The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in Math. The lowest is 71% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Maple Grove Elementary School
Maple Grove Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Waukee Community School District, a fast-growing system in the western suburbs of the Des Moines metro area. The school is located in West Des Moines, a city that blends residential subdivisions with major corporate offices in finance and insurance, and is often described as the fastest-growing city in Iowa by landmass. Housing values in the school’s ZIP code sit above the statewide median and close to the national figure, while rents are moderate relative to local incomes. The area’s growth has brought both opportunity and adjustment: the Waukee district opened a second high school in 2021, voters approved a bond in late 2023 to fund additional schools and security upgrades, and the school board approved new elementary boundaries effective for the 2025–2026 school year that reassigned a number of K-4 students. Families moving into the neighborhood should expect continued construction and periodic boundary shifts as enrollment climbs.
Maple Grove itself is an elementary school of several hundred students. Its student body is economically mixed, with a substantial share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially, it is majority white, with notable populations of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. Information on special education identification and English learner status was not available in the data we reviewed. The school does not appear to operate as a magnet or Title I program, and we found no detailed descriptions of specialty offerings or instructional emphases beyond the standard elementary curriculum.
On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress for the 2024–2025 school year, Maple Grove’s students recorded solid academic results on an absolute scale. In mathematics, roughly three out of four students scored proficient or above, and in English language arts the figure was similar. Science scores were a bit lower. Participation rates were very high across all tested subjects. However, when compared to other school districts within Dallas County—a cohort of six systems—Maple Grove’s overall proficiency index, which averages its three subject-area rates, fell into the bottom quarter. That position is worth a closer look: while the school’s scores are not weak in isolation, they trail the median and top-performing districts in the same county. The state testing data available covers only a single school year, so no trend line can yet be drawn. Because Maple Grove serves only elementary grades, it has no graduation rate, and chronic absenteeism statistics were not provided.
For a parent weighing this school, the picture is one of a reasonably well-performing elementary in a rapidly developing suburban district. The academic numbers are respectable nationally but notably below the strongest peers within the county. The district’s growth trajectory means new schools are being built and attendance zones are being redrawn, which could affect which elementary and secondary buildings a child attends over time. The school’s size and demographic diversity give it a feel different from a smaller, more homogeneous setting, but less is publicly known about its internal supports, program depth, or student services. A family drawn to a growing community with strong employment and housing demand may find Maple Grove a solid fit, but parents curious about the gap between its absolute scores and its relative county standing may want to ask the school directly about instructional strategies and student progress.
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