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Capitol View Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

559^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Capitol View Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 545 students in grades PK-5. The school 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.

Capitol View Elementary has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 42.0% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. The school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are also consistently lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate was 41.3%, compared to 46% for the district and 67.9% for the state. Additionally, Capitol View Elementary has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 85.32% to 95.12% over the past few years.

When comparing Capitol View Elementary to the nearby schools in the same district, such as Phillips Elementary, Willard Elementary School, and Walnut Street School, it becomes clear that Capitol View is one of the lowest-performing schools in the area. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Iowa elementary schools over the past several years, with a statewide ranking between 508 and 593 out of 567 to 616 schools.

533

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,793

Per pupil spending ?

92.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

320 E. 16th
Des Moines, IA 50316

(515) 242-8402

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Capitol View Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Hiatt Middle School
High:	East High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.5%

African American:

18.9%

White:

17.1%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Capitol View Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 4th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (42% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (35% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

559^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

30^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	3.9	559 of 576	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.3	532 of 557	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.2	542 of 565	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.9	557 of 574	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.8	537 of 567	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.3	564 of 603	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.8	508 of 567	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.8	517 of 574	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	7.0	571 of 599	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.4	593 of 616	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.7	591 of 603	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.3	614 of 624	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.6	618 of 626	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%-27 vs state

Mathematics43%-31 vs state

Science32%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Capitol View 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Capitol View Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Capitol View Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Capitol View Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hiatt Middle School
High : East High School

How many students attend Capitol View Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 533 students attended Capitol View Elementary School.

What district is Capitol View Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Capitol View Elementary School?

Students at Capitol View Elementary School are 56% Hispanic, 19% African American, 17% White, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is Capitol View Elementary School a good school?

Capitol View Elementary School ranks in the bottom 3.0% of Iowa elementary schools.

Rate Capitol View Elementary School!

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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.