Best Public Schools in Zip Code 50324

Summary:

The 50324 zip code area in Iowa is home to two elementary schools: Clive Learning Academy and Cowles Elementary School. While both schools serve students in the same geographic area, the data analysis reveals significant differences in their academic performance and student demographics.

Cowles Elementary School stands out as the higher-performing school, consistently outpacing the district and state averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science across multiple grade levels. The school's 4th-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate of 93.9% in 2023-2024 is significantly higher than the 52% district average and 72.9% state average. Additionally, Cowles Elementary School has a higher statewide ranking, placing in the top 50% of Iowa elementary schools in recent years, while Clive Learning Academy has been in the bottom 50%.

The differences in student demographics between the two schools may also contribute to the performance gap. Clive Learning Academy has a more diverse student population, with 44.7% White, 16.86% African American, 21.97% Hispanic, and 8.14% Asian students, while Cowles Elementary School has a majority White student population at 78.01%. Additionally, Clive Learning Academy has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (43.94%) compared to Cowles Elementary School (16.88%), indicating a more economically diverse student population at the former.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ISASP English Language Arts (2024)						ISASP Mathematics (2024)						ISASP Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cowles Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	6401 College Ave	Des Moines	50324	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7818	391	22	17.8	16.9%	305 (78.0%)	6 (1.5%)	25 (6.4%)	13 (3.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (9.7%)	61	243^rd of 557 public elementary schools	56.4%		57.7	259^th of 565 public elementary schools	54.2%	16	72.2	93.9	79.4	75.8	97.0	81.5	75.0	78.8	64.7	69.7	84.8	82.1	64.7	78.6	$14,566	$624	$13,942
Clive Learning Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	1600 73rd Street	Des Moines	50324	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-5800	528	41	12.8	43.9%	236 (44.7%)	89 (16.9%)	116 (22.0%)	43 (8.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.1%)	50.2	327^th of 557 public elementary schools	41.3%		47.8	345^th of 565 public elementary schools	38.9%	18	54.5	75.8	72.6	74.6			70.9	80.3	72.6	65.7			61.3		$14,178	$481	$13,696

Cities Near Zip Code 50324

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Des Moines	0.46 mi	66	377^th
Carlisle	5.44 mi	3	306^th
Norwalk	6 mi	5	125^th
Pleasant Hill	6.39 mi	4	190^th
West Des Moines	6.95 mi	14	176^th

See the top IA Iowa cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.