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Four Mile Elementary

Q: Is Four Mile Elementary a good school?

Four Mile Elementary ranks 157 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

157^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Four Mile Elementary is a public elementary school in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, serving 489 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Southeast Polk Community School District. This high-performing school consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Iowa, with impressive academic achievements that set it apart from many of its neighbors.

Four Mile Elementary's students excel on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), outperforming both the district and state averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 91.4% of 4th-grade students at Four Mile Elementary were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 81.5% for the district and 74.3% for the state. This academic success is likely supported by the school's relatively high per-student spending and favorable student-teacher ratio.

While Four Mile Elementary's performance is impressive, the school faces some challenges, including higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state average. This is an area the school may need to address, as chronic absenteeism can negatively impact student learning. When compared to other elementary schools in the Southeast Polk Community School District and the neighboring Des Moines Independent Community School District, Four Mile Elementary consistently outperforms its peers on academic measures, making it a valuable asset to the Pleasant Hill community.

495

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,837

Per pupil spending ?

37.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

670 SE 68th St
Pleasant Hill, IA 50327

(515) 265-1972

District: Southeast Polk Community School District

Students who attend Four Mile Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Southeast Polk Middle School
High:	Southeast Polk High School
Alternative:	Southeast Polk Junior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.7%

Hispanic:

13.3%

Asian:

5.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 66th percentile in 2022 → 73rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (80% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 73rd (2025) from a 66th-percentile low (2022)

✓Above the Iowa median (73rd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school80%

District avg77%

Iowa avg71%

157^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From top 10% (2015) to top 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Southeast Polk Community School District

121^st of 313Southeast Polk 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	71.2	157 of 576	72.7%	★★★★☆
2024	69.2	169 of 557	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.1	102 of 565	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	67.4	196 of 574	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.5	138 of 567	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	85.1	54 of 603	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	79.3	70 of 567	87.7%	★★★★☆
2017	82.9	42 of 574	92.7%	★★★★★
2016	80.6	56 of 599	90.7%	★★★★★
2015	80.2	62 of 616	89.9%	★★★★★
2014	77.3	87 of 603	85.6%	★★★★☆
2013	67.6	183 of 624	70.7%	★★★★☆
2012	77.5	79 of 626	87.4%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics84%+10 vs state

English Language Arts78%+7 vs state

Science72%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Four Mile Elementary

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
Four Mile Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	670 SE 68th St	Pleasant Hill	50327	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 265-1972	495	36	13.8	37.8%	345 (69.7%)	23 (4.6%)	66 (13.3%)	27 (5.5%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.8%)	24 (4.8%)	71.2	157^th of 576 public elementary schools	72.7%		69.2	169^th of 557 public elementary schools	69.7%	12	69.3	88.9	76.0	76.0	91.4	84.0	72.0	$13,837	$290	$13,547
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
Clay Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3200 First Avenue S.	Altoona	50009	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 967-4198	700	43	16.4	36.1%	423 (60.4%)	98 (14.0%)	104 (14.9%)	22 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (7.6%)	48	343^rd of 576 public elementary schools	40.5%		61	242^nd of 557 public elementary schools	56.6%	101	68.3	77.7	68.3	74.0	73.8	61.0	66.3	$12,723	$186	$12,537
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
Centennial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	910 7th Ave SE	Altoona	50009	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 967-2109	423	32	13.1	38.1%	303 (71.6%)	36 (8.5%)	42 (9.9%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (8.7%)	71.2	155^th of 576 public elementary schools	73.1%		77.2	86^th of 557 public elementary schools	84.6%	69	81.5	78.7	72.9	87.7	85.2	87.1	65.7	$15,221	$767	$14,454
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
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
Altoona Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 6th St SW	Altoona	50009	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 967-3771	429	35	12.2	53.4%	277 (64.6%)	66 (15.4%)	45 (10.5%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	29 (6.8%)	63.5	231^st of 576 public elementary schools	59.9%		73.5	122^nd of 557 public elementary schools	78.1%	109	66.7	78.4	85.3	78.5	80.4	83.8	61.8	$14,305	$587	$13,718
Delaware Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4401 E 46th St	Des Moines	50317	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 262-3197	440	36	12.1	45.9%	267 (60.7%)	63 (14.3%)	57 (13.0%)	25 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	26 (5.9%)	65.6	215^th of 576 public elementary schools	62.7%		72.2	138^th of 557 public elementary schools	75.2%	77	83.6	87.1	72.9	86.6	83.9	64.3	64.3	$15,865	$1,352	$14,513
Willowbrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	300 17th Ave SW	Altoona	50009	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 967-7512	523	39	13.3	53.0%	334 (63.9%)	62 (11.9%)	57 (10.9%)	14 (2.7%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	52 (9.9%)	38.9	407^th of 576 public elementary schools	29.3%		35.2	413^th of 557 public elementary schools	25.9%	6	68.8	75.3	61.6	80.5	67.9	53.4	52.1	$13,785	$487	$13,298

Frequently Asked Questions about Four Mile Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Four Mile Elementary?

Students at Four Mile Elementary are 70% White, 13% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 5% African American, 2% Pacific Islander.

Is Four Mile Elementary a good school?

Four Mile Elementary ranks 157^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Four Mile Elementary in?

Southeast Polk Community School District

How many students attend Four Mile Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 495 students attended Four Mile Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Four Mile Elementary attend?

Students who attend Four Mile Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Southeast Polk Middle School
High : Southeast Polk High School
Alternative : Southeast Polk Junior High

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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.