Exactly one school building sits in Mitchellville: Mitchellville Elementary, PK-5. After that, Southeast Polk students head to Altoona for grades 6-7 and to Pleasant Hill for the junior high and the 10-12 high school. If you're buying here with older kids, the drive is the thing to plan around. Here's the full district layout and where each building sits.
Mitchellville is part of Southeast Polk, one of the largest districts in Iowa by land area, serving roughly 7,000 students across Altoona, Mitchellville, Runnells, Pleasant Hill and part of Des Moines. Mitchellville's share of that is a single building - the PK-5 elementary. Apart from Slater, that is the smallest in-town school footprint of any city covered here.
Every public school building physically inside Mitchellville city limits, and the grades each one serves. Attendance is assigned by address, not by city line - verify the zone for the exact property before you write an offer.
| School | Grades | District |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary and intermediate schools | ||
| Mitchellville Elementary | PK-5 | Southeast Polk CSD |
Source: Iowa Department of Education, 2026-27 public school building directory.
No high-school or middle-school building sits inside Mitchellville for Southeast Polk CSD students. Those grades are served from: Southeast Polk High School (10-12) in Pleasant Hill · Southeast Polk Junior High (8-9) in Pleasant Hill · Southeast Polk Middle School (6-7) in Altoona.
Also in Southeast Polk CSD, outside Mitchellville: Altoona Elementary (PK-5) in Altoona · Centennial Elementary (PK-5) in Altoona · Clay Elementary (PK-5) in Altoona · Delaware Elementary (PK-5) in Des Moines · Four Mile Elementary (PK-5) in Pleasant Hill · Runnells Elementary (PK-5) in Runnells · Willowbrook Elementary (PK-5) in Altoona. A Mitchellville address can feed any of these.
Almost nothing inside town, and quite a lot outside it. Mitchellville has one building - the PK-5 elementary - so there is no zone to compare. From sixth grade on, Southeast Polk students travel: Altoona for 6-7, Pleasant Hill for the junior high and the high school. If you are buying here with older kids, that drive is the decision, not the school assignment.
SE Polk vs Ankeny: Ankeny ranks higher on many academic metrics; Southeast Polk offers a wide geographic district.
SE Polk vs Bondurant-Farrar: The Bondurant-Farrar district is newer and smaller; SE Polk has more program depth and a larger high school.
1 of Southeast Polk CSD’s 11 buildings sit inside Mitchellville, and 10 sit in neighboring towns. Check any of it yourself:
Mitchellville is served by the Southeast Polk Community School District. 1 of its 11 school buildings are located inside Mitchellville.
1 public school building sit inside Mitchellville: Mitchellville Elementary (grades PK-5). This list comes from the Iowa Department of Education 2026-27 building directory.
In Southeast Polk CSD the high school does not begin at grade 9. Southeast Polk High School serves grades 10-12 in Pleasant Hill. Confirm the current configuration with the district before you plan around it.
Buyers weighing Mitchellville usually have one or two other towns on the list. Each of these is the same guide for that city, built from the same state directory:
Wherever you land, I'm happy to help you weigh the school zones and the trade-offs that come with each - no pressure, no sales pitch. A quick 15-minute conversation is often all it takes to point you in the right direction:
Jackson Krile is a REALTOR® on the Flanders Team at RE/MAX Real Estate Center. Licensed in Iowa #S66867000. DMAAR + CIBR member.
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