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South Union Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

527^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

South Union Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 424 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.

South Union Elementary faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, lower-than-average test scores, and a high percentage of students from low-income families. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 41.9% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 46% for the district and 67.9% for the state. The school also spends less per student than some nearby schools, such as Jefferson Elementary, which is located just 1.88 miles away and has significantly higher test scores and a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

The high chronic absenteeism rates and the socioeconomic factors at South Union Elementary appear to be closely linked to the school's academic performance. Addressing these issues will require a multi-faceted approach, including targeted interventions, increased resources, and a closer examination of the broader challenges facing the Des Moines Independent Community School District. While the school faces significant challenges, there are opportunities to improve student outcomes and support the community it serves.

422

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,822

Per pupil spending ?

84.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4201 South Union
Des Moines, IA 50315

(515) 242-8409

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend South Union Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

35.3%

White:

22.7%

African American:

21.6%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare South Union Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2015 → 9th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (50% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

527^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^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	10.6	527 of 576	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.0	528 of 557	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	541 of 565	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.8	558 of 574	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.2	544 of 567	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.8	598 of 603	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.8	558 of 567	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.8	565 of 574	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.1	546 of 599	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	6.7	580 of 616	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	5.6	578 of 603	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	13.1	578 of 624	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	11.7	586 of 626	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts53%-18 vs state

Mathematics50%-24 vs state

Science40%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Union 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about South Union Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of South Union Elementary School?

Students at South Union Elementary School are 35% Hispanic, 23% White, 22% African American, 10% Two or more races, 10% Asian.

What schools do graduates of South Union Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Union Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Lincoln High School

What district is South Union Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

Is South Union Elementary School a good school?

South Union Elementary School ranks in the bottom 8.5% of Iowa elementary schools.

How many students attend South Union Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 422 students attended South Union Elementary School.

Rate South Union 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.