How many Black students were enrolled in Polk County schools for 2023-24 school year?

McKenzie Snow, Director of Iowa Department of Education | https://educate.iowa.gov/about

By Des Moines Sun

May 10, 2025

There were 9,645 Black students enrolled in Polk County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3.3% 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, Black students comprised 12.9% of the student body to be the third represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 125 schools in the county, Roosevelt High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 515 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 Black Students	Black Students Count	Total School Enrollment
Roosevelt High School	Des Moines Independent Comm	25.3%	515	2,039
North High School	Des Moines Independent Comm	25.6%	387	1,514
Lincoln High School	Des Moines Independent Comm	15.6%	382	2,441
East High School	Des Moines Independent Comm	16.5%	332	2,014
Hoover High School	Des Moines Independent Comm	32.9%	304	923
Valley High School	West Des Moines Comm	11.6%	244	2,111
Callanan Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	39.2%	213	543
Meredith Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	32.3%	211	653
Edmunds Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	72.4%	207	286
Moulton Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	47%	204	434
Johnston Senior High School	Johnston Comm	10.6%	187	1,771
Harding Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	28.4%	180	634
Southeast Polk High School	Southeast Polk Comm	7.8%	180	2,294
Monroe Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	42.2%	159	377
Johnston Middle School	Johnston Comm	10.9%	131	1,200
Summit Middle School	Johnston Comm	11.1%	126	1,135
McCombs Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	19.4%	125	644
Brubaker Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	20.1%	124	618
Weeks Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	18.4%	123	668
King Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	44%	120	273
Horizon Elementary School	Johnston Comm	16.3%	110	673
Lovejoy Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	26.7%	110	412
Goodrell Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	21.5%	106	493
Merrill Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	16.1%	105	651
Hiatt Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	21.7%	101	466
River Woods Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	19.6%	99	505
Samuelson Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	25.3%	97	384
Park Ave Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	23.5%	96	408
Beaver Creek Elementary School	Johnston Comm	16.8%	95	564
Capitol View Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	18.7%	95	509
Carver Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	25.1%	95	379
Hillside Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	17.4%	95	546
Valley Southwoods	West Des Moines Comm	12.4%	92	744
Southeast Polk Junior High School	Southeast Polk Comm	8.3%	92	1,106
Urbandale High School	Urbandale Comm	6.9%	90	1,310
Jackson Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	20.5%	89	435
Studebaker Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	15.9%	88	553
Oak Park	Des Moines Independent Comm	28.2%	87	309
South Union Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	19.8%	84	424
Hanawalt Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	26.2%	83	317
Clive Learning Academy	West Des Moines Comm	17.2%	83	483
Perkins Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	18.5%	82	444
Stilwell Junior High School	West Des Moines Comm	12.6%	81	644
Urbandale Middle School	Urbandale Comm	9.2%	80	869
Hoyt Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	16.5%	80	486
Olmsted Elementary School	Urbandale Comm	14%	79	566
Indian Hills Junior High School	West Des Moines Comm	11.8%	77	653
Brody Middle School	Des Moines Independent Comm	12.4%	74	598
Morris Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	14.7%	73	498
Ankeny Centennial High School	Ankeny Comm	4.9%	72	1,466
Cattell Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	21.8%	67	308
Westridge Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	9.3%	66	710
Moore Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	22.1%	66	298
Walnut Street School	Des Moines Independent Comm	31.4%	65	207
South Prairie Elementary School	Dallas Center-Grimes Comm	14.3%	65	455
Crossroads Park Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	11.7%	63	539
Clay Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	10.2%	63	615
Timber Ridge Elementary School	Johnston Comm	9.5%	63	663
Garton Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	14.5%	62	429
Hubbell Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	15.9%	61	383
Western Hills Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	10.9%	59	542
Rock Creek Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	8%	59	733
Stowe Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	19%	59	311
Howe Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	19.1%	58	303
Findley Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	20.1%	57	284
Willowbrook Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	11.4%	56	490
Southeast Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	9.3%	52	557
Hillis Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	17.9%	52	291
Altoona Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	12.5%	49	392
Lawson Elementary School	Johnston Comm	8.2%	49	595
Delaware Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	12.2%	48	395
Crestview School of Inquiry	West Des Moines Comm	9.5%	47	496
Northview Middle School	Ankeny Comm	4.5%	46	1,021
Spring Creek - 6th Grade	Southeast Polk Comm	8.5%	46	544
Southview Middle School	Ankeny Comm	5.2%	46	881
Ankeny High School	Ankeny Comm	3.3%	44	1,346
Virtual Campus	Des Moines Independent Comm	11.4%	44	387
Parkview Middle School	Ankeny Comm	4.9%	43	875
Willard Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	15.2%	43	282
Fairmeadows Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	8.4%	43	514
Prairie Ridge Middle School	Ankeny Comm	4.2%	42	1,008
Greenwood Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	15.7%	39	249
Windsor Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	13.5%	36	267
Jordan Creek Elementary School	West Des Moines Comm	6.1%	36	591
Henry a Wallace Elementary School	Johnston Comm	5.6%	35	622
Heritage Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	5.5%	33	599
Jefferson Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	10.5%	32	306
East Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	7.5%	31	412
McKinley Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	11.9%	30	253
Webster Elementary School	Urbandale Comm	6.6%	30	453
Ashland Ridge Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	3.8%	29	768
Wright Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	11.5%	28	244
Heritage Elementary School	Dallas Center-Grimes Comm	7.7%	27	350
Bondurant-Farrar High School	Bondurant-Farrar Comm	3.4%	27	804
Walnut Creek Campus	West Des Moines Comm	15.8%	26	165
Downtown School	Des Moines Independent Comm	9.4%	22	235
Phillips Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	8.7%	22	254
Westwood Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	3.6%	22	615
Horizon Science Academy Des Moines	Horizon Science Academy	26.6%	21	79
Morris Elementary School	Bondurant-Farrar Comm	4.4%	21	475
Northeast Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	3.3%	21	631
Northwest Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	6.1%	21	346
Crocker Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	3.9%	20	514
Ruby Van Meter	Des Moines Independent Comm	17.9%	20	112
Centennial Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	4.8%	18	372
Pleasant Hill Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	8.1%	17	211
Bondurant-Farrar Junior High School	Bondurant-Farrar Comm	3.9%	16	408
Prairie Trail Elementary School	Ankeny Comm	3%	16	542
Rolling Green Elementary School	Urbandale Comm	5.3%	13	244
Bondurant - Farrar Intermediate School	Bondurant-Farrar Comm	3%	13	428
Anderson Elementary School	Bondurant-Farrar Comm	2.5%	13	522
Four Mile Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	3%	13	440
Madison Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	4%	10	247
North Polk Central Elementary School	North Polk Comm	2.9%	10	346
North Ridge Elementary School	Dallas Center-Grimes Comm	2.4%	10	423
Runnells Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	3.6%	9	249
North Polk Middle School	North Polk Comm	1%	5	493
Cowles Elementary School	Des Moines Independent Comm	1.6%	5	320
North Polk High School	North Polk Comm	0.8%	5	647
Saydel High School	Saydel Comm	0.9%	4	440
Big Creek Elementary School	North Polk Comm	0.9%	3	337
Woodside Middle School	Saydel Comm	0.8%	3	376
North Polk West Elementary School	North Polk Comm	0.8%	3	356
Cornell Elementary School	Saydel Comm	0.4%	2	472
Mitchellville Elementary School	Southeast Polk Comm	0.5%	1	215