The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in English language arts. The lowest is 61% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hubbell Elementary
Hubbell Elementary is a regular public school in Des Moines serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits within the Des Moines Independent Community School District, a large urban system covering Iowa’s capital city. Des Moines itself is a mix of commercial core and residential neighborhoods, anchored by the state capitol and a significant insurance and financial services industry. The neighborhood around the school is the 42nd Street corridor in the western part of the city.
Academically, the school’s state assessment results offer a mixed but largely encouraging picture. In reading and math, most students score at or above the proficiency mark, with reading performing slightly higher than math. Science trails behind those two subjects, with a smaller share of students meeting the benchmark. This pattern is common; science often lags in elementary grades. When compared with other districts in Polk County, Hubbell’s overall proficiency sits below the midpoint of the county’s range. That means several elementary schools in the county post stronger numbers, but the school is not at the bottom either. There is only one year of testing data available, so trends cannot be assessed yet.
The student body numbers just under 400 children, a moderate size for an elementary school in an urban district. The student population is racially and economically diverse. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, putting the school in the moderate-to-high poverty range for a public school. In racial makeup, White students are the largest group, followed by Black and Hispanic students, along with smaller numbers of students who identify with two or more races or as Asian. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about support for those groups.
As an elementary school that does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and there is no chronic absenteeism data to evaluate attendance patterns. The school’s environment data is also largely absent: the locale classification, discipline rates, staffing ratios, and course access information are all missing from the available record. This is not unusual for a school at this grade band, but it means questions about class sizes, teacher experience, and safety would need to come from conversations with the school.
The housing market in the area reflects Des Moines’ overall affordability relative to the nation. Home values sit near the state average, and rents have seen a slight decline recently. For families considering moving into the attendance zone, the cost of housing is not prohibitive by national standards, though local variations by neighborhood matter.
Hubbell Elementary offers a solid, conventional academic program for its grade band. Its test results show that the majority of students are meeting state standards in reading and math, which is the baseline expectation for a functioning elementary school. The science scores, while lower, are not a red flag. The school’s demographic mix means children will encounter peers from a range of backgrounds, a characteristic many families value in an urban setting. For a family looking for a standard elementary school in a large district, within a capital city with steady economic activity and a moderate cost of living, Hubbell is a plausible choice. The missing pieces—special education and English learner data, discipline, and the lack of multi-year trend information—are worth investigating further by visiting or speaking with the school.
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