Lovejoy Elementary School

Located at 801 E Kenyon Ave, in Des Moines, Iowa, Lovejoy Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary campus that educates 394 students (grades K through 5), overseen by Des Moines Independent Comm School District. By comparison, Iowa's public schools average about 325 students each, so Lovejoy Elementary School sits 21% bigger than that benchmark.

Across the 59 schools in Des Moines Independent Comm School District (29,676 students total), Lovejoy Elementary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Lovejoy Elementary School shows that the largest single group is Hispanic at 34%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest is composed of 27% Black, 22% White, 11% Asian, 6% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 10% Hispanic, putting the school's mix noticeably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, Lovejoy Elementary School records 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting Lovejoy Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 89% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Polk County runs at roughly 49%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Lovejoy Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 47.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 39.3%.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Polk County) records that median household income runs about $83,576, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Lovejoy Elementary School is one of 137 public schools in Polk County (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students).

The closest other public school is Mitchell Early Childhood Center, roughly 0.8 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Lovejoy Elementary School comes 8th of 8 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 46.5%.

Lovejoy Elementary School operates from a high-density location.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Lovejoy Elementary School has held roughly steady, going from 394 students in 2018 to 394 in 2025. The White share of enrollment declined from 30% to 22% over that span.

Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the Lovejoy Elementary School community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.