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West Des Moines, Iowa - 14 schools
An equity score of 49/100 ranks West Des Moines Comm School District #165 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,960 per pupil, West Des Moines Comm School District ranks #116 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
9,225
Total Enrollment
14
Schools
$12,960
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
West Des Moines Comm School District operates 14 public schools serving 9,225 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 combined, 3 high, 2 middle, 1 elementary schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly 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 $12,960 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 51.0% local, 39.7% state, and 9.2% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 49/100, ranked #165 of 303 in Iowa against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 14 schools offering Advanced Placement (13 AP courses district-wide), a 479.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 16.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 51.8% White, 22.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Clive Learning Academy, with a diversity index of 71.2/100.
Its largest campus is Valley High School, enrolling 2,178 students (24% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Learning Resource Center, at 29 students, a 75x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Valley High School accounts for 23.6% of all West Des Moines Comm School District student enrollment
That concentration means West Des Moines Comm School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
West Des Moines Comm School District school enrollment varies 75× across entities
West Des Moines Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 29 students (lowest) to 2,178 students (highest), a spread of 2,149 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
West Des Moines Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 480:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
West Des Moines Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 16.2% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within West Des Moines Comm School District is typically wider than the West Des Moines Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to West Des Moines 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 West Des Moines Comm School District?
West Des Moines Comm School District has 14 schools, including 3 high, 8 combined, 2 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 9,225 students.
How much does West Des Moines Comm School District spend per student?
West Des Moines Comm School District spends $12,960 per student. The district has an equity score of 49/100, ranking #165 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of West Des Moines Comm School District?
West Des Moines Comm School District students are 51.8% White, 22.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% African American, 5.5% Asian, averaged across 14 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for West Des Moines Comm School District?
West Des Moines Comm School District has an equity score of 49/100, ranking #165 out of 303 districts in Iowa.