Elementary school (grades K-5) · West Des Moines, IA

Maple Grove Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Maple Grove Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 193051001503
0/100100/10053/100
👥 S:T ratio
34
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
42
📋 Attendance
67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Maple Grove Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.

#1 of 4
elementary schools in West Des Moines · Resource Index
53
Resource Index · Higher
16.5:1
large classes for Iowa
28.0%
free-lunch eligible

Maple Grove Elementary School has class sizes larger than 81% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Maple Grove Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in West Des Moines, IA.

Enrollment

577

Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

35.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16.5:1

vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg

+11% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

28.0%

vs 36.4% Iowa avg

-23% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Maple Grove Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Maple Grove Elementary School

Maple Grove Elementary School is a large elementary school in West Des Moines, Iowa, enrolling 577 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.0% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 577 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.

Among 273 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #26, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (50%) and African American (19%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 289 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

13.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Among West Des Moines's elementary schools, it stands alongside Brookview Elementary School (592 students): Maple Grove Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.5:1 vs 13.8:1).

Waukee Comm School District also operates Northwest High School (1,574 students) and Waukee High School (1,375 students) alongside Maple Grove Elementary School.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Maple Grove Elementary School compares

Maple Grove Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Iowa Iowa avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 16.5:1 ▲ 11% 14.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 28.0% ▼ 23% 36.4% 51.7%
Enrollment 577 top 13% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
577
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
28.0%
free-lunch eligible - 23% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher - 11% above state mean
Top 81% in Iowa - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,578
per pupil, district-wide - below Iowa avg of $12,854
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 289 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

White 49.9%
African American 18.5%
Two or More 12.3%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%
Asian 8.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%

Largest group: White at 49.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 68.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 68.4, Maple Grove Elementary School is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waukee Comm School District, which includes Maple Grove Elementary School.

$11,578
Per student
-10%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.3%
State 44.6%
Federal 6.1%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Maple Grove Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Northwest High School Larger Lower economic need No ratio data
Waukee High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
South Middle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Timberline School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Waukee Middle School Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Maple Grove Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Waukee Comm School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in West Des Moines

3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Iowa, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Maple Grove Elementary School's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Maple Grove Elementary School

How many students attend Maple Grove Elementary School?

Maple Grove Elementary School has 577 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in West Des Moines, IA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Maple Grove Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Maple Grove Elementary School is 16.5:1, which is 11% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Maple Grove Elementary School?

28.0% of students at Maple Grove Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Maple Grove Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Maple Grove Elementary School is White at 49.9% of enrollment, in West Des Moines, IA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Maple Grove Elementary School?

Maple Grove Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Maple Grove Elementary School rank among elementary schools in West Des Moines?

By Resource Investment Index, Maple Grove Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in West Des Moines, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in West Des Moines on the city page.

Is Maple Grove Elementary School a good school?

Maple Grove Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Waukee Comm School District?

Besides Maple Grove Elementary School, Waukee Comm School District also operates Northwest High School (1,574 students), Waukee High School (1,375 students), and South Middle School (1,092 students). See the Waukee Comm School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.