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Des Moines, Iowa - 59 schools
An equity score of 82/100 ranks Des Moines Independent Comm School District #17 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,308 per pupil, Des Moines Independent Comm School District ranks #48 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
30,739
Total Enrollment
59
Schools
$14,308
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Des Moines Independent Comm School District operates 59 public schools serving 30,739 students, placing it among the larger districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 33 elementary, 11 combined, 10 middle, 5 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a sizeable portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Polk County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,308 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending. See how Iowa compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 29.4% local, 56.2% state, and 14.4% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 82/100, ranked #17 of 303 in Iowa against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 59 schools offering Advanced Placement (54 AP courses district-wide), a 319.3:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 42.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 32.2% White, 31.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Woodlawn Early Childhood Center, with a diversity index of 79.4/100.
Its largest campus is Lincoln High School, enrolling 2,364 students (8% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Ruby Van Meter, at 109 students, a 22x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Des Moines Independent Comm School District school enrollment varies 22× across entities
Des Moines Independent Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 109 students (lowest) to 2,364 students (highest), a spread of 2,255 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Des Moines Independent Comm School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 70.4% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Des Moines Independent Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 319:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Des Moines Independent Comm School District is typically wider than the Des Moines Independent Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Des Moines Independent Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 42.5% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Comparisons are relative to Des Moines Independent Comm School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Iowa
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Des Moines Independent Comm School District?
Des Moines Independent Comm School District has 59 schools, including 5 high, 10 middle, 33 elementary, 11 combined. Total enrollment is 30,739 students.
How much does Des Moines Independent Comm School District spend per student?
Des Moines Independent Comm School District spends $14,308 per student. The district has an equity score of 82/100, ranking #17 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Des Moines Independent Comm School District?
Des Moines Independent Comm School District students are 32.2% White, 31.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% African American, 7.2% Asian, averaged across 59 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Des Moines Independent Comm School District?
Des Moines Independent Comm School District has an equity score of 82/100, ranking #17 out of 303 districts in Iowa.