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Park Ave Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

563^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Park Ave Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 408 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District, which is ranked 306 out of 313 school districts in Iowa and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Park Ave Elementary School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, significantly lower test scores compared to state and district averages, and a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 75.25% to 83.33% over the past few years. While the school's spending per student, at $16,460 in 2018-2019, is higher than the state average, these additional resources have not translated into improved academic performance. When compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as McKinley Elementary and Jackson Elementary, Park Ave has lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates, suggesting it may be struggling to support its student population effectively.

The challenges faced by Park Ave Elementary School appear to be multifaceted, with potential contributing factors including the high concentration of students from low-income families and the overall performance of the Des Moines Independent Community School District. Addressing these issues will likely require a comprehensive approach, including targeted interventions, additional resources, and a closer examination of district-level policies and support systems that may be impacting the school's performance.

380

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,460

Per pupil spending ?

82.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3141 SW 9th St
Des Moines, IA 50315

(515) 242-8429

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Park Ave Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Brody Middle School
High:	Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.9%

Hispanic:

27.6%

African American:

22.1%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Park Ave Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 7th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

563^rd of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 7% (2015) to bottom 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

33^rd 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	3.5	563 of 576	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.4	540 of 557	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	534 of 565	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.3	538 of 574	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.4	526 of 567	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.4	548 of 603	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	496 of 567	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.2	492 of 574	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.5	520 of 599	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	8.8	570 of 616	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.0	584 of 603	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	15.6	573 of 624	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.6	593 of 626	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics47%-27 vs state

English Language Arts39%-32 vs state

Science39%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Park Ave 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
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
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
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
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2425 Watrous Ave	Des Moines	50321	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8416	312	22	14.2	41.3%	204 (65.4%)	33 (10.6%)	38 (12.2%)	10 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	24 (7.7%)	60.7	259^th of 576 public elementary schools	55.0%		49	341^st of 557 public elementary schools	38.8%	82	76.9	69.6	77.6	86.5	69.6	79.6	65.3	$13,945	$622	$13,323
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
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
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
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
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 Park Ave Elementary School

Is Park Ave Elementary School a good school?

Park Ave Elementary School ranks in the bottom 2.3% of Iowa elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Park Ave Elementary School?

Students at Park Ave Elementary School are 39% White, 28% Hispanic, 22% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Park Ave Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 380 students attended Park Ave Elementary School.

What district is Park Ave Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What schools do graduates of Park Ave Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Park Ave Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Brody Middle School
High : Lincoln High 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.