE 3rd St	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Saydel Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 244-8173	555	39	14.3	15.5%	391 (70.5%)	13 (2.3%)	115 (20.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.3%)	64.3	227^th of 576 public elementary schools	60.6%		34.5	419^th of 557 public elementary schools	24.8%	192	76.5	76.5			81.2	80.0				$12,990	$832	$12,159
Madison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	806 E Hoffman St	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8420	285	24	12.0	88.8%	60 (21.1%)	18 (6.3%)	154 (54.0%)	30 (10.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.4%)	15.2	508^th of 576 public elementary schools	11.8%		4.9	538^th of 557 public elementary schools	3.4%	30	30.8	70.6	60.0		38.5	55.9	62.5		30.0	$18,238	$1,698	$16,540
Oak Park	Public	K-5	3928 6th Avenue	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8428	288	27	10.6	78.5%	79 (27.4%)	71 (24.7%)	92 (31.9%)	19 (6.6%)	3 (1.0%)	3 (1.0%)	21 (7.3%)	5.2	547^th of 576 public elementary schools	5.0%		2.7	546^th of 557 public elementary schools	2.0%	1	39.0	51.5	42.6		61.0	45.5	46.8		21.3	$16,793	$1,701	$15,092
Crocker Elementary School	Public	K-5	2910 SW Applewood St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9710	489	34	14.3	21.5%	382 (78.1%)	14 (2.9%)	35 (7.2%)	16 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.6%)	75.5	118^th of 576 public elementary schools	79.5%		75.5	108^th of 557 public elementary schools	80.6%	10	71.4	78.0	82.8		87.1	87.9	88.5		75.9	$12,111	$254	$11,857
Cattell Elementary School	Public	K-5	3101 E 12th St	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8403	314	27	11.6	86.3%	88 (28.0%)	65 (20.7%)	101 (32.2%)	28 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	28 (8.9%)	6.8	542^nd of 576 public elementary schools	5.9%		29.4	443^rd of 557 public elementary schools	20.5%	99	47.7	60.0	40.4		47.7	46.0	54.4		26.3	$16,110	$1,920	$14,190
Findley Elementary School	Public	K-6	3025 Oxford Street	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8407	324	25	12.7	85.2%	92 (28.4%)	62 (19.1%)	93 (28.7%)	43 (13.3%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	29 (9.0%)	4.6	553^rd of 576 public elementary schools	4.0%		10.2	513^th of 557 public elementary schools	7.9%	40	35.7	44.4	40.4	66.7	33.3	33.3	36.2	54.5	36.2	$16,683	$1,316	$15,366
Heritage Elementary	Public	K-5	301 SW Prairie Trail Pky	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9645	604	38	15.8	33.9%	414 (68.5%)	36 (6.0%)	89 (14.7%)	30 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.6%)	67.8	194^th of 576 public elementary schools	66.3%		62.6	224^th of 557 public elementary schools	59.8%	30	69.1	87.6	80.4		76.3	85.4	82.6		65.9
Prairie Trail Elementary	Public	K-5	1850 SW College Ave	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9605	526	32	16.4	5.9%	438 (83.3%)	4 (0.8%)	39 (7.4%)	12 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.1%)	90.9	13^th of 576 public elementary schools	97.7%		91.2	8^th of 557 public elementary schools	98.6%	5	85.1	96.1	90.5		90.4	96.1	92.6		89.5	$11,662	$230	$11,432
Samuelson Elementary School	Public	K-5	3929 Bel-Aire Rd	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8441	386	31	12.6	79.0%	87 (22.5%)	95 (24.6%)	55 (14.2%)	118 (30.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	30 (7.8%)	7.1	540^th of 576 public elementary schools	6.3%		13.8	493^rd of 557 public elementary schools	11.5%	47	39.6	57.4	45.5		43.4	57.4	53.0		34.8	$15,980	$1,376	$14,603
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Cornell Elementary School

How many students attend Cornell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 555 students attended Cornell Elementary School.

What district is Cornell Elementary School in?

Saydel Community School District

What schools do graduates of Cornell Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Woodside Middle School
High : Saydel High School

Is Cornell Elementary School a good school?

Cornell Elementary School ranks 227^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cornell Elementary School?

Students at Cornell Elementary School are 70% White, 21% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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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.