Morris Elementary School

Morris Elementary School is an expansive elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, one of the schools within Des Moines Independent Comm School District. The school caters to 519 students in grades K through 5. By comparison, Iowa's public schools average about 325 students each, so Morris Elementary School sits 60% above that benchmark.

Des Moines Independent Comm School District comprises 59 schools with combined enrollment of 29,676 students; Morris Elementary School is among them.

In terms of who attends, Morris Elementary School lists that 41% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 36% White, 13% Black, 7% multiracial. By comparison, Polk County as a whole is about 10% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Morris Elementary School has 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.3:1. The state averages about 13.7:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 88% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Polk County (around 49%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Morris Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 48.1%; this one delivers 47.3%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Polk County shows median household earnings sit near $83,576, roughly 40% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, Polk County runs 137 public schools (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students), of which Morris Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Wright Elementary School, roughly 1.0 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Morris Elementary School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Morris Elementary School at 4th of 8; the average score across the group is 48.9%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 13%: 600 students in 2018 compared to 519 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share grew from 34% to 41%.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.