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Morris Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

521^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 10% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Morris Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 498 students in grades K-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.

Morris Elementary faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, well below average test scores on the ISASP assessment, and an extremely high percentage of students (81.53% to 87.61%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Despite higher spending per student at $16,468, the school's academic performance remains significantly below the state and district averages. When compared to nearby schools like Jefferson Elementary, which is just 1.78 miles away, Morris Elementary is one of the lowest-performing schools in the district.

The high chronic absenteeism rates at Morris Elementary appear to be closely linked to the school's poor academic performance, as students who are chronically absent often struggle to keep up with the curriculum. Additionally, the school's predominantly low-income student population may face additional challenges, such as limited access to educational resources and support, which can negatively impact their academic achievement. Addressing these issues will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach that focuses on improving attendance, strengthening instructional practices, and providing targeted support and resources to the school's students and families.

519

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,468

Per pupil spending ?

87.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1401 Geil Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50315

(515) 242-8421

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Morris Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

41.4%

White:

35.6%

African American:

13.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Morris Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2015 → 10th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (49% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

521^st of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 10%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 2% (2015) to bottom 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^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	11.6	521 of 576	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.4	516 of 557	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.7	530 of 565	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	527 of 574	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	523 of 567	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.9	568 of 603	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	499 of 567	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.5	508 of 574	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.3	518 of 599	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	2.9	601 of 616	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.9	573 of 603	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.1	585 of 624	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	23.7	553 of 626	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics51%-23 vs state

English Language Arts51%-20 vs state

Science39%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Morris 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Lakewood Elementary School	Public	4-5	9210 Happy Hollow Dr	Norwalk	50211	Warren County	Norwalk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 981-1850	554	38	14.6	17.3%	481 (86.8%)	12 (2.2%)	35 (6.3%)	9 (1.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.7%)	72.4	144^th of 576 public elementary schools	75.0%		76.9	93^rd of 557 public elementary schools	83.3%	51		84.5	80.8		82.9	79.0	70.5	$13,305	$405	$12,900

Frequently Asked Questions about Morris Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Morris Elementary School attend?

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

High : Lincoln High School

What district is Morris Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Morris Elementary School?

Students at Morris Elementary School are 41% Hispanic, 36% White, 13% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Morris Elementary School a good school?

Morris Elementary School ranks in the bottom 9.5% of Iowa elementary schools.

How many students attend Morris Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 519 students attended Morris Elementary School.

Rate Morris 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.