Enrollment
197
Elementary
DISTRICT 347 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DES MOINES INDEPENDENT COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190897000232
Downtown School
1800 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309 · (515) 284-5848 · Polk County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL197 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
15 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
21%
42 students
DISTRICT 76% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 29 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 28 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 34 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 35 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 29 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 42 | 21% |
This year's kindergarten class (29) is 31% smaller than its 5th grade class (42).
Student demographics
51%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · STATE 48% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
77.9%
IA avg 73.6% . -1.2pp since 2023
Math
83.6%
IA avg 70.9% . +4.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 78 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 84 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are down about 1 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 77.9% | 83.6% |
| 2023-24 | 79.1% | 79.1% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
78.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
81.3%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 78% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 81% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Iowa's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Downtown School
Downtown School's state test result (78.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown School this school | 197 | 21.3% | 78.3% |
| Nodland Elementary School Sioux City | 249 | 25.7% | N/A |
| Eisenhower Elementary School Ottumwa | 248 | 29.4% | 74.4% |
| Wapello Elementary School Wapello | 229 | 19.2% | 62.5% |
| Oak Hill Elementary Tiffin | 173 | 30.6% | N/A |
| Runnells Elementary Runnells | 260 | 26.9% | 89.8% |
Matched among Iowa elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Downtown School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Polk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 78.3% | #162 of 564 | #19 of 78 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 83.6% | #151 of 564 ▲ 71 | #17 of 78 ▲ 5 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 77.9% | #185 of 564 ▼ 64 | #23 of 78 ▼ 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 197 | #565 of 705 | #87 of 89 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 21.3% | #583 of 666 | #74 of 89 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -27.3% | #44 of 359 | #5 of 64 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
197
-44 (-18%) vs 2020
+23% since 2000-01, when it was 160
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
was 12.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 197 | 14.7 | 13.4:1 | 21% (42) |
| 2023-24 | 235 | 9 | 26.2:1 | 19% (44) |
| 2022-23 | 243 | 19.7 | 12.3:1 | 25% (61) |
| 2020-21 | 241 | 19 | 12.7:1 | 23% (55) |
| 2017-18 | 271 | 19.1 | 14.2:1 | 21% (56) |
| 2015-16 | 268 | 18 | 14.9:1 | 24% (65) |
| 2010-11 | 285 | 17 | 16.8:1 | 16% (45) |
| 2000-01 | 160 | 12 | 13.3:1 | 9% (14) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Downtown School.
Since 2017-18: students down 27% (271 to 197); teachers down 23% (19.1 to 14.7).
About Downtown School
Downtown School is a small elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa. It reports enrollment of 197 students in kindergarten through 5. That puts enrollment 39% below the 325-student average for elementary schools in Iowa.
Des Moines Independent Comm School District enrolls 29,676 students, and its 59 schools include Downtown School.
Of every 100 students at Downtown School, about 68 are White. After that, the student body is 13% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, and 8% Black. Among all residents of Polk County, the White share is about 76%. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 51%.
Downtown School lists 14.7 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 13.4 students per teacher. The average ratio among elementary schools in Iowa is similar, at 13.7:1. About 21% of students at Downtown School are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The gap from the 49% average for public schools in Polk County is 28 points.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Downtown School would be expected to post about 81.3%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 78.3%.
In the wider Polk County area, median household income comes to about $83,576, roughly 40% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Polk County counts 137 public schools with about 77,436 students.
Virtual Campus is less than a tenth of a mile away, making it the nearest public school. Within five miles of Downtown School, there are at least 8 other public schools. Ranked by average proficiency, Downtown School places 1st out of 7 schools in its immediate area.
Locale data from NCES put Downtown School inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000 (City: Mid-size).
By 2024-25, enrollment had dropped to 197, from 241 in 2020-21.
The discussion board for Downtown School is open to topics like special education services, counseling, and support programs. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Polk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
503,175
Census ACS
Median income
$83,576
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
40%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
137
77,436 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Des Moines Independent Comm School District
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 2,364 students
- Roosevelt High SchoolHigh · 2,051 students
- East High SchoolHigh · 1,952 students
- North High SchoolHigh · 1,428 students
- Hoover High SchoolHigh · 898 students
- Weeks Middle SchoolMiddle · 688 students
Other schools in Des Moines
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 2,364 students
- Roosevelt High SchoolHigh · 2,051 students
- East High SchoolHigh · 1,952 students
- North High SchoolHigh · 1,428 students
- Hoover High SchoolHigh · 898 students
- Weeks Middle SchoolMiddle · 688 students
Nearby schools
- Virtual Campus0.0 mi · 380
- Walnut Street School0.7 mi · 257
- Edmunds Elementary School0.8 mi · 259
- Ruby Van Meter0.9 mi · 109
- Callanan Middle School1.0 mi · 553
- Greenwood Elementary School1.3 mi · 293
Frequently asked questions
About Downtown SchoolHow many students attend Downtown School?
Downtown School enrolls approximately 197 students in grades KG-05.
Is Downtown School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Downtown School is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Downtown School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Downtown School is approximately 13.4:1 (15 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Downtown School?
Downtown School reports a student body of 68% White, 13% Hispanic, 8% Black, 2% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Who oversees Downtown School?
Downtown School is overseen by Des Moines Independent Comm School District in Polk County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.