Western Hills Elementary School
Public elementary school, pre-kindergarten to grade 6 · West Des Moines, Iowa
Western Hills Elementary School in West Des Moines, Iowa enrolled 570 students in 2024-25 with 38.3 full-time teachers, 14.9 students per teacher against the Iowa elementary-school median of 13.3. It was not a Title I school in 2021-22; every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision (2024-25). On the state tests, 61% of its students tested were proficient in reading in 2021-22 and 71% 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 fell 2% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers rose 2%
579 students in 2022-23, 560 students in 2023-24, 570 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 37.5 to 38.3.
The numbers as a table
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 579 | 37.5 | 15.4 |
| 2023-24 | 560 | 38.3 | 14.6 |
| 2024-25 | 570 | 38.3 | 14.9 |
14.9 students per teacher, a higher ratio than 80 of every 100 Iowa elementary schools
Among the 654 Iowa elementary schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 13.3; the national median for elementary schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
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 546 students in 2021-22
In the 2021-22 civil rights collection Western Hills Elementary School enrolled 546 students and had 1.0 counselor (full-time equivalent); it reported 32 out-of-school suspensions that year.
- Advanced Placement coursesNone
- Gifted and talented programYes
- Counselors (FTE)1.0, one per 546 of the 546 students enrolled in 2021-22
- Out-of-school suspensions32
- Chronically absent18.7% (2022-23)
Who attends
48.9% of students were White, 28.1% Hispanic, 10.7% Black in 2024-25.
- White48.9%
- Hispanic28.1%
- Black10.7%
- Two or more races7.4%
- Asian4.9%
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 Western Hills Elementary School scored proficient or above: 61% in reading in 2021-22 and 71% 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.
| Subject and year | This school | Its district | Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts, 2021-22 | 61% | 71% | 69.7% |
| Math, 2022-23 | 71% | 66% (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.
Elementary schools in West Des Moines
9 public elementary schools in West Des Moines report 2024-25 enrollment; Western Hills Elementary School is number 6 by size.
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westridge Elementary | 744 | 16.1 | 30.4% |
| Jordan Creek Elementary School | 652 | 16.9 | 26.5% |
| Brookview Elementary School | 592 | 14.3 | 16.7% |
| Woodland Hills Elementary School | 578 | 15.2 | 18.7% |
| Maple Grove Elementary School | 577 | 13.1 | 28.1% |
| Western Hills Elementary School | 570 | 14.9 | 36.3% |
| Hillside Elementary School | 548 | 11.7 | 60.6% |
| Fairmeadows Elementary School | 542 | 15.9 | 32.8% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.
What to look at next about Western Hills Elementary School
- Crossroads Park Elementary SchoolThe nearest public elementary school, 1.0 miles away: 530 students, 14.7 per teacher (2024-25).1.0 mi
- Fairmeadows Elementary SchoolThe next nearest public elementary school, 1.2 miles away: 542 students, 15.9 per teacher (2024-25).1.2 mi
- Compare Western Hills Elementary School with Crossroads Park Elementary SchoolStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
- How much West Des Moines Community Schools spends per student$13,914 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$13,914
- The largest public schools in IowaWestern Hills Elementary School is the number 49 by size of 655 Iowa elementary schools open in 2024-25.#49 of 655
- Iowa schools by students per teacher14.9 students per teacher here against the Iowa median of 13.3 for elementary schools.14.9:1
- 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 Western Hills Elementary School
How many students attend Western Hills Elementary School?
570 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 579 in 2022-23. It is an elementary school in West Des Moines, IA.What is the student-teacher ratio at Western Hills Elementary School?
14.9 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the Iowa median for elementary schools is 13.3. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.Is Western Hills Elementary School a Title I school?
Western Hills Elementary School was not a Title I school in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.How do students at Western Hills Elementary School do on state tests?
The students tested at Western Hills Elementary School scored proficient or above: 61% in reading in 2021-22 and 71% 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.What district is Western Hills Elementary School in?
West Des Moines Community Schools, NCES district ID 1930930. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 193093001798 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.