The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Park Ave Elementary School
Park Ave Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Des Moines, Iowa’s capital and most populous city. The school sits within the Des Moines Independent Community School District, and it operates as a regular public elementary school.
The student body is diverse, with no single racial or ethnic group holding a majority. White students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students and Black students, with smaller numbers of students identifying as two or more races, Asian, or American Indian or Alaska Native. A substantial share of students come from low-income households, a consideration for families weighing the socioeconomic mix their child will experience day to day.
On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science fell below the midpoint of what other schools in Polk County reported. In the most recent testing year, about two in five students scored at the proficient level or above across the tested subjects. The school’s overall proficiency index landed in the lowest quartile among the county’s districts for which comparable data was available. A parent wanting a fuller picture of academic support and trajectory might ask the school directly about its strategies for raising student performance. State testing data was available only for the single most recent year, so there is no multi-year trend to show whether these results represent a stable pattern or a point-in-time snapshot.
The school’s enrollment is modest for an elementary building serving those grades. The school does not report data on the share of students receiving special education services or those identified as English learners, though the high proportion of students from low-income households is a clearly documented characteristic. Families who want to know more about specialized supports or programs for multilingual learners would need to inquire with the school or district directly.
Housing in the zip code tied to the school is within reach for many working families. Typical home values are well below the national median, and estimated monthly mortgage costs on a median-priced home are modest relative to typical rents in the area. In practical terms, a family renting in the neighborhood might find that buying a home would come with a slightly lower monthly payment than rent, all else being equal. The Des Moines metro area has been growing, with data-center investments from major technology companies and a steady annexation of new acreage into the city, signaling ongoing economic development.
The school is a standard neighborhood elementary building, not a magnet or charter school. It does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Civil rights data and program offerings such as gifted education, arts, or early childhood were not available in the sources consulted. A parent interested in these dimensions should reach out to the school for specifics about what enrichment or intervention programs are in place.
This is a school that serves a high-poverty, diverse population in a growing Midwestern state capital. The academic results suggest a setting where many students are not yet reaching the state’s proficiency benchmarks, and a family choosing Park Avenue Elementary would want to understand how the school is working to close that gap for their own child. The housing context is affordable relative to the broader market, and the city provides significant park and trail infrastructure for after-school and weekend life.
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