Jessie Franklin Taylor

Jessie Franklin Taylor sits in Des Moines, Iowa, and is classified as an elementary school. Students in pre-K make up the school's enrollment of 195 students. Elementary schools in Iowa have about 325 students on average; enrollment here is 40% lower.

Des Moines Independent Comm School District is responsible for 59 schools, Jessie Franklin Taylor included, with 29,676 students in all.

Black students make up 39% of enrollment at Jessie Franklin Taylor, the largest share of any group. The remaining shares are 28% Hispanic, 19% White, 7% multiracial, and 5% Asian. Census estimates put the Black share of Polk County's population at about 7%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 72, compared with 70 nationally.

A staff of 11.4 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 17.1:1. Across elementary schools in Iowa, the average ratio is 13.7:1. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 88%. The average for public schools in Polk County is 49%.

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.

King Elementary School is about 0.5 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Within five miles of Jessie Franklin Taylor, there are at least 8 other public schools.

Its location is classified as City: Mid-size by the National Center for Education Statistics.

The school grew from 167 students in 2020-21 to 195 in 2024-25. The student-to-teacher ratio went up from 15.2:1 to 17.1:1.

On allk12, people connected to Jessie Franklin Taylor can post about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.