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Karen Acres Elementary School

NOTE: this school is no longer listed as a functioning school by the National Center for Education Statistics. We continue to list this school on SchoolDigger for historical purposes.

It is possible that this school is still operating under a different district or under a different name. If you believe this to be the case, please search for this school by using the search box above.

Public Grades

Summary

Karen Acres Elementary School is a public elementary school in Urbandale, Iowa, serving students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade as part of the Urbandale Community School District. With a diverse student population and generally higher test scores compared to the district and state averages, Karen Acres stands out among its peers in the area.

One key differentiator is the school's racial diversity, with a student body that is 48.65% White, 10.47% African American, 16.22% Hispanic, 15.2% Asian, and 8.78% two or more races. This is notably more diverse than nearby schools like Rolling Green Elementary and Olmsted Elementary. Additionally, Karen Acres has higher test scores, with 79.2% of 3rd graders, 66% of 4th graders, and 62.5% of 5th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, outperforming the district and state. However, the school's performance has been declining in recent years, dropping from a 4-star to a 1-star rating on SchoolDigger.

One potential challenge for Karen Acres is its high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 57.09% - significantly higher than nearby schools. This socioeconomic factor may be contributing to the school's declining performance, and the school may need to address these challenges to improve student outcomes. While Karen Acres stands out for its diversity and past academic success, it faces some unique obstacles that the Urbandale Community School District will need to address to ensure the continued success of its students.

296

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

57.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3500 74th Street
Urbandale, IA 50322-4102

(515) 457-5700

District: Urbandale Community School District

Students who attend Karen Acres Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Urbandale Middle School
High:	Urbandale High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.6%

Hispanic:

16.2%

Asian:

15.2%

See top rated Iowa public schools

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2013 → 28th in 2023

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (65% vs 70% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2022-2023) ?

This school65%

District avg74%

Iowa avg70%

Not ranked this year

Karen Acres Elementary School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

126^th of 313Urbandale 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
2023	39.1	404 of 565	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.3	312 of 574	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.9	380 of 567	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.7	222 of 603	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.2	106 of 567	81.3%	★★★★☆
2017	74.8	118 of 574	79.4%	★★★★☆
2016	73.7	132 of 599	78.0%	★★★★☆
2015	72.4	153 of 616	75.2%	★★★★☆
2014	43.2	430 of 603	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	49.2	384 of 624	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	55.4	329 of 626	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2022-2023) ?

English Language Arts69%~ state avg

Mathematics64%-10 vs state

Science54%-8 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a student on FaceBook
Friday, September 26, 2014

I used to go to this school in 1st and 2nd grade and I am very thankful that I went there!!! Close Quote

Schools Near Karen Acres Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Karen Acres Elementary School	Public	K-5	3500 74th St	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 457-5700	233	19	11.9	52.8%	122 (52.4%)	11 (4.7%)	48 (20.6%)	37 (15.9%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.2%)	64.7	225^th of 576 public elementary schools	60.9%		57.8	271^st of 557 public elementary schools	51.3%	46	89.5	81.1	72.5							92.1	62.2	77.5							67.5			$13,768	$98	$13,670
Olmsted Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7110 Prairie Avenue	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 457-5100	622	49	12.8	51.0%	319 (51.3%)	88 (14.1%)	104 (16.7%)	72 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	37 (5.9%)	48.6	337^th of 576 public elementary schools	41.5%		44.7	366^th of 557 public elementary schools	34.3%	29	68.3	72.2	71.7							73.2	66.7	75.8							63.6
Urbandale Middle School	Public	6-8	7701 Aurora Avenue	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 457-6600	892	59	15.1	41.4%	565 (63.3%)	77 (8.6%)	136 (15.2%)	62 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	50 (5.6%)	43.1	240^th of 344 public middle schools	30.2%		49.3	201^st of 337 public middle schools	40.4%	39				71.4	71.4	85.0							68.6	67.2	74.1					70.2		$8,993	$119	$8,874
Urbandale High School	Public	9-12	7111 Aurora Avenue	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 457-6800	1,301	88	14.7	36.4%	817 (62.8%)	117 (9.0%)	205 (15.8%)	88 (6.8%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	68 (5.2%)	61.2	150^th of 340 public high schools	55.9%		34.3	263^rd of 338 public high schools	22.2%	113							83.2	82.0	80.4							63.3	68.1	71.0			71.8	$11,428	$388	$11,040
Valerius Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3305 92nd St	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(515) 457-6500	598	47	12.7	43.3%	363 (60.7%)	62 (10.4%)	73 (12.2%)	68 (11.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (5.0%)	77.2	103^rd of 576 public elementary schools	82.1%		61.8	228^th of 557 public elementary schools	59.1%	125	81.7	81.9	87.8							84.9	79.2	82.9							78.0
Crestview School of Inquiry	Public	PK, KG-6	8355 Franklin Avenue	Clive	50325	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-5700	558	48	11.6	84.1%	96 (17.2%)	54 (9.7%)	324 (58.1%)	65 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.4%)	11.3	524^th of 576 public elementary schools	9.0%		17.7	481^st of 557 public elementary schools	13.6%	43	50.7	43.1	54.5	58.6						50.7	39.2	54.5	60.3						50.9			$14,822	$670	$14,152
Clive Learning Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	1600 73rd Street	Des Moines	50324	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-5800	551	43	12.6	59.7%	250 (45.4%)	100 (18.1%)	99 (18.0%)	41 (7.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (10.7%)	49	334^th of 576 public elementary schools	42.0%		50.2	327^th of 557 public elementary schools	41.3%	7	62.0	74.6	75.4	79.1						64.8	71.2	72.5	73.5						66.7			$14,178	$481	$13,696
Cowles Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	6401 College Ave	Des Moines	50324	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7818	392	23	16.7	20.2%	308 (78.6%)	4 (1.0%)	30 (7.7%)	12 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.2%)	70.6	167^th of 576 public elementary schools	71.0%		61	243^rd of 557 public elementary schools	56.4%	76	62.2	97.0	93.3	85.2	93.8	100.0				70.3	84.8	83.3	77.8	93.8	96.8				83.3	96.8		$14,566	$624	$13,942
Hillis Elementary School	Public	K-5	2401 56th St	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8412	279	24	11.4	76.3%	100 (35.8%)	60 (21.5%)	71 (25.4%)	28 (10.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.8%)	4.2	557^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.3%		17.8	479^th of 557 public elementary schools	14.0%	78	38.1	50.0	41.5							50.0	56.5	34.1							29.3			$16,776	$1,702	$15,074
Moore Elementary School	Public	K-5	3725 52nd St	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8426	285	24	12.0	67.0%	101 (35.4%)	59 (20.7%)	61 (21.4%)	29 (10.2%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	32 (11.2%)	17.6	497^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.7%		10.4	510^th of 557 public elementary schools	8.4%	13	54.8	56.5	60.7							64.3	50.0	42.6							55.7			$16,099	$1,236	$14,863

Frequently Asked Questions about Karen Acres Elementary School

How many students attend Karen Acres Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 296 students attended Karen Acres Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Karen Acres Elementary School?

Students at Karen Acres Elementary School are 49% White, 16% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 10% African American, 9% Two or more races.

What district is Karen Acres Elementary School in?

Urbandale Community School District

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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.