Garton Elementary

Garton Elementary, a well-populated K-5 school in Des Moines, Iowa, run under Des Moines Independent Comm School District, instructs 535 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 325 students per school, that is 65% larger than typical.

Des Moines Independent Comm School District runs 59 schools in total, collectively educating 29,676 students. Garton Elementary is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Garton Elementary lists that 45% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder looks like 19% White, 18% Black, 11% Asian, 7% multiracial. By comparison, Polk County as a whole is about 10% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Garton Elementary has 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.9:1. The state averages around 13.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 89% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Polk County (around 49%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Garton Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 47.3%; this one delivers 43.5%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Polk County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $83,576 per year, about 40% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Garton Elementary is one of 137 public schools in Polk County (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students).

The closest other public school is Goodrell Middle School, roughly 0.6 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Garton Elementary at 4th of 8; the average score across the group is 42.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Garton Elementary has edged down 18%, going from 650 students in 2018 to 535 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 32% to 45% across the same window. Class-load math has loosened: from 12.8:1 in 2018 to 14.9:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.