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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Horizon Science Academy DSM

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-5

496^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Horizon Science Academy Des Moines is a small public charter elementary school serving grades K-3 in Des Moines, Iowa, with just 79 students. While the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 8.7, it is struggling to provide a high-quality education to its students, as evidenced by its poor performance on key metrics compared to nearby public schools.

The school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are significantly lower than the state and district averages. For example, in 2024-2025, only 36.8% of 3rd graders at Horizon Science Academy Des Moines were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 67.9%. Additionally, the school has had high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 37% over the past few years, which is much higher than the state average and the rates of nearby schools like Cowles Elementary.

Interestingly, Horizon Science Academy, the district that Horizon Science Academy Des Moines is a part of, is ranked 303 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. This poor performance is reflected in the school's overall ranking of 496 out of 576 Iowa elementary schools and its 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. While the school has a low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (3.8%), suggesting it may serve a more affluent population, this does not seem to translate into better academic outcomes for its students.

150

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

79.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4801 Franklin Ave 2nd
Des Moines, IA 50310

(515) 335-1937

District: Horizon Science Academy Des Moines

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.3%

African American:

27.3%

Hispanic:

14.0%

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At a glance

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (55% vs 73% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg55%

Iowa avg73%

496^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

303^rd of 313Horizon Science Academy Des Moines among Iowa districts

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics68%-7 vs state

English Language Arts42%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Horizon Science Academy DSM

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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 (2025)	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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Horizon Science Academy DSM	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	4801 Franklin Ave 2nd	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Horizon Science Academy Des Moines	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
Hillis Elementary School	Public	K-6	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
Cowles Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	6401 College Ave	Des Moines	50324	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7818	392	23	16.7	20.2%	308 (78.6%)	4 (1.0%)	30 (7.7%)	12 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.2%)	70.6	167^th of 576 public elementary schools	71.0%		61	243^rd of 557 public elementary schools	56.4%	76	62.2	97.0	93.3	85.2	93.8	100.0	70.3	84.8	83.3	77.8	93.8	96.8	83.3	96.8	$14,566	$624	$13,942
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
Windsor Elementary	Public	K-5	5912 University Avenue	Des Moines	50311	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8440	254	22	11.7	57.5%	128 (50.4%)	35 (13.8%)	56 (22.0%)	7 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (11.0%)	24.4	478^th of 576 public elementary schools	17.0%		28	448^th of 557 public elementary schools	19.6%	30	50.0	75.0	55.6				61.8	64.7	54.5				44.4		$15,936	$723	$15,213
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
Hubbell Elementary	Public	K-5	800 42nd St	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8414	362	24	14.8	42.8%	213 (58.8%)	57 (15.7%)	49 (13.5%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.9%)	44.2	375^th of 576 public elementary schools	34.9%		45.4	360^th of 557 public elementary schools	35.4%	15	67.2	76.7	67.2				70.7	66.7	70.5				60.7		$14,542	$654	$13,888
Clive Learning Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	1600 73rd Street	Des Moines	50324	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-5800	551	43	12.6	59.7%	250 (45.4%)	100 (18.1%)	99 (18.0%)	41 (7.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (10.7%)	49	334^th of 576 public elementary schools	42.0%		50.2	327^th of 557 public elementary schools	41.3%	7	62.0	74.6	75.4	79.1			64.8	71.2	72.5	73.5			66.7		$14,178	$481	$13,696
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Horizon Science Academy DSM

Is Horizon Science Academy DSM a good school?

Horizon Science Academy DSM ranks in the bottom 13.9% of Iowa elementary schools.

What district is Horizon Science Academy DSM in?

Horizon Science Academy Des Moines

What is the racial makeup of Horizon Science Academy DSM?

Students at Horizon Science Academy DSM are 45% White, 27% African American, 14% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races.

How many students attend Horizon Science Academy DSM?

In the 2024-25 school year, 150 students attended Horizon Science Academy DSM.

Rate Horizon Science Academy DSM!

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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.