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Samuelson Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

540^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Samuelson Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Des Moines, Iowa, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 384 students. 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.

Samuelson Elementary School faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.8% 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 ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are also consistently lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with proficiency rates around 40-50% in English Language Arts and Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 67.9% and 75.8%, respectively. Additionally, Samuelson has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 72.92% to 80.86% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.

When comparing Samuelson Elementary School to the nearby Perkins Elementary School, which is located about 2.29 miles away, it becomes evident that Samuelson is one of the lowest-performing schools in the area, with Perkins consistently outperforming Samuelson in test scores by 10-20 percentage points. Addressing the high chronic absenteeism rates and the unique needs of the predominantly low-income student population at Samuelson will likely require targeted interventions at the school level, as well as broader district-level initiatives to support struggling schools and their communities within the Des Moines Independent Community School District.

386

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,980

Per pupil spending ?

79%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3929 Bel-Aire Rd
Des Moines, IA 50310

(515) 242-8441

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

Students who attend Samuelson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Meredith Middle School
High:	Hoover High School

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

30.6%

African American:

24.6%

White:

22.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Samuelson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (47% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg50%

Iowa avg71%

540^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 15% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st 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	7.1	540 of 576	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	493 of 557	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.2	510 of 565	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	25.9	468 of 574	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.5	473 of 567	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	545 of 603	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	436 of 567	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.3	491 of 574	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.5	464 of 599	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.4	524 of 616	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.3	534 of 603	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	10.5	587 of 624	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	11.5	588 of 626	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics51%-23 vs state

English Language Arts47%-24 vs state

Science35%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Samuelson Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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
Samuelson Elementary School	Public	K-5	3929 Bel-Aire Rd	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8441	386	31	12.6	79.0%	87 (22.5%)	95 (24.6%)	55 (14.2%)	118 (30.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	30 (7.8%)	7.1	540^th of 576 public elementary schools	6.3%		13.8	493^rd of 557 public elementary schools	11.5%	47	39.6	57.4	45.5	43.4	57.4	53.0	34.8	$15,980	$1,376	$14,603
Moore Elementary School	Public	K-5	3725 52nd St	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8426	285	24	12.0	67.0%	101 (35.4%)	59 (20.7%)	61 (21.4%)	29 (10.2%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	32 (11.2%)	17.6	497^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.7%		10.4	510^th of 557 public elementary schools	8.4%	13	54.8	56.5	60.7	64.3	50.0	42.6	55.7	$16,099	$1,236	$14,863
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
Hillis Elementary School	Public	K-5	2401 56th St	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8412	279	24	11.4	76.3%	100 (35.8%)	60 (21.5%)	71 (25.4%)	28 (10.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.8%)	4.2	557^th of 576 public elementary schools	3.3%		17.8	479^th of 557 public elementary schools	14.0%	78	38.1	50.0	41.5	50.0	56.5	34.1	29.3	$16,776	$1,702	$15,074
Horizon Science Academy Des Moines	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	4801 Franklin Ave 2nd	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Charter Organization: Concept Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(515) 335-1937	150	8	18.7	79.3%	68 (45.3%)	41 (27.3%)	21 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (13.3%)	18.1	496^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.9%					(n/a)	36.8	50.0		73.7	58.3
Perkins Elementary School	Public	K-5	4301 College	Des Moines	50311	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8430	438	29	15.0	62.8%	188 (42.9%)	85 (19.4%)	98 (22.4%)	22 (5.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (9.6%)	24.7	474^th of 576 public elementary schools	17.7%		49	342^nd of 557 public elementary schools	38.6%	132	53.8	60.9	64.5	64.6	62.5	59.2	55.3	$14,697	$1,156	$13,541
Olmsted Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7110 Prairie Avenue	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 457-5100	622	49	12.8	51.0%	319 (51.3%)	88 (14.1%)	104 (16.7%)	72 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	37 (5.9%)	48.6	337^th of 576 public elementary schools	41.5%		44.7	366^th of 557 public elementary schools	34.3%	29	68.3	72.2	71.7	73.2	66.7	75.8	63.6
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
Lawson Elementary School	Public	K-5	5450 NW 62nd Ave	Johnston	50131	Polk County	Johnston Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 278-0478	545	41	13.2	33.2%	336 (61.7%)	51 (9.4%)	43 (7.9%)	77 (14.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (6.8%)	73.8	129^th of 576 public elementary schools	77.6%		69.2	170^th of 557 public elementary schools	69.5%	41	81.5	82.6	76.2	86.4	86.0	82.2	70.3	$12,603	$730	$11,873
Timber Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	7370 NW 54th AVE	Johnston	50131	Polk County	Johnston Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 331-4379	667	47	14.0	27.3%	400 (60.0%)	69 (10.3%)	60 (9.0%)	95 (14.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (6.4%)	61.9	247^th of 576 public elementary schools	57.1%		60.6	247^th of 557 public elementary schools	55.7%		75.2	79.5	71.6	83.8	77.7	68.6	70.6	$11,886	$401	$11,485

Frequently Asked Questions about Samuelson Elementary School

What district is Samuelson Elementary School in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

What schools do graduates of Samuelson Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Meredith Middle School
High : Hoover High School

What is the racial makeup of Samuelson Elementary School?

Students at Samuelson Elementary School are 31% Asian, 25% African American, 23% White, 14% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

How many students attend Samuelson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 386 students attended Samuelson Elementary School.

Is Samuelson Elementary School a good school?

Samuelson Elementary School ranks in the bottom 6.3% of Iowa elementary schools.

Rate Samuelson Elementary School!

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Latest Iowa data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 ISASP test scoresAug 20, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesApr 1, 2025

2017–18 through 2023–24 attendance dataNov 15, 2024

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.