Enrollment
380
Elementary
DISTRICT 347 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DES MOINES INDEPENDENT COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190897000569
Park Ave Elementary School
3141 SW 9th St, Des Moines, IA 50315 · (515) 242-8429 · Polk County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL380 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 4% of Iowa public elementary schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Iowa public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.2:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
83%
314 students
DISTRICT 76% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 62 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 53 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 72 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 63 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 62 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 68 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (62) is 9% smaller than its 5th grade class (68).
Student demographics
72%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · STATE 48% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
39.0%
IA avg 73.6% . +4.3pp since 2023
Math
46.5%
IA avg 70.9% . +1.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 47 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are up about 4 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 39.0% | 46.5% |
| 2023-24 | 34.7% | 44.9% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
40.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.6%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 51% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Iowa's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Park Ave Elementary School
Park Ave Elementary School's state test result (40.9% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Ave Elementary School this school | 380 | 82.6% | 40.9% |
| Brubaker Elementary School Des Moines | 622 | 83.3% | 38.9% |
| Oak Park Des Moines | 288 | 78.5% | 38.9% |
| Lowell Elementary School Waterloo | 538 | 77.9% | 51.0% |
| Wright Elementary School Des Moines | 265 | 77.7% | 48.5% |
| Stowe Elementary School Des Moines | 297 | 84.2% | 33.8% |
Matched among Iowa elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Park Ave Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Polk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.9% | #548 of 564 | #70 of 78 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 46.5% | #539 of 564 ▲ 2 | #68 of 78 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 39.0% | #557 of 564 no change | #76 of 78 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 380 | #248 of 705 | #55 of 89 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.2:1 | #249 of 561 | #35 of 86 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 71.8% | #28 of 561 | #14 of 86 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 82.6% | #35 of 666 | #23 of 89 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.8% | #200 of 359 | #36 of 64 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
380
-2 (-1%) vs 2020
-35% since 1990-91, when it was 584
Student : Teacher
13.2:1
was 11.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 380 | 28.7 | 13.2:1 | 83% (314) |
| 2023-24 | 408 | 28.9 | 14.1:1 | 75% (307) |
| 2022-23 | 378 | 28.5 | 13.3:1 | 80% (304) |
| 2020-21 | 382 | 32 | 11.9:1 | 82% (315) |
| 2017-18 | 431 | 31.7 | 13.6:1 | 82% (353) |
| 2015-16 | 451 | 31 | 14.6:1 | 79% (357) |
| 2010-11 | 527 | 37 | 14.2:1 | 70% (368) |
| 2000-01 | 528 | 36 | 14.7:1 | 41% (217) |
| 1990-91 | 584 | 30 | 19.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Park Ave Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (431 to 380); teachers down 9% (31.7 to 28.7).
About Park Ave Elementary School
Park Ave Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school with an address in Des Moines, Iowa. It is open to students in kindergarten through 5 and enrolls 380 students.
Des Moines Independent Comm School District is made up of 59 schools with 29,676 students in all.
The student body at Park Ave Elementary School has no majority group. White students lead at 39%. Enrollment also includes 28% Hispanic, 22% Black, 5% multiracial, and 4% Asian. The school's White share is 37 points below the 76% share among Polk County residents. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 72%.
Park Ave Elementary School reports a ratio of 13.2 students per teacher, from 28.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. It is about the same as the 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Iowa. Lunch program data show 83% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. That is 34 points above the 49% average for public schools in Polk County.
Park Ave Elementary School holds an F allk12 Grade, placing it above 4% of Iowa public elementary schools.
Park Ave Elementary School posts an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 40.9%, compared with a predicted 50.6%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of Iowa schools on BeatsExpectations.
In Polk County, where the school is located, the median household earns about $83,576 a year, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of people live in poverty. Counting Park Ave Elementary School, Polk County has 137 public schools.
Park Ave Elementary School's closest public school neighbor is Lincoln High School, about 0.4 miles away. The five-mile area around Park Ave Elementary School holds at least 8 other public schools. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Park Ave Elementary School at 9th of 9.
Park Ave Elementary School has an NCES locale of City: Mid-size.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment held near 380, starting from 382. The ratio of students to teachers went from 11.9:1 to 13.2:1 over the same years.
The Park Ave Elementary School discussion page is a place for special education services, counseling, and support programs. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Polk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
503,175
Census ACS
Median income
$83,576
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
40%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
137
77,436 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Des Moines Independent Comm School District
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 2,364 students
- Roosevelt High SchoolHigh · 2,051 students
- East High SchoolHigh · 1,952 students
- North High SchoolHigh · 1,428 students
- Hoover High SchoolHigh · 898 students
- Weeks Middle SchoolMiddle · 688 students
Other schools in Des Moines
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 2,364 students
- Roosevelt High SchoolHigh · 2,051 students
- East High SchoolHigh · 1,952 students
- North High SchoolHigh · 1,428 students
- Hoover High SchoolHigh · 898 students
- Weeks Middle SchoolMiddle · 688 students
Nearby schools
- Lincoln High School0.4 mi · 2,364
- South Union Elementary School0.9 mi · 422
- Howe Elementary1.1 mi · 297
- Wright Elementary School1.3 mi · 265
- Weeks Middle School1.3 mi · 688
- Brody Middle School1.4 mi · 641
Frequently asked questions
About Park Ave Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Park Ave Elementary School?
Park Ave Elementary School enrolls approximately 380 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Park Ave Elementary School serve?
Park Ave Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Park Ave Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Park Ave Elementary School is approximately 13.2:1 (29 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Park Ave Elementary School?
Student demographics at Park Ave Elementary School are roughly 39% White, 28% Hispanic, 22% Black, 4% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Park Ave Elementary School in?
Park Ave Elementary School is part of Des Moines Independent Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.