The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Findley Elementary School
Findley Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Des Moines, part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District. It is a regular public school in a residential section of the city, not a magnet or charter. Iowa’s capital is a major insurance and financial services center, with a mix of commercial downtown districts and dozens of neighborhoods spread across a large area. The school sits in a part of the city where housing is notably more affordable than the state as a whole and well below national benchmarks, and rents are also comparatively modest. That affordability means families with a range of incomes can live in the area, though the school’s enrollment tells a specific story about economic need: a large majority of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The student body is racially and ethnically diverse. Hispanic and white students each make up roughly a quarter of the school, Black students about a fifth, Asian students a sizable share, and a meaningful number of students identify as two or more races. There are small proportions of Native American and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students as well. The school enrolls about a few hundred children, a size that allows for grade-level cohorts of modest size.
Academically, the picture is one where the school is working against headwinds. On the state’s Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science are below the typical range seen across schools in Polk County. When compared with other districts in the county, Findley’s overall proficiency falls in the bottom quarter. That means a majority of students in each tested subject are not yet meeting the state’s proficiency standards. Only a single year of test results is available, so there is no trend to observe. Parents looking for a school with strong academic outcomes on state measures will want to look into how the school addresses these results, what intervention programs are in place, and how the school supports students who need extra help.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to consider. Information on several other factors that families often weigh is absent from the data. We looked for numbers on special education identification, English learner services, attendance, and discipline, but none were reported. Those elements are important for understanding the full support system a child might experience, and a parent with specific concerns about those areas should ask the school directly. Similarly, the data does not include staffing ratios, course access, or program offerings such as gifted education, enrichment, or after-school activities.
In terms of the school’s environment, Des Moines provides a network of parks and trails, and the city has a stable economy anchored by major employers such as Principal Financial Group, Wellmark, and Wells Fargo, along with data centers from large tech firms. The metropolitan area has been growing modestly. That broader context matters, but for a family considering Findley, the most immediate factors are its demographics, its affordability, and an academic performance profile that sits below the county median. The school serves a high-poverty community, and its test results reflect the challenges that often accompany that concentration. A family choosing Findley would likely want to engage directly with the school about how it meets the needs of a diverse student body and what supports are in place to lift achievement.
See more original research from School Decision →