West Des Moines Comm School District

3550 Mills Civic Parkway
West Des Moines, IA 50265
(District boundaries shown in map)
5/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

West Des Moines Comm School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Iowa for:

Category
Attribute
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 8 public preschools serving 4,191 students in West Des Moines Comm School District. This district's average pre testing ranking is 3/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public pre schools in Iowa.
Public Preschools in West Des Moines Comm School District have an average math proficiency score of 68% (versus the Iowa public pre school average of 70%), and reading proficiency score of 67% (versus the 69% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 47% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the Iowa public preschool average of 27% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (IA)
# Schools
14 Schools
474 Schools
# Students
9,047 Students
151,894 Students
# Teachers
619 Teachers
11,053 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
15:1
15:1

District Rank

West Des Moines Comm School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 325 school districts in Iowa (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 93% has decreased from 94% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (IA)
#184 out of 327 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of West Des Moines Comm   School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
66%
64%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of West Des Moines Comm   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Iowa by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
71%
70%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of West Des Moines Comm   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Iowa by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
61%
63%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of West Des Moines Comm   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Iowa by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
93%
90%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of West Des Moines Comm   School District and public school graduation rate of Iowa by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.64
0.45
# American Indian Students
16 Students
532 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
n/a
# Asian Students
530 Students
2,925 Students
% Asian Students
6%
2%
# Hispanic Students
1,797 Students
18,818 Students
% Hispanic Students
20%
13%
# Black Students
1,059 Students
9,688 Students
% Black Students
12%
6%
# White Students
4,992 Students
111,231 Students
% White Students
55%
73%
# Hawaiian Students
1 Student
1,189 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
1%
# Two or more races Students
650 Students
7,501 Students
% of Two or more races Students
7%
5%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
309
23,036
# Students in K Grade:
590
25,738
# Students in 1st Grade:
632
22,613
# Students in 2nd Grade:
662
21,812
# Students in 3rd Grade:
589
20,001
# Students in 4th Grade:
627
18,600
# Students in 5th Grade:
669
14,277
# Students in 6th Grade:
652
5,389
# Students in 7th Grade:
636
67
# Students in 8th Grade:
661
108
# Students in 9th Grade:
747
31
# Students in 10th Grade:
748
54
# Students in 11th Grade:
795
71
# Students in 12th Grade:
730
97
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $16,892 is higher than the state median of $16,468. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $15,953 is less than the state median of $16,042. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (IA)
Total Revenue
$153 MM
$8,262 MM
This chart displays total revenue of West Des Moines Comm   School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in Iowa by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$144 MM
$8,048 MM
This chart displays total spending of West Des Moines Comm   School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in Iowa by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$16,892
$16,468
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in West Des Moines Comm   School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in Iowa by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$15,953
$16,042
This chart displays average spending per public school student in West Des Moines Comm   School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in Iowa by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best West Des Moines Comm School District Public Preschools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Westridge Elementary School
(Math: 83% | Reading: 75%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
5500 E P True Parkway
West Des Moines, IA 50266
(515) 633-5400
Grades: PK-6
| 775 students
Rank: #22.
Jordan Creek Elementary School
(Math: 78% | Reading: 76%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
4105 Fuller Rd
West Des Moines, IA 50265
(515) 633-5200
Grades: PK-6
| 646 students
Rank: #33.
Fairmeadows Elementary School
(Math: 75% | Reading: 71%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
807 23rd St
West Des Moines, IA 50265
(515) 633-6500
Grades: PK-6
| 545 students
Rank: #44.
Hillside Elementary School
(Math: 63% | Reading: 65%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
713 8th St
West Des Moines, IA 50265
(515) 633-6200
Grades: PK-6
| 581 students
Rank: #55.
Western Hills Elementary School
(Math: 62% | Reading: 61%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
600 39th St
West Des Moines, IA 50265
(515) 633-5900
Grades: PK-6
| 560 students
Rank: #66.
Clive Learning Academy
(Math: 61% | Reading: 63%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
1600 73rd Street
Windsor Heights, IA 50324
(515) 633-5800
Grades: PK-6
| 512 students
Rank: #77.
Crestview School Of Inquiry
(Math: 50% | Reading: 52%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
8355 Franklin Avenue
Clive, IA 50325
(515) 633-5700
Grades: PK-6
| 549 students
Rank: n/an/a
3350 Mills Civic Parkway
West Des Moines, IA 50265
(515) 633-5071
Grades: PK
| 23 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 14 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 9,047 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 15:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 45%
  • : 93% (Top 30% in IA)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 66% (Top 50%)
  • : 71% (Btm 50%)
  • : 61% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), IA Dept. of Education

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