Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Des Moines

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
D

Samuelson Elementary School

PublicElementaryGrades K–5

3929 Bel-Aire Rd, Des Moines, IA 50310 · (515) 242-8441 · Part of Des Moines Independent Community School District

Des Moines’ School Grade D− better than 2% of Iowa school districts

Students
386
Students per teacher
13:1
Free or reduced lunch
79%
Setting
City
Grades
K–5
The gist

What stands out about Samuelson Elementary School

  • Its own letter, D: reading and math results near the bottom of Iowa’s public schools
  • Math proficiency 14 pts below the state
  • Reading / language arts 16 pts below the state
  • Enrollment down 10.9% since 2020–21
  • Next stop for Des Moines kids: 10 middle schools

On the path

Where Des Moines kids come from and go next. The whole path →

K–5Samuelson Elementary SchoolYou are here
6–810 middle schoolsDepends on your address

Test scores

2020–21
Math proficiency50%
State average 64.2%
Reading / language arts52%
State average 67.8%

Its own letter, D, places these results among Iowa’s 1,177 public schools with results. Source: EDFacts via Urban Institute Education Data Portal (SY2020-21).

3929 Bel-Aire Rd, Des Moines

Students

Enrollment by grade
Kindergarten68
Grade 161
Grade 263
Grade 363
Grade 456
Grade 575
Enrollment over time
433’20
418’21
412’22
384’23
386’24

Down 10.9% since 2020–21.

Who goes here
Asian 31%Black 25%White 23%Hispanic 14%Two or more races 8%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

As reported to NCES, share of students with a reported race or ethnicity.

Parents talk

Questions and answers about Samuelson Elementary School from Des Moines families.

Other schools in Des Moines Independent Community School District

The district →

School facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), 2024–2025 school year. Test scores: EDFacts via Urban Institute Education Data Portal (SY2020-21). A school’s letter is our own summary of its reading and math results against Iowa’s other public schools; Des Moines’s School Grade is built from its districts’ results. Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.