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Des Moines Independent Comm School District Schools
Des Moines Independent Comm School District is a public school district in Iowa, based in Polk County (Des Moines). SchoolGrade grades 59 of its schools on actual versus projected test scores; every school below has its own page.
Des Moines Independent Comm School District on the map
District boundary from the NCES EDGE composite school district file. Each marker is a graded school; click it for its grade and scores.
SchoolGrade summary for Des Moines Independent Comm School District
55 of 59 schools in Des Moines Independent Comm School District carry a SchoolGrade (4 have too little test data to grade). Grade distribution:
A: 7B: 17C: 24D: 7
Best schools in Des Moines Independent Comm School District
Statewide rankings: all 314 high schools in Iowa · all 227 middle schools in Iowa · all 609 elementary schools in Iowa
The ten highest SchoolGrades in the district. Grades reward actual test performance against the projection for each school's student context, so a B in a high-poverty school can outrank an A- elsewhere on impact.
- A+ Cowles Elementary School (Elementary school, greatly exceeds expectations)
- A Downtown School (Elementary school, greatly exceeds expectations)
- A Merrill Middle School (Middle school, exceeds expectations)
- A- Perkins Elementary School (Elementary school, greatly exceeds expectations)
- A- Roosevelt High School (High school, greatly exceeds expectations)
- A- Hubbell Elementary (Elementary school, exceeds expectations)
- A- Jefferson Elementary School (Elementary school, exceeds expectations)
- B+ Hanawalt Elementary (Elementary school, meets expectations)
- B+ Greenwood Elementary School (Elementary school, exceeds expectations)
- B+ Windsor Elementary (Elementary school, greatly exceeds expectations)
Every school in Des Moines Independent Comm School District
High schools (5)
- B- East High School, Des Moines
- B Hoover High School, Des Moines
- B Lincoln High School, Des Moines
- C+ North High School, Des Moines
- A- Roosevelt High School, Des Moines
Middle and junior high schools (10)
- B Brody Middle School, Des Moines
- B Callanan Middle School, Des Moines
- C+ Goodrell Middle School, Des Moines
- C- Harding Middle School, Des Moines
- C- Hiatt Middle School, Des Moines
- C+ Hoyt Middle School, Des Moines
- B- Mccombs Middle School, Des Moines
- C+ Meredith Middle School, Des Moines
- A Merrill Middle School, Des Moines
- B- Weeks Middle School, Des Moines
Elementary and primary schools (38)
- C Brubaker Elementary School, Des Moines
- C Capitol View Elementary School, Des Moines
- D+ Carver Elementary, Des Moines
- C Cattell Elementary School, Des Moines
- A+ Cowles Elementary School, Des Moines
- D Edmunds Elementary School, Des Moines
- C Findley Elementary School, Des Moines
- C Garton Elementary, Des Moines
- B+ Greenwood Elementary School, Des Moines
- B+ Hanawalt Elementary, Des Moines
- C Hillis Elementary School, Des Moines
- C Howe Elementary, Des Moines
- A- Hubbell Elementary, Des Moines
- C Jackson Elementary School, Des Moines
- A- Jefferson Elementary School, Des Moines
- D- King Elementary School, Des Moines
- C Lovejoy Elementary School, Des Moines
- C Madison Elementary School, Des Moines
- Mckee Elementary School, Des Moines
- C Mckinley Elementary School, Des Moines
- Mitchell Early Childhood Center, Des Moines
- C- Monroe Elementary School, Des Moines
- B- Moore Elementary School, Des Moines
- C Morris Elementary School, Des Moines
- D+ Moulton Elementary School, Des Moines
- C Park Ave Elementary School, Des Moines
- A- Perkins Elementary School, Des Moines
- B- Phillips Elementary, Des Moines
- B- Pleasant Hill Elementary School, Des Moines
- C River Woods Elementary School, Des Moines
- B- Samuelson Elementary School, Des Moines
- C South Union Elementary School, Des Moines
- D+ Stowe Elementary School, Des Moines
- C- Studebaker Elementary School, Des Moines
- B- Willard Elementary School, Des Moines
- B+ Windsor Elementary, Des Moines
- Woodlawn Early Childhood Center, Des Moines
- B- Wright Elementary School, Des Moines
Other schools and academies (6)
- A Downtown School, Des Moines
- Jessie Franklin Taylor, Des Moines
- D+ Oak Park, Des Moines
- D- Ruby Van Meter, Des Moines
- B Virtual Campus, Des Moines
- C+ Walnut Street School, Des Moines
Where Des Moines Independent Comm School District schools are
Cities and towns served (1)
- Des Moines (59)
About this district
- State: Best schools in Iowa
- County: Polk County
- Type: regular local school district
- Setting: midsize city (NCES locale of the district office)
- Enrollment: 30,277 students with 2,069 full-time-equivalent teachers and 2,945 total staff FTE (NCES CCD, 2023-24)
- NCES district ID: 1908970
- Grades are the 2025-26 SchoolGrade model: each school's actual proficiency against the level projected for its student context. How SchoolGrade works
Nearby school districts
- Saydel Comm School District (3 schools, 6 mi)
- West Des Moines Comm School District (14 schools, 7 mi)
- Norwalk Comm School District (5 schools, 8 mi)
- Urbandale Comm School District (7 schools, 9 mi)
- Carlisle Comm School District (4 schools, 10 mi)
- Johnston Comm School District (8 schools, 11 mi)
- Southeast Polk Comm School District (11 schools, 11 mi)
- Ankeny Comm School District (17 schools, 11 mi)
Questions about Des Moines Independent Comm School District
How many schools are in Des Moines Independent Comm School District?
SchoolGrade grades 59 public schools in Des Moines Independent Comm School District, across 1 city or town. Every one of them is listed on this page with a link to its own report.
Which cities does Des Moines Independent Comm School District serve?
The largest by graded schools: Des Moines.
How good are the schools in Des Moines Independent Comm School District?
Across the 55 graded schools, the average SchoolGrade is C+, with 39.4% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 36.1%. 93% of schools meet or exceed the expectation for their student context.
How many students attend Des Moines Independent Comm School District?
30,277 students were enrolled in Des Moines Independent Comm School District in the 2023-24 school year, about 14.6 students per full-time teacher (NCES Common Core of Data).
Where is Des Moines Independent Comm School District?
Des Moines Independent Comm School District is in Iowa, based in Polk County, with its district office in Des Moines. Its boundary covers about 81.2 sq mi.