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Delaware Elementary

Q: Is Delaware Elementary a good school?

Delaware Elementary ranks 215 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

215^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Delaware Elementary is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 423 students in grades PK-5. It is part of the Southeast Polk Community School District, which is ranked 121 out of 313 school districts in the state.

Delaware Elementary consistently outperforms both the district and the state of Iowa in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 83.6% of 3rd graders, 87.1% of 4th graders, and 72.9% of 5th graders at Delaware Elementary were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the district scores of 74.6%, 82.6%, and 75.4%, respectively, and the state scores of 67.9%, 76%, and 69.8%. Similar trends are observed in Mathematics and Science, with Delaware Elementary excelling in these areas as well. However, the school has experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state average, ranging from 16% to 24.4% over the past few years, which is an area of concern.

When comparing Delaware Elementary to other schools in the Southeast Polk Community School District, it generally outperforms the nearby Altoona Elementary, Clay Elementary, and Centennial Elementary in academic performance. However, Centennial Elementary has a similar academic performance to Delaware Elementary, suggesting it may be a strong peer school. Compared to schools in the Des Moines Independent Community School District, which is ranked 306 out of 313 school districts in Iowa, Delaware Elementary significantly outperforms these schools in academic performance.

440

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,865

Per pupil spending ?

45.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4401 E 46th St
Des Moines, IA 50317

(515) 262-3197

District: Southeast Polk Community School District

Students who attend Delaware Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Southeast Polk Middle School
High:	Southeast Polk High School
Alternative:	Southeast Polk Junior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.7%

African American:

14.3%

Hispanic:

13.0%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Delaware Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2015 → 63rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (77% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 37 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Iowa median (63rd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school77%

District avg77%

Iowa avg71%

215^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▲ up 37 pts since 2015

From bottom 26% (2015) to top 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Southeast Polk Community School District

121^st of 313Southeast Polk 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	65.6	215 of 576	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.2	138 of 557	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	109 of 565	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	68.0	188 of 574	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	76.9	111 of 567	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	80.6	90 of 603	85.1%	★★★★☆
2018	68.1	179 of 567	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.3	233 of 574	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	50.4	368 of 599	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	37.8	455 of 616	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	52.2	356 of 603	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	48.6	396 of 624	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	59.7	281 of 626	55.1%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts81%+10 vs state

Mathematics78%+4 vs state

Science64%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Delaware Elementary

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
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
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
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
Altoona Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 6th St SW	Altoona	50009	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 967-3771	429	35	12.2	53.4%	277 (64.6%)	66 (15.4%)	45 (10.5%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	29 (6.8%)	63.5	231^st of 576 public elementary schools	59.9%		73.5	122^nd of 557 public elementary schools	78.1%	109	66.7	78.4	85.3	78.5	80.4	83.8	61.8	$14,305	$587	$13,718
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
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
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
Centennial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	910 7th Ave SE	Altoona	50009	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 967-2109	423	32	13.1	38.1%	303 (71.6%)	36 (8.5%)	42 (9.9%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (8.7%)	71.2	155^th of 576 public elementary schools	73.1%		77.2	86^th of 557 public elementary schools	84.6%	69	81.5	78.7	72.9	87.7	85.2	87.1	65.7	$15,221	$767	$14,454
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Delaware Elementary

What district is Delaware Elementary in?

Southeast Polk Community School District

How many students attend Delaware Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 440 students attended Delaware Elementary.

Is Delaware Elementary a good school?

Delaware Elementary ranks 215^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Delaware Elementary attend?

Students who attend Delaware Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Southeast Polk Middle School
High : Southeast Polk High School
Alternative : Southeast Polk Junior High

What is the racial makeup of Delaware Elementary?

Students at Delaware Elementary are 61% White, 14% African American, 13% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 6% 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.