River Woods Elementary School

River Woods Elementary School is a high-enrollment elementary-level community in Des Moines, Iowa, overseen by Des Moines Independent Comm School District. The school enrolls 493 students in grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 52% above the state mean of about 325.

River Woods Elementary School is one of 59 schools operated by Des Moines Independent Comm School District, a district that hosts 29,676 students overall.

In terms of who attends, River Woods Elementary School logs that the most-represented group is Hispanic (47%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school logs 19% Black, 18% Asian, 12% White, 4% multiracial. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 10%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, River Woods Elementary School shows 43 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.5:1. The state averages around 13.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 87% 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 meaningfully above typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, River Woods Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 48.5%; this one delivers 46.6%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Polk County put median household earnings sit near $83,576, about 40% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, Polk County runs 137 public schools (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students), of which River Woods Elementary School is one.

Jackson Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.0 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), River Woods Elementary School ranks 4th on composite proficiency, above the local average of 44.9%.

River Woods Elementary School operates from a metropolitan location.

Trend over the last 7 years. River Woods Elementary School's enrollment has declined 14% since 2018, when it stood at 570 (now 493). Over the same period, the Hispanic share rose from 40% to 47%. Class-load math has tightened: from 14.2:1 in 2018 to 11.5:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the feed for River Woods Elementary School typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.