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Willard Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

490^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Willard Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 282 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. 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.

Willard Elementary School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 42.0% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school's test scores on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) are also generally lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate was 50%, compared to 67.9% for the state and 46% for the district. Additionally, Willard Elementary School has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 81.91% to 91.6% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.

When comparing Willard Elementary School to nearby schools within the same district, it becomes clear that Willard is one of the lower-performing schools in the area. For example, Pleasant Hill Elementary School, which is located about 2 miles away, consistently outperforms Willard on test scores and has lower chronic absenteeism rates. The data suggests that Willard Elementary School could benefit from targeted interventions and support to address the issues of chronic absenteeism and low academic achievement, which may be contributing to the school's challenges.

247

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,503

Per pupil spending ?

88.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2941 Dean Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50317

(515) 242-8439

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Willard Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Hoyt Middle School
High:	East High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.0%

White:

32.8%

African American:

10.1%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Willard Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 10th percentile in 2015 → 15th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (57% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Science scores 22 pts below the Iowa average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school57%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

490^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 10% (2015) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^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	20.1	490 of 576	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	507 of 557	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	509 of 565	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.1	483 of 574	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.6	418 of 567	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.2	468 of 603	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	503 of 567	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.1	531 of 574	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	13.5	540 of 599	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.4	552 of 616	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.4	543 of 603	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	9.2	590 of 624	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	21.2	564 of 626	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics65%-9 vs state

English Language Arts55%-17 vs state

Science42%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Willard 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
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
Stowe Elementary School	Public	K-5	1411 E 33rd St	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8435	297	25	12.0	84.2%	96 (32.3%)	49 (16.5%)	124 (41.8%)	9 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	17 (5.7%)	4	558^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.1%		2	548^th of 557 public elementary schools	1.6%	10	46.9	36.4	50.0	44.9	24.2	35.3	32.4	$17,791	$1,908	$15,883
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
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
Pleasant Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4801 E Oakwood Dr	Des Moines	50327	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8432	241	20	11.8	68.9%	137 (56.8%)	25 (10.4%)	61 (25.3%)	6 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.0%)	24.5	477^th of 576 public elementary schools	17.2%		39.5	389^th of 557 public elementary schools	30.2%	88	58.3	67.7	60.0	66.7	64.5	56.0	44.0	$15,655	$628	$15,027
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
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
Brubaker Elementary School	Public	K-5	2900 E 42nd Street	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8405	622	52	12.0	83.3%	228 (36.7%)	127 (20.4%)	185 (29.7%)	26 (4.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	51 (8.2%)	3.9	560^th of 576 public elementary schools	2.8%		2.6	547^th of 557 public elementary schools	1.8%	13	47.6	48.0	41.9	42.9	48.0	38.1	33.7	$16,004	$1,458	$14,547
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Willard Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Willard Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Hoyt Middle School
High : East High School

Is Willard Elementary School a good school?

Willard Elementary School ranks in the bottom 14.9% of Iowa elementary schools.

How many students attend Willard Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 247 students attended Willard Elementary School.

What district is Willard Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Willard Elementary School?

Students at Willard Elementary School are 47% Hispanic, 33% White, 10% African American, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

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Schools in Des Moines, IA

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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.