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School District

Des Moines Independent Community School District

#8 in Best School Districts in Polk County
  • B+
    Overall Grade
  • Des Moines, IA
  • 68 reviews
B+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    B
  2. Diversity
    A+
  3. Teachers
    B+
  4. College Prep
    B
  5. Clubs & Activities
    B+
  6. Health & Safety
    B-
  7. Administration
    B+
  8. Sports
    B+
  9. Food
    B-
  10. Resources & Facilities
    C+
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Des Moines Independent Community School District is an above average, public school district located in Des Moines, IA. It has 34,219 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. According to state test scores, 60% of students are at least proficient in math and 61% in reading.
About Des Moines Independent Community School District...
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Address
2323 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50312
Telephone
(515) 242-7911
Website
dmschools.org

Des Moines Independent Community School District Rankings

Niche ranks nearly 100,000 schools and districts based on statistics and millions of opinions from students and parents.
  • Elementary
  • Middle
  • High

Academics

Percent Proficient - Reading
61%
Percent Proficient - Math
60%
Average Graduation Rate
81%
Average SAT
1210
62 responses
Average ACT
24
657 responses
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Students

Diversity
A+
Based on racial and economic diversity and survey responses on school culture and diversity from students and parents.
Students
34,219
Free or Reduced Lunch
74.8%
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Teachers

Student-Teacher Ratio
14:1
National
17:1
Average Teacher Salary
$56,865
Teachers in First/Second Year
12.5%

Finances

Total Expenses
$435,547,000
Expenses Per Student
$13,091/ student
National
$12,239
Education Expenses
  • Instruction
    64%
  • Support Services
    32%
  • Other
    4%

Des Moines Independent Community School District Reviews

68 reviews
All Categories
DMPS school district had lots of academic options! I enjoyed all the different classes I could take. The district includes a downtown school that offers classes such as aviation, civil engineering, culinary arts, and teacher academy. Those classes prep students for the work force and college. The students often get job offers or internships before even graduating high school.
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At Des Moines Public Schools, the atmosphere is typically positive and centered around graduation. I believe our teachers and principals do a fantastic job at encouraging students to complete their High School education and pursue a post-high school degree. I think that what DMPS could utilize is student-to-student mentorship. I think students are more willing and eager to perform better in class if they are encouraged by their peers. Study groups with friends and clubs would be a tremendous benefit to any student that needs an extra push. Freshman year, my friend and I stayed after class on many different equations to review material with our classmate who needed some help learning the new material. Because of this, our classmate performed better on his final exam.
Des Moines Public school is great! Staff are wonderful and caring. They do what they can with the limited resources that they have. I feel my children are in good hands. I would like to see more econ classes such as cooking, sewing, etc added to the curriculum though.