Photo: Pleasnthillparks · CC BY-SA 4.0Pleasant Hill’s public schools score below 96% of Iowa districts on tests and graduation
On the state math tests, 46% of Pleasant Hill’s students scored proficient, below the Iowa average (64%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Pleasant Hill, 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.
From Iowa state tests taken in spring 2022, when 95% 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.
Pleasant Hill’s schools, in brief
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 54% of tested students were proficient in reading and 46% in math, against 70% and 64% statewide; 95% 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
Southeast Polk spends $13,373 per student and Des Moines Independent $15,990, against $13,713 across Iowa (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
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.
What’s behind Pleasant Hill’s grade
D−: better than 4% of Iowa school districts, #129 of 140 Iowa towns. Both inputs trail the Iowa average; graduation is the closer of the two to typical.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Pleasant Hill, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Pleasant Hill · depends on your address
Four Mile Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 495 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 241 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Des Moines
Kindergarten in Pleasant Hill · depends on your address
Four Mile Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 495 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 241 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Des Moines
1st grade in Pleasant Hill · depends on your address
Four Mile Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 495 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 241 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Des Moines
2nd grade in Pleasant Hill · depends on your address
Four Mile Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 495 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 241 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Des Moines
3rd grade in Pleasant Hill · depends on your address
Four Mile Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 495 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 241 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Des Moines
4th grade in Pleasant Hill · depends on your address
Four Mile Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 495 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 241 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Des Moines
5th grade in Pleasant Hill · depends on your address
Four Mile Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 495 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 241 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Des Moines
10th grade in Pleasant Hill
Southeast Polk High School
Grades 10–12 · 1,722 students · 17:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Pleasant Hill
Southeast Polk High School
Grades 10–12 · 1,722 students · 17:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Pleasant Hill
Southeast Polk High School
Grades 10–12 · 1,722 students · 17:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Hill runs its own schools through grade 12 (Southeast Polk Community School District). From grade PK, students attend the Des Moines Independent Community School District, shared with Des Moines and Windsor Heights. Its middle school is in Altoona. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Two districts serve Pleasant Hill
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well below the state in reading
Pleasant Hill vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Iowa towns that share Pleasant Hill’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Hill | D− | Southeast Polk PK–12 · Des Moines Independent PK–12 |
| Des Moines | D− | Des Moines Independent |
| Altoona | B+ | Southeast Polk PK–12 · Bondurant-Farrar PK–12 |
Every school in Pleasant Hill
15 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Iowa’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Left off: 1 public program with fewer than 25 students (Southeast Polk Junior High).
Questions about Pleasant Hill’s schools
Are Pleasant Hill’s schools good?
On Iowa’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Pleasant Hill children attend score below 96% of Iowa’s school districts on tests and graduation, a D− Schools grade, #129 of 140 Iowa towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 3%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Pleasant Hill in?
Two districts: Southeast Polk Community School District runs grades PK–12, and Des Moines Independent Community School District runs grades PK–12, shared with Des Moines and Windsor Heights.
Where do Pleasant Hill kids go to high school?
Southeast Polk High School, with 1,722 students; its own test results earn a B−.
What is Pleasant Hill’s graduation rate?
72% of the class of 2023 in Des Moines Independent Community School District graduated in four years, against 88% across Iowa.
How much does Pleasant Hill spend per student?
$13,373 in Southeast Polk Community School District and $15,990 in Des Moines Independent Community School District (FY2024), against $13,713 across Iowa. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Pleasant Hill families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Pleasant Hill → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Iowa. Stars are from neighbors.