Polk County Education: 14,103 Hispanic students enrolled in 2023-24 school year

McKenzie Snow, Director of Iowa Department of Education | Ballotpedia

By Des Moines Sun

May 8, 2025

There were 14,103 Hispanic students enrolled in Polk County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.4% more than the previous year, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

Data showed that Polk County welcomed 74,753 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 18.9% of the student body to be the second represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 125 schools in the county, East High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 915 students.

Public school enrollment in Iowa remained relatively stable in the 2024-25 school year, with 480,665 students, a slight decrease of 0.63% compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, enrollment in accredited nonpublic schools grew by nearly 10%, reaching 39,356 students, up from 36,195. This increase was partially driven by the Students First Education Savings (ESA) program, with 27,866 students utilizing ESAs at nonpublic schools.

Ethnicities in Polk County in 2023-24 School Year

Enrollment Demographics in Polk County Schools During 2023-24 School Year

School Name	School District	% of Hispanic Students	Hispanic Students Count	Total School Enrollment
East High School	Des Moines Independent Comm	45.4%	915	2,014
Lincoln High School	Des Moines Independent Comm	37.3%	911	2,441
North High School	Des Moines Independent Comm	36.9%	558	1,514
Valley High School	West Des Moines Comm	19.2%	405	2,111
Roosevelt High School	Des Moines Independent Comm	17.4%	355	2,039
Weeks Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	40.6%	271	668
Capitol View Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	53%	270	509
Crestview School of Inquiry	West Des Moines Comm	53%	263	496
Hiatt Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	54.1%	252	466
McCombs Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	37.1%	239	644
Hoover High School	Des Moines Independent Comm	25%	231	923
River Woods Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	45%	227	505
Studebaker Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	40.9%	226	553
Southeast Polk High School	Southeast Polk Comm	9.8%	225	2,294
Carver Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	59.1%	224	379
Harding Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	33.1%	210	634
Urbandale High School	Urbandale Comm	15.7%	206	1,310
Morris Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	40.4%	201	498
Brubaker Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	28.8%	178	618
Brody Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	29.6%	177	598
Garton Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	39.9%	171	429
Jackson Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	38.6%	168	435
Goodrell Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	31%	153	493
Indian Hills Junior High School	West Des Moines Comm	22.8%	149	653
Meredith Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	22.7%	148	653
South Union Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	34.7%	147	424
Johnston Senior High School	Johnston Comm	8.1%	143	1,771
Moulton Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	32.3%	140	434
Lovejoy Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	33.3%	137	412
Valley Southwoods	West Des Moines Comm	18.3%	136	744
Hoyt Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	27.8%	135	486
Western Hills Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	24.5%	133	542
Madison Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	51%	126	247
Howe Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	41.3%	125	303
Hillside Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	22.5%	123	546
Ankeny High School	Ankeny Comm	9.1%	123	1,346
Southeast Polk Junior High School	Southeast Polk Comm	10.6%	117	1,106
Urbandale Middle School	Urbandale Comm	13.3%	116	869
McKinley Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	45.5%	115	253
Callanan Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	20.8%	113	543
Willard Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	40.1%	113	282
Ankeny Centennial High School	Ankeny Comm	7.6%	111	1,466
Stowe Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	35%	109	311
Park Ave Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	25.7%	105	408
Virtual Campus	Des Moines Independent Comm	27.1%	105	387
Cattell Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	34.1%	105	308
King Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	37%	101	273
Crossroads Park Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	18%	97	539
Clive Learning Academy	West Des Moines Comm	19.9%	96	483
Johnston Middle School	Johnston Comm	7.8%	94	1,200
Oak Park	Des Moines Independent Comm	30.1%	93	309
Cornell Elementary School	Saydel Comm	19.7%	93	472
Stilwell Junior High School	West Des Moines Comm	14.3%	92	644
Saydel High School	Saydel Comm	20.7%	91	440
Parkview Middle School	Ankeny Comm	9.7%	85	875
Perkins Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	18.9%	84	444
Monroe Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	22%	83	377
Heritage Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	13.7%	82	599
Southview Middle School	Ankeny Comm	9.2%	81	881
Summit Middle School	Johnston Comm	7.1%	81	1,135
Wright Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	32.8%	80	244
Horizon Elementary School	Johnston Comm	11.7%	79	673
Findley Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	27.1%	77	284
Woodside Middle School	Saydel Comm	20.2%	76	376
Clay Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	12.4%	76	615
Prairie Ridge Middle School	Ankeny Comm	7.4%	75	1,008
Olmsted Elementary School	Urbandale Comm	13.3%	75	566
Westridge Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	10.6%	75	710
Phillips Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	29.5%	75	254
Merrill Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	11.4%	74	651
Jordan Creek Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	12.4%	73	591
Hillis Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	24.7%	72	291
Northview Middle School	Ankeny Comm	6.6%	67	1,021
Spring Creek - 6th Grade	Southeast Polk Comm	11.9%	65	544
Timber Ridge Elementary School	Johnston Comm	9.7%	64	663
Moore Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	21.5%	64	298
Fairmeadows Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	11.9%	61	514
Four Mile Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	13.6%	60	440
Windsor Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	21%	56	267
Southeast Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	10.1%	56	557
Bondurant-Farrar High School	Bondurant-Farrar Comm	7%	56	804
Samuelson Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	14.6%	56	384
Pleasant Hill Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	26.1%	55	211
Willowbrook Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	11%	54	490
Rolling Green Elementary School	Urbandale Comm	21.7%	53	244
Northwest Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	14.7%	51	346
Hubbell Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	13.1%	50	383
Rock Creek Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	6.7%	49	733
East Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	11.7%	48	412
Delaware Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	11.9%	47	395
Hanawalt Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	14.5%	46	317
Westwood Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	7.5%	46	615
Lawson Elementary School	Johnston Comm	7.6%	45	595
Ashland Ridge Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	5.6%	43	768
Anderson Elementary School	Bondurant-Farrar Comm	8%	42	522
Edmunds Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	14%	40	286
Morris Elementary School	Bondurant-Farrar Comm	8.4%	40	475
Crocker Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	7.6%	39	514
Walnut Street School	Des Moines Independent Comm	18.4%	38	207
Altoona Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	9.7%	38	392
Jefferson Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	12.1%	37	306
Prairie Trail Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	6.8%	37	542
Bondurant-Farrar Junior High School	Bondurant-Farrar Comm	8.8%	36	408
Centennial Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	9.4%	35	372
Northeast Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	5.5%	35	631
Beaver Creek Elementary School	Johnston Comm	6.2%	35	564
Henry a Wallace Elementary School	Johnston Comm	5.3%	33	622
Webster Elementary School	Urbandale Comm	6.6%	30	453
Bondurant - Farrar Intermediate School	Bondurant-Farrar Comm	7%	30	428
Walnut Creek Campus	West Des Moines Comm	17.6%	29	165
Downtown School	Des Moines Independent Comm	11.9%	28	235
Greenwood Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	10.8%	27	249
Ruby Van Meter	Des Moines Independent Comm	24.1%	27	112
South Prairie Elementary School	Dallas Center-Grimes Comm	5.7%	26	455
North Polk High School	North Polk Comm	3.7%	24	647
Cowles Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	6.9%	22	320
Runnells Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	7.2%	18	249
Heritage Elementary School	Dallas Center-Grimes Comm	4.9%	17	350
Horizon Science Academy Des Moines	Horizon Science Academy	21.5%	17	79
North Ridge Elementary School	Dallas Center-Grimes Comm	3.8%	16	423
North Polk Middle School	North Polk Comm	2.2%	11	493
North Polk Central Elementary School	North Polk Comm	2.9%	10	346
North Polk West Elementary School	North Polk Comm	2.8%	10	356
Big Creek Elementary School	North Polk Comm	2.7%	9	337
Mitchellville Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	2.3%	5	215