Enrollment
678
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · West Des Moines, IA
Valley Southwoods
Federal NCES profile for Valley Southwoods, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 193093000483
👥 S:T ratio 38
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Valley Southwoods earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in West Des Moines · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.4:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 33.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Valley Southwoods has class sizes larger than 71% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Southwoods ranks #2 of 3 high schools in West Des Moines, IA.
School address
District: West Des Moines Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 193093000483 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.8%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Southwoods compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Valley Southwoods
Valley Southwoods is a large high school in West Des Moines, Iowa, enrolling 678 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 33.8% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Iowa, bigger than 91% of state schools at 678 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 208 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #29.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 61/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 339 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
16.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among West Des Moines's high schools, it stands alongside Valley High School (2,178 students): Valley Southwoods is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.4:1 vs 18.1:1).
West Des Moines Comm School District also operates Valley High School (2,178 students) and Westridge Elementary (744 students) alongside Valley Southwoods.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Valley Southwoods compares
Valley Southwoods on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.8% | ▼ 7% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 678 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
678
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 71% in Iowa - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,960
per pupil, district-wide
- above Iowa avg of $12,854
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 339 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 79 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 57.7%
Hispanic or Latino 17.6%
African American 11.7%
Asian 6.3%
Two or More 6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 57.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.4, Valley Southwoods is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Des Moines Comm School District, which includes Valley Southwoods.
$12,960
Per student
+1%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.0%
State 39.7%
Federal 9.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Valley Southwoods Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westridge Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Indian Hills Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jordan Creek Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Stilwell Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Valley Southwoods's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,178
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 652
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 645
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar high schools in West Des Moines
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Iowa, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~678 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Valley Southwoods's federal record.
- Compare Valley Southwoods against another school. Compare schools
- West Des Moines Comm School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Valley Southwoods
How many students attend Valley Southwoods?
Valley Southwoods has 678 students enrolled. It is a high school in West Des Moines, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Southwoods?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Southwoods is 15.4:1, which is 4% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley Southwoods?
33.8% of students at Valley Southwoods are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Southwoods?
The largest demographic group at Valley Southwoods is White at 57.7% of enrollment, in West Des Moines, IA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Southwoods?
Valley Southwoods has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Valley Southwoods rank among high schools in West Des Moines?
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Southwoods ranks #2 of 3 high schools in West Des Moines, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in West Des Moines on the city page.
Is Valley Southwoods a good school?
Valley Southwoods earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in West Des Moines Comm School District?
Besides Valley Southwoods, West Des Moines Comm School District also operates Valley High School (2,178 students), Westridge Elementary (744 students), and Indian Hills Junior High School (661 students). See the West Des Moines Comm School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.