Best Public Schools in Zip Code 50312

The 50312 zip code area of Des Moines, Iowa is home to 7 schools serving students from elementary through high school, including 3 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 1 high school, and 1 alternative school. While the overall academic performance of the district is low, with the Des Moines Independent Community School District ranked 306 out of 313 districts in Iowa, a few standout schools within the 50312 area are Merrill Middle School and Hubbell Elementary, both of which rank in the top 2 out of 5 stars on the statewide SchoolDigger ranking.

The data reveals significant disparities in academic performance between the schools in the 50312 area, with Merrill Middle School and Hubbell Elementary having high proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics, while other schools like Callanan Middle School and Ruby Van Meter struggle. Additionally, the district as a whole faces challenges, with a high chronic absenteeism rate of 21.6% across all schools, which may be a contributing factor to the overall lower academic performance.

The data also reveals a wide range of free and reduced lunch rates, from 36.41% at Merrill Middle School to 74.03% at Callanan Middle School, indicating varying levels of economic disadvantage among the student populations. However, the data does not show a clear correlation between per-student spending and academic performance, as the school with the highest per-student spending, Ruby Van Meter, has the lowest test scores.