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Moulton Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

534^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Moulton Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving grades PK-5 with 450 students. The school is part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District, which is ranked 306 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Moulton Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Iowa elementary schools over the past decade, also earning a 0-star rating.

Moulton Elementary faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 21.6% to 42.0% in recent years, well above district and state averages. The school's test scores on the ISASP assessment are consistently well below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, only 36.5% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 46% for the district and 67.9% for the state. Additionally, Moulton has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 88.22% to 95.46% over the past few years.

Despite having a lower student-teacher ratio and higher spending per student than nearby schools like Walnut Street School and Cattell Elementary School, Moulton Elementary consistently underperforms on test scores. This suggests that factors beyond just resources and staffing may be contributing to the school's struggles. Addressing the unique needs of Moulton's student population, which faces significant challenges related to poverty and absenteeism, will likely require targeted interventions and support.

465

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,426

Per pupil spending ?

94.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1541 8th Street
Des Moines, IA 50314

(515) 242-8427

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Moulton Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Harding Middle School
High:	North High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.6%

Hispanic:

30.1%

White:

6.0%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Moulton Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (45% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

534^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 1% (2015) to bottom 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^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	9.0	534 of 576	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	526 of 557	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.3	551 of 565	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.2	560 of 574	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	2.9	555 of 567	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.7	599 of 603	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.4	551 of 567	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.3	570 of 574	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	1.1	597 of 599	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	1.6	608 of 616	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.1	583 of 603	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.1	601 of 624	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.9	591 of 626	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics47%-27 vs state

English Language Arts44%-27 vs state

Science38%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Moulton 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
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
King Elementary School	Public	K-5	1849 Forest Ave	Des Moines	50314	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8417	315	24	13.1	96.2%	19 (6.0%)	126 (40.0%)	128 (40.6%)	25 (7.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)	1.5	573^rd of 576 public elementary schools	0.5%		1	555^th of 557 public elementary schools	0.4%	18	34.1	29.7	43.9		46.3	27.0	17.1		26.8	$18,403	$2,345	$16,058
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
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
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
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
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
Monroe Elementary School	Public	K-5	2250 30th St	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8425	341	30	11.3	90.3%	37 (10.9%)	160 (46.9%)	85 (24.9%)	45 (13.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	12 (3.5%)	2.9	567^th of 576 public elementary schools	1.6%		1.8	550^th of 557 public elementary schools	1.3%	17	38.5	40.0	38.5		50.0	51.1	40.4		29.4	$19,913	$3,902	$16,011
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
Downtown School	Public	K-5	1800 Grand Avenue	Des Moines	50309	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 284-5848	197	15	13.4	21.3%	133 (67.5%)	16 (8.1%)	26 (13.2%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (9.6%)	72.3	145^th of 576 public elementary schools	74.8%		71.2	149^th of 557 public elementary schools	73.2%	4	73.5	71.4	85.7		85.3	82.1	83.3		76.2	$14,247	$621	$13,626

Frequently Asked Questions about Moulton Elementary School

How many students attend Moulton Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 465 students attended Moulton Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Moulton Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Harding Middle School
High : North High School

What district is Moulton Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Moulton Elementary School?

Students at Moulton Elementary School are 52% African American, 30% Hispanic, 6% White, 6% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

Is Moulton Elementary School a good school?

Moulton Elementary School ranks in the bottom 7.3% of Iowa elementary schools.

Rate Moulton 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.