Schools · West Des Moines
West Des Moines, IA schools
West Des Moines’s public schools score well above Iowa’s averages: 79% of students are proficient in reading against 67.8% statewide, and 94% of high schoolers graduate on time against 91.4%. Kids attend one of 7 schools through grade 6, then Stilwell Junior High School and Valley High School.
Grades, test scores, graduation, spending and every school, from U.S. Department of Education data.
TownTapestry School GradeNew
A−
West Des Moines’s School Grade: A-
The public schools West Des Moines’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 77% of Iowa’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
A-Test scoresB-Graduation
Iowa school districts we grade (325)Better than 77%
Lower resultsHigher results
Iowa towns with similar household incomes (469)Better than 70%
High confidence. Built on 13,955 tested students and a graduating class of 714; ordinary year-to-year swings are unlikely to change the grade.
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on Iowa’s state tests, each against the state average, plus the four-year graduation rate. Spending and class size are shown below but don’t count toward the grade. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids: every district that serves it, weighted by the number of students tested in each. Tests count 60% and graduation 40%.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are lined up against the rest of Iowa only. A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
- Individual schools are graded the same way on their own test results, against every public school in Iowa with 25+ students. Private schools aren’t graded: they don’t take the state tests.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income closely, so a high grade partly reflects who lives in a town. That’s why we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
School path
Where West Des Moines kids go to school
Grades PK–6
7 schoolsDepends on your address · see the list West Des Moines Community School DistrictGrades 7–8
BStilwell Junior High School
645 students · West Des Moines West Des Moines Community School DistrictGrades 10–12
A-Valley High School
2,178 students · West Des Moines West Des Moines Community School DistrictBased on district boundaries from the U.S. Department of Education. Check with the district before you enroll.
Test scores · 2020–21
Above the state in reading
Reading (grades PK–12, West Des Moines Community)71%
State average 67.8%
Reading (Waukee Community)79%
State average 67.8%
Math (grades PK–12, West Des Moines Community)66%
State average 64.1%
Math (Waukee Community)80%
State average 64.1%
Graduation · class of 2020
94% graduate on time
Graduation rate
94%
IA: 91.4%
Graduating class
714
students
The share of students who started ninth grade together and earned a regular diploma within four years.
Districts
Two districts serve West Des Moines
West Des Moines Community School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 14 schools · 9,009 students
$14,690 per studentIA $13,713B-Waukee Community School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 20 schools · 13,917 students
$12,482 per studentIA $13,713AEach district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
Colleges
West Des Moines is home to Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center
Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical CenterUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · West Des Moines1,412on campus
Every school
All 19 schools in West Des Moines
Showing 1–19 of 19 schools
Westridge ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–6 · 744 students
APublicJordan Creek Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades PK–6 · 652 students
BPublicBrookview Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades K–5 · 592 students
APublicWoodland Hills Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades K–5 · 578 students
B+PublicMaple Grove Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades K–5 · 577 students
APublicWestern Hills Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades PK–6 · 570 students
CPublicHillside Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades PK–6 · 548 students
CPublicFairmeadows Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades PK–6 · 542 students
BPublicCrossroads Park Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades K–6 · 530 students
BPublicSt. Francis of Assisi SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 720 students
PrivateSacred Heart SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 587 students
PrivateMontessori Children's HouseElementary · Grades PK–2 · 130 students
PrivateAirazi AcademyElementary · Grades PK–5 · 103 students
PrivateStilwell Junior High SchoolMiddle · Grades 7–8 · 645 students
BPublicValley SouthwoodsSecondary · Grades 9 · 678 students
B-PublicValley High SchoolHigh · Grades 10–12 · 2,178 students
A-PublicWalnut Creek CampusHigh · Grades 9–12 · 152 students
D-PublicDowling Catholic High SchoolHigh · Grades 9–12 · 1,354 students
PrivateLearning Resource CenterPrekindergarten · Grades PK
PublicSchool data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES). Ratings are from neighbors on TownTapestry.