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Lovejoy Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

570^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Lovejoy Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 412 students in grades K-5. Despite being part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District, which is ranked 306 out of 313 districts in the state, Lovejoy Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Iowa elementary schools over the past decade.

One of the key issues facing Lovejoy Elementary is its extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 42% in recent years, significantly higher than the district and state averages. This is likely a significant contributor to the school's poor academic performance, with students consistently scoring well below the district and state averages on standardized tests. For example, in 2024-2025, only 35.6% of 3rd graders, 45.5% of 4th graders, and 40.4% of 5th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 46%, 55.9%, and 50.6% for the district, and 67.9%, 76%, and 69.8% for the state.

Lovejoy Elementary also has an extremely high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 82.04% to 90.07% in recent years, significantly higher than nearby schools like McKinley Elementary, Studebaker Elementary, and Howe Elementary, which also struggle with low academic performance and high rates of poverty but generally outperform Lovejoy. Despite the higher per-student spending at Lovejoy Elementary, the school's academic outcomes remain poor, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution.

394

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,256

Per pupil spending ?

89.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

801 E Kenyon Ave
Des Moines, IA 50315

(515) 242-8419

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Lovejoy Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	McCombs Middle School
High:	Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

33.8%

African American:

26.9%

White:

21.6%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Lovejoy Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 11th percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (40% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

570^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

36^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	2.2	570 of 576	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.1	542 of 557	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.6	544 of 565	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.6	553 of 574	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	522 of 567	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.3	601 of 603	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.8	553 of 567	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	4.8	544 of 574	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.9	547 of 599	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.6	546 of 616	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	10.4	558 of 603	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.1	610 of 624	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.7	608 of 626	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics41%-33 vs state

English Language Arts40%-31 vs state

Science33%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lovejoy 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
Lovejoy Elementary School	Public	K-5	801 E Kenyon Ave	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8419	394	33	12.1	89.3%	85 (21.6%)	106 (26.9%)	133 (33.8%)	45 (11.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.8%)	2.2	570^th of 576 public elementary schools	1.0%		4.1	542^nd of 557 public elementary schools	2.7%	28	35.6	45.5	40.4	44.1	47.3	30.8	32.7	$17,256	$2,903	$14,353
South Union Elementary School	Public	K-5	4201 South Union	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8409	422	34	12.4	84.8%	96 (22.7%)	91 (21.6%)	149 (35.3%)	41 (9.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (10.0%)	10.6	527^th of 576 public elementary schools	8.5%		7	528^th of 557 public elementary schools	5.2%	1	41.9	69.2	50.0	45.2	53.8	51.7	39.7	$14,822	$1,433	$13,389
Jackson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3825 Indianola Ave	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8415	490	33	14.9	80.6%	101 (20.6%)	107 (21.8%)	199 (40.6%)	55 (11.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (5.5%)	12.9	514^th of 576 public elementary schools	10.8%		10.2	512^th of 557 public elementary schools	8.1%	2	61.7	49.2	53.3	65.0	42.9	48.3	36.7	$15,448	$1,376	$14,072
Studebaker Elementary School	Public	K-5	300 E County Line Rd	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8436	561	43	13.1	86.3%	160 (28.5%)	104 (18.5%)	245 (43.7%)	20 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.5%)	5.9	543^rd of 576 public elementary schools	5.7%		4	543^rd of 557 public elementary schools	2.5%		48.8	53.1	45.7	48.8	33.3	49.4	38.3	$15,051	$1,299	$13,752
Howe Elementary	Public	K-5	2900 Indianola	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8413	297	26	11.4	90.9%	68 (22.9%)	61 (20.5%)	131 (44.1%)	22 (7.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.7%)	3.6	562^nd of 576 public elementary schools	2.4%		11.2	506^th of 557 public elementary schools	9.2%	56	33.9	44.0	50.0	44.6	28.0	52.6	31.6	$16,527	$1,727	$14,800
Wright Elementary School	Public	K-5	5001 SW 14th St	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8442	265	22	12.2	77.7%	105 (39.6%)	34 (12.8%)	89 (33.6%)	11 (4.2%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.1%)	22 (8.3%)	4.2	556^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.5%		21.3	466^th of 557 public elementary schools	16.3%	90	41.9	53.8	44.4	37.2	51.3	38.9	36.1	$15,928	$1,243	$14,685
Morris Elementary School	Public	K-5	1401 Geil Avenue	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8421	519	39	13.3	87.7%	185 (35.6%)	70 (13.5%)	215 (41.4%)	10 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	37 (7.1%)	11.6	521^st of 576 public elementary schools	9.5%		9.4	516^th of 557 public elementary schools	7.4%	5	38.4	67.2	50.0	38.4	62.5	54.2	38.9	$16,468	$1,455	$15,012
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
River Woods Elementary School	Public	K-5	2929 SE 22nd St	Des Moines	50320	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8433	493	43	11.5	86.8%	59 (12.0%)	93 (18.9%)	231 (46.9%)	88 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.5%)	12.1	517^th of 576 public elementary schools	10.2%		7.7	521^st of 557 public elementary schools	6.5%	4	53.2	42.6	55.7	48.4	41.2	55.7	52.9	$15,278	$1,674	$13,604
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Lovejoy Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Lovejoy Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : McCombs Middle School
High : Lincoln High School

Is Lovejoy Elementary School a good school?

Lovejoy Elementary School ranks in the bottom 1.0% of Iowa elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Lovejoy Elementary School?

Students at Lovejoy Elementary School are 34% Hispanic, 27% African American, 22% White, 11% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

What district is Lovejoy Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

How many students attend Lovejoy Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 394 students attended Lovejoy Elementary School.

Rate Lovejoy 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.