Madison Elementary School

Set in Des Moines, Iowa, Madison Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary campus, part of Des Moines Independent Comm School District. It instructs 285 students across grades pre-K through 5.

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

In terms of who attends, Madison Elementary School reports that 54% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder comes out to 21% White, 11% Asian, 7% multiracial, 6% Black. The wider county runs roughly 10% Hispanic, putting the school's mix considerably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the resource side, On paper, Madison Elementary School has 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting Madison Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 89% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Polk County (around 49%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

With demographic context factored in, Madison Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 47.5%, the actual is 44.1%, a residual of -3.5 points.

In the surrounding community, Polk County reports that median household earnings sit near $83,576, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Madison Elementary School is one of 137 public schools in Polk County (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students).

Harding Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Madison Elementary School. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Madison Elementary School ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 40.7%.

Geographically, the school is in an urban area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Madison Elementary School has held roughly steady, going from 279 students in 2018 to 285 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 42% to 54% across the same window.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.