Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School · Photo: Larry Day, Photographer · Public domain

D⁻

Schools in Des Moines · Des Moines Independent Community School District

Des Moines’s public schools score below 98% of Iowa districts on tests and graduation

On the state math tests, 40% of Des Moines’s students scored proficient, below the Iowa average (64%). The grade covers the public school district serving Des Moines, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Iowa, not nationally.

#138of 140 Iowa townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From Iowa state tests taken in spring 2022, when 94% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency

49%

▼ 21 pts vs IA 70%

2021–22

Math proficiency

40%

▼ 24 pts vs IA 64%

2021–22

Graduate on time

72%

▼ 16 pts vs IA 88%

class of 2023

Spent per student

$16.0K

▲ 17% vs IA $13.7K

FY2024

Students per teacher

15.7

IA 14.1 · larger classes

Schools in town

28,554 students on the public path

In brief

Des Moines’s schools, in brief

Results trail the state

In spring 2022, 49% of tested students were proficient in reading and 40% in math, against 70% and 64% statewide; 94% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

72% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Iowa. Districts ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $15,990 per student, against $13,713 across Iowa (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

36 elementary schools, then ten middle and five high schools

Which school depends on the address at every step. Enrollment is down 5% since 2020–21. See the path ↓

Choice beyond the district

Horizon Science Academy Des Moines, Great Oaks High School and Career Center, Holy Trinity (private), St. Anthony Elementary School (private), Bergman Academy (private), St. Theresa Catholic School (private), St. Joseph Elementary School (private), Mt. Olive Lutheran School (private), Joshua Christian Academy (private), J. W. Reed Christian Academy (private), Des Moines Adventist School (private) and One School Global Des Moines Campus (private) are in town. Virtual Campus, an online school, is based here too; it isn’t counted as a local school. Every school ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Des Moines’s grade

D⁻ Test scoresD⁻ Graduation

D−: better than 2% of Iowa school districts, #138 of 140 Iowa towns. Both inputs trail the Iowa average; graduation is the closer of the two to typical.

Iowa school districts we grade (326)Better than 2%

Lower resultsHigher results

Iowa towns with similar household incomes (637)Better than 1%

A firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 18,425 test results and a graduating class of 2,284 wouldn’t change the letter. The tests are from spring 2022, when 94% of Des Moines’s students in the tested grades sat them (18,568 in math, 18,282 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Des Moines, with each school’s own grade.

36 schools teach K in Des Moines’s district. Which one depends on your address. Their grades range from D− to B+, so check the specific school.

Town	Schools	Main districts
Des Moines	D⁻	Des Moines Independent
West Des Moines	B⁺	West Des Moines PK–12 · Waukee PK–12
Pleasant Hill	D⁻	Southeast Polk PK–12 · Des Moines Independent PK–12
Urbandale	A⁻	Urbandale PK–12 · Waukee PK–12
Norwalk	A	Norwalk
Windsor Heights	D⁻	Des Moines Independent PK–12 · West Des Moines PK–12

Des Moines’s public schools score below 98% of Iowa districts on tests and graduation

Des Moines’s schools, in brief

Results trail the state

Graduation

Spending and class size

36 elementary schools, then ten middle and five high schools

Choice beyond the district

What’s behind Des Moines’s grade

Where will my kid go?

The district

Well below the state in reading

Des Moines vs. its neighbors

Every school in Des Moines

Questions about Des Moines’s schools

Parents talk