Index	Des Moines	Iowa	National
Average Test Scores	60%	78%	49%
Student/Teacher ratio	13:1	13:1	16:1
Total public schools	69	1,101	79,221
Total private schools	13	208	24,874
Total post-secondary schools	10	96	7,963

The Des Moines, IA educational system consists of 69 public schools, 13 private schools and 10 post-secondary schools. Des Moines public schools have average test scores of 60% which is 22% lower than than the Iowa average and 23% higher than than the national average. The student to teach ratio of Des Moines public schools is 13:1, compared to 13:1 in Iowa and 16:1 across all of the United States. A total of 82.6% of students have completed 8th grade, 81.4% have completed high school, 25.2% have completed a bachelor’s degree and 2.5% have completed a doctorate degree.

Education level achieved in Des Moines

Index	Des Moines	Iowa	National
Completed 8th grade	82.6%	89.2%	84.3%
Completed high school	81.4%	87.7%	83.0%
Completed some college	56.8%	59.8%	59.4%
Completed associate degree	34.8%	38.4%	38.5%
Completed bachelors	25.2%	27.2%	30.3%
Completed masters	7.5%	8.7%	11.5%
Completed professional degree	2.5%	2.7%	3.3%
Completed doctorate	0.8%	1.1%	1.3%

Des Moines, IA School Districts

Des Moines Independent Community School District Saydel Community School District Southeast Polk Community School District

There are a total of 69 public schools, 13 private schools and 10 post-secondary schools in Des Moines. Using the proficiency score averages, the average test scores for Des Moines, IA schools is 60%. The average student to teacher ratio is 13:1. In Des Moines, IA, an average of 82.6% of students have completed 8th grade and an average of 81.4% have completed high school.

To customize your list of Des Moines schools, you can start by sorting the list of schools by proficiency test score, school name or student to teacher ratio. Then you can select the grade levels that you would like to see, these include preschool, elementary, middle school and high school. Next, select the school type from the following options: charter, magnet, title I and title 1. Finally, you are able to filter your results by average proficiency score. Simply select the minimum proficiency score that you would like to see and only schools with that proficiency score or higher will appear on your list of Des Moines, IA schools.

Nearby cities with high average school scores

City, State	Population	Avg. Test Scores	National Avg.
Polk City, IA	4,115	94%	90%
Johnston, IA	19,491	90%	83%
Runnells, IA	514	90%	82%
Ankeny, IA	53,413	89%	82%
Norwalk, IA	9,944	88%	80%
Des Moines, IA	212,859	60%	23%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Avg. Test Scores	National Avg.
Birmingham, AL	212,424	22%	55%
Spokane, WA	212,078	48%	3%
San Bernardino, CA	214,581	20%	58%
Rochester, NY	210,291	29%	40%
Richmond, VA	216,773	64%	31%
Des Moines, IA	212,859	60%	23%

Source: The Des Moines, IA education data displayed above is derived from the 2016 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) and from the National Center for Education Statistics. The average school test scores are based on all schools that completed test scores within the state. Average test scores are conducted by each state independently and the type of tests may change from one state to another. Test scores were not available for all schools within the state, but were available for the vast majority.