McCombs Middle School

Public middle school, grades 6 to 8 · Des Moines, Iowa

McCombs Middle School in Des Moines, Iowa enrolled 670 students in 2024-25 with 39.8 full-time teachers, 16.8 students per teacher against the Iowa middle-school median of 14.4. It ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22; every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision (2024-25). On the state tests, 47% of its students tested were proficient in reading in 2021-22 and 44% proficient in math in 2022-23 (Iowa: 69.7% and 68.1%).

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method

Enrollment rose 2% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers fell 7%

654 students in 2022-23, 644 students in 2023-24, 670 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 43.0 to 39.8.

Students enrolled at McCombs Middle School by school year2022-23: 654, 2023-24: 644, 2024-25: 67002004006008002022-236542023-246442024-25670
Students enrolled at McCombs Middle School by school year2022-23: 654, 2023-24: 644, 2024-25: 67002004006008002022-236542023-246442024-25670
Students enrolled at McCombs Middle School by school year2022-23: 654, 2023-24: 644, 2024-25: 67002004006008002022-236542023-246442024-25670
Students enrolled at McCombs Middle School by school year2022-23: 654, 2023-24: 644, 2024-25: 67002004006008002022-236542023-246442024-25670
The numbers as a table
School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2365443.015.2
2023-2464439.816.2
2024-2567039.816.8

16.8 students per teacher, a higher ratio than 81 of every 100 Iowa middle schools

Among the 242 Iowa middle schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 14.4; the national median for middle schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.

Students per teacher, Iowa middle schools, 2024-25240 values from 7.2 to 37.9; McCombs Middle School 16.8; state median 14.4.2 more above 30.0 →51015202530students per full-time teacherMcCombs Middle School 16.8state median 14.4U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Iowa middle schools, 2024-25240 values from 7.2 to 37.9; McCombs Middle School 16.8; state median 14.4.2 more above 30.0 →51015202530students per full-time teacherMcCombs Middle School 16.8state median 14.4U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Iowa middle schools, 2024-25240 values from 7.2 to 37.9; McCombs Middle School 16.8; state median 14.4.2 more above 30.0 →5152530students per full-time teacherMcCombs Middle School 16.8state median 14.4U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Iowa middle schools, 2024-25240 values from 7.2 to 37.9; McCombs Middle School 16.8; state median 14.4.2 more above 30.0 →5152530students per full-time teacherMcCombs Middle School 16.8state median 14.4U.S. 14.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).

One counselor per 342 students in 2021-22

In the 2021-22 civil rights collection McCombs Middle School enrolled 684 students and had 2.0 counselors (full-time equivalent); it reported 121 out-of-school suspensions that year.

  • Advanced Placement coursesNone
  • Gifted and talented programYes
  • Counselors (FTE)2.0, one per 342 of the 684 students enrolled in 2021-22
  • Out-of-school suspensions121
  • Chronically absent52.9% (2022-23)

Who attends

38.8% of students were Hispanic, 25.4% White, 22.8% Black in 2024-25.

  1. Hispanic38.8%
  2. White25.4%
  3. Black22.8%
  4. Asian7.5%
  5. Two or more races5.5%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.

State test results, 2021-22 and 2022-23

The students tested at McCombs Middle School scored proficient or above: 47% in reading in 2021-22 and 44% in math in 2022-23, against 69.7% in reading in 2021-22 and 68.1% in math in 2022-23 across Iowa. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Iowa, not across states. ED Data Express holds no district results after 2021-22, so the district column gives its 2021-22 figure.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22 and 2022-23
Subject and yearThis schoolIts districtIowa
Reading and language arts, 2021-2247%49%69.7%
Math, 2022-2344%40% (2021-22)68.1%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22 and 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive); for 2022-23 ED published math by school and reading only by state: ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Middle schools in Des Moines

11 public middle schools in Des Moines report 2024-25 enrollment; McCombs Middle School is number 2 by size.

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunch
Weeks Middle School68814.276.0%
McCombs Middle School67016.874.5%
Meredith Middle School66216.472.4%
Merrill Middle School65716.836.7%
Brody Middle School64116.461.9%
Harding Middle School60315.879.3%
Callanan Middle School55315.872.9%
Goodrell Middle School51115.374.8%

All public schools in Des Moines →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.

What to look at next about McCombs Middle School

  1. Weeks Middle SchoolThe nearest public middle school, 2.9 miles away: 688 students, 14.2 per teacher (2024-25).2.9 mi
  2. Brody Middle SchoolThe next nearest public middle school, 3.4 miles away: 641 students, 16.4 per teacher (2024-25).3.4 mi
  3. Compare McCombs Middle School with Weeks Middle SchoolStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
  4. How much Des Moines Independent Comm School District spends per student$15,286 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$15,286
  5. The largest public schools in IowaMcCombs Middle School is the number 36 by size of 243 Iowa middle schools open in 2024-25.#36 of 243
  6. Iowa schools by students per teacher16.8 students per teacher here against the Iowa median of 14.4 for middle schools.16.8:1
  7. Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.

Questions about McCombs Middle School

  1. How many students attend McCombs Middle School?
    670 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 654 in 2022-23. It is a middle school in Des Moines, IA.
  2. What is the student-teacher ratio at McCombs Middle School?
    16.8 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the Iowa median for middle schools is 14.4. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
  3. Is McCombs Middle School a Title I school?
    McCombs Middle School ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.
  4. How do students at McCombs Middle School do on state tests?
    The students tested at McCombs Middle School scored proficient or above: 47% in reading in 2021-22 and 44% in math in 2022-23, against 69.7% in reading in 2021-22 and 68.1% in math in 2022-23 across Iowa. Iowa's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.
  5. What district is McCombs Middle School in?
    Des Moines Independent Comm School District, NCES district ID 1908970. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 190897000557 are the district's.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22

District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.

Compiled from official source data by .