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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DES MOINES INDEPENDENT COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190897000572

Pleasant Hill Elementary School

4801 E Oakwood Dr, Des Moines, IA 50327 · (515) 242-8432 · Polk County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL241 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 34% of Iowa public elementary schools
  • C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • BBeats 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

Enrollment
241
Elementary
DISTRICT 347 · STATE 325
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
20 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
69%
166 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

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K3314%
Kindergarten3615%
Grade 13615%
Grade 23715%
Grade 33615%
Grade 43314%
Grade 53012%

This year's kindergarten class (36) is 20% larger than its 5th grade class (30).

Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · STATE 48% · US 70%
White
13757%
DISTRICT 30% · STATE 70% · US 43%
Hispanic
6125%
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 14% · US 30%
Black
2510%
DISTRICT 22% · STATE 7% · US 15%
Asian
62%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 2% · US 6%
Two+
125%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 5% · US 5%
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
Male
12451%
Female
11749%

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Test scores

ISASP 2024-25 . % Proficient
English Language Arts
61.9%
IA avg 73.6% . -3.7pp since 2023
Math
63.1%
IA avg 70.9% . +0.7pp since 2023

What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 63 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are down about 4 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.

ISASP results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2561.9%63.1%
2023-2465.6%62.4%
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
61.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.5%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.7pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 61% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 57% 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 Pleasant Hill Elementary School

Pleasant Hill Elementary School's state test result (61.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Pleasant Hill Elementary School this school24168.9%61.2%
Jefferson Elementary School
Clinton
37669.7%52.5%
Riverside Elementary School
Sioux City
22772.7%65.1%
Butler Elementary School
Fort Dodge
32865.9%45.9%
James Elementary School
Ottumwa
24968.3%41.5%
McKee Elementary School
Des Moines
23566.0%N/A
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 Pleasant Hill Elementary School ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn IowaIn Polk County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
61.2%#451 of 564#46 of 78
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
63.1%#457 of 564
▼ 2
#47 of 78
no change
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
61.9%#442 of 564
▼ 78
#46 of 78
▼ 4
Enrollment
ranked largest first
241#495 of 705#83 of 89
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
11.9:1#103 of 561#13 of 86
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
59.9%#138 of 561#44 of 86
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
68.9%#79 of 666#33 of 89
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-10.4%#219 of 359#39 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 2024-25
Enrollment
241
+36 (+18%) vs 2020
-23% since 1990-91, when it was 314
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
was 12.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2524120.311.9:169% (166)
2023-242111911.1:163% (133)
2022-2321319.111.2:169% (146)
2020-212051612.8:163% (130)
2017-1826917.615.3:161% (164)
2015-163151916.6:157% (180)
2010-113101817.2:142% (131)
2000-013071916.2:117% (53)
1990-913141422.4:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Pleasant Hill Elementary School.

Since 2017-18: students down 10% (269 to 241); teachers up 15% (17.6 to 20.3).

About Pleasant Hill Elementary School

In Des Moines, Iowa, Pleasant Hill Elementary School is a small elementary school. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 241 students in pre-K through 5. Against the 325-student average for elementary schools in Iowa, enrollment here is 26% lower.

Des Moines Independent Comm School District counts 29,676 students in its 59 schools, and Pleasant Hill Elementary School is one of them.

At 57%, White students outnumber all other groups at Pleasant Hill Elementary School combined. The remaining students are 25% Hispanic, 10% Black, 5% multiracial, and 2% Asian. Among people living in Polk County, the White share is about 76%. Pleasant Hill Elementary School has a diversity index of 60%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

The school reported 20.3 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 11.9:1. For comparison, elementary schools in Iowa average 13.7:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 69%. Compared with the 49% average for public schools in Polk County, the school's rate is higher.

The allk12 Grade for Pleasant Hill Elementary School is C. Compared with Iowa public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 34% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.

Test results at Pleasant Hill Elementary School are 3.7 points above what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (61.2% actual, 57.5% predicted).

In the county around the school, Polk County, median household income is 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%. Pleasant Hill Elementary School is among the 137 public schools in Polk County.

The closest public school, Stowe Elementary School, is about 2.0 miles from Pleasant Hill Elementary School. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. Ranked by average proficiency, Pleasant Hill Elementary School places 2nd out of 8 schools in its immediate area.

NCES assigns Pleasant Hill Elementary School the locale Suburb: Large, meaning in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.

The student count in 2024-25 was 241, 18% above the 205 of 2020-21.

Conversations here can range across science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.

Polk County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
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

School name
Pleasant Hill Elementary School
District
Des Moines Independent Comm School District
Address
4801 E Oakwood Dr, Des Moines, IA 50327
Phone
(515) 242-8432
County
Polk County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–05
Total enrollment
241
Teachers (FTE)
20
Student–teacher ratio
11.9:1
Free and reduced lunch
166 (69%)
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
190897000572
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Des Moines Independent Comm School District
Other schools in Des Moines
Other Pleasant Hill Elementary schools

14 other US public schools in 11 states are named Pleasant Hill Elementary. Pleasant Hill Elementary School is the 14th largest of the 15.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Pleasant Hill Elementary School
How many students attend Pleasant Hill Elementary School?
Pleasant Hill Elementary School enrolls approximately 241 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Pleasant Hill Elementary School serve?
Pleasant Hill Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Pleasant Hill Elementary School?
Approximately 11.9:1 students per teacher at Pleasant Hill Elementary School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Pleasant Hill Elementary School?
At Pleasant Hill Elementary School, the student body is approximately 57% White, 25% Hispanic, 10% Black, 2% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Pleasant Hill Elementary School public or private?
Pleasant Hill Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Des Moines Independent Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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