The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Math. The lowest is 65% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Olmsted Elementary School
Olmsted Elementary School is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in the Urbandale Community School District, a suburban district on the northwestern edge of the Des Moines metro. The school sits in a city that began as a streetcar suburb and has since grown into a substantial suburban community with a mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors along the interstate, and a broad base of employers in finance, insurance, healthcare, and manufacturing. The built environment is car-oriented; a network of parks and recreational trails provides pedestrian and bike infrastructure, while public transit is limited to a single DART bus route serving the northwestern part of the city.
State testing data for the 2024–25 school year, drawn from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, shows that about seven in ten students met proficiency benchmarks in both math and English language arts. In science, roughly six in ten were proficient. This is the only year of data available, so there is no trend to compare against. When placed against other school districts in Polk County, Olmsted’s overall proficiency across tested subjects sits below the midpoint of the county-wide range. That means performance is not among the top tier of area schools, but it is also not at the bottom; the district’s position is in the middle range relative to its county peers.
The student body is diverse by Iowa standards. Just over half of the enrollment is white, with notable shares of Black, Hispanic, and Asian students, as well as a modest proportion of multiracial students. A substantial share of families — roughly two out of every five students — qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a economically mixed population. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in this profile, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
Urbandale has been growing rapidly. The city expanded westward into Dallas County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the country in the 2010s, and a major infrastructure investment — a flyover ramp connecting Interstates 35 and 80 to a state highway — was completed in 2020, further opening the area to development. Home values in the school’s zip code are above the Iowa statewide average but below the national median, reflecting Urbandale’s position as a growing suburb where housing is still relatively attainable compared to many parts of the country. Rents follow a similar pattern. The local economy is anchored by Marsh & McLennan Companies, the school district itself, and several other large employers, and the unemployment rate has been stable at the national level.
Several district-level changes are directly relevant to families considering Olmsted. In late 2023, voters approved a bond to fund construction of a new Olmsted Elementary School, along with security upgrades district-wide and classroom expansion at the high school. Construction is expected through 2026, meaning the current building will eventually be replaced. Also in late 2023, the school board approved new elementary attendance boundaries that took effect for the 2024–25 school year, designed to balance enrollment across the district’s four elementary schools. Families already enrolled were grandfathered in, but new residents are assigned according to the new map. The district has also been implementing competency-based education across all grade levels, a pedagogical shift that changes how students are assessed and how they progress through the curriculum.
Olmsted Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school within a suburban district that is actively expanding and investing in its facilities. Academically, it performs at a level that is solid but not exceptional within the county, and the student body is racially and economically diverse. The ongoing construction of a new building and the new attendance boundaries are practical considerations for families deciding where to live and enroll.
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