Hillis Elementary School

Hillis Elementary School, a reasonably sized K-5 school in Des Moines, Iowa, part of Des Moines Independent Comm School District, caters to 279 students, covering grades K through 5.

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

Demographically, Hillis Elementary School records that the most-represented group is White (36%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school records 25% Hispanic, 22% Black, 10% Asian, 7% multiracial. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 76%.

On the resource side, On paper, Hillis Elementary School has 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.4:1. The state averages around 13.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 76% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is above Polk County's rate of about 49%.

With demographic context factored in, Hillis Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 53.8%, the actual is 47.5%, a residual of -6.3 points.

In the area at large, census data for Polk County shows the typical household earns roughly $83,576 per year, about 40% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Polk County's 137 public schools (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students), Hillis Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Horizon Science Academy Des Moines, around 0.6 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Hillis Elementary School comes 8th of 9 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 59.0%.

The campus sits in an inner-city setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Hillis Elementary School's enrollment has decreased 25% since 2018, when it stood at 370 (now 279). The White share of enrollment declined from 44% to 36% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 13.2:1 in 2018 to 11.4:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.