The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Math. The lowest is 63% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Altoona Elementary
Altoona Elementary is a regular public school serving preschool through fifth grade in the Southeast Polk Community School District. It sits in the Des Moines suburb of Altoona, a fast-growing city that pitches itself as the “entertainment capital of Iowa” with a major amusement park, casino, outlet mall, and a growing data-center economy anchored by Meta. The school is one of four elementary schools in Altoona feeding into the district’s shared high school outside town.
Academically, the school posted above-average results on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress in the most recent testing year. Math proficiency was the strongest subject, with a large majority of students meeting state standards, followed closely by English language arts. Science proficiency was solid but lower, and that’s a pattern families may want to track as the school adds only one year of testing data so far. There is no multi-year trend available, so it is unclear whether performance is improving or holding steady. Compared with the district-level averages across Polk County, Altoona Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects falls just below the midpoint of the county’s districts. That places it in the middle band of peer districts — respectable but not at the top of the pack.
The student body is majority white, with notable shares of Black and Hispanic students, and smaller numbers of Asian, multiracial, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common measure of economic need, indicating that the school serves a mix of middle-income and lower-income families. The school does not publicly report the share of students receiving special education services or English learner support, so parents who need those programs should ask the school directly about availability and staffing.
Altoona Elementary serves only elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate or secondary course access to assess. Publicly reported data on discipline, chronic absenteeism, and staffing is also absent, leaving some gaps in the full picture of school climate and support. These are reasonable questions for a prospective parent to raise with the school.
The housing market in Altoona is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with typical home values hovering around the national median and rents slightly less than a typical mortgage payment. The area has seen rapid growth: population has climbed significantly since 2020, and the city issued a high volume of new building permits in a recent year, with residential construction leading. That growth brings new families into the district and puts pressure on school capacity. The city’s development corridor includes large commercial and industrial projects, and employment is driven by the data center, entertainment venues, retail, and logistics. The overall feel is car-dependent suburban sprawl, with recreational trails and parks for outdoor use but limited walkable downtown retail.
For families considering Altoona Elementary, the school offers solid, middle-of-the-pack academic performance in a high-growth suburb with strong local employment and an expanding housing stock. The mix of economic backgrounds in the student body is fairly typical for a suburban elementary school serving a broad attendance zone. The lack of multi-year test data and some student-support details means a parent may want to visit, meet staff, and confirm that the school’s offerings match their child’s needs. It fits a family looking for a stable regular public elementary in a growing Des Moines-area community with entertainment and job amenities built into the town’s identity.
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