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Public School
West Des Moines Community School District

Valley High School

#1 in Best Public High Schools in Des Moines Area
  • A+
    Overall Grade
  • Public
  • 10-12
  • West Des Moines, IA
  • 384 reviews
A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A
  2. Diversity
    B+
  3. Teachers
    B+
  4. College Prep
    A
  5. Clubs & Activities
    A+
  6. Health & Safety
    A-
  7. Administration
    A-
  8. Sports
    A+
  9. Food
    A
  10. Resources & Facilities
    A-
View Full Report Card
Valley High School is a top rated, public school located in West Des Moines, IA. It has 1,998 students in grades 10-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 18 to 1. According to state test scores, 91% of students are at least proficient in math and 82% in reading.
Address
3650 Woodland Ave
West Des Moines, IA 50266
Telephone
(515) 633-4000
Website
wdmcs.org

Valley High School Rankings

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

Academics

Percent Proficient - Reading
82%
Percent Proficient - Math
91%
Average Graduation Rate
98%
Average SAT
1380
40 responses
Average ACT
27
338 responses
AP Enrollment
18%
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Living in the Area
A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Cost of Living
    B+
  2. Good for Families
    A+
  3. Housing
    A
Area Feel
Suburban
Median Household Income
$70,906
National
$55,322
Median Rent
$934
National
$949
Median Home Value
$195,500
National
$184,700

Culture & Safety

Health & Safety
A-
Based on chronic student absenteeism, suspensions/expulsions, and survey responses on the school environment from students and parents.
Poll
83%
of students agree that they feel safe at their school.30 responses
Poll
53%
of students agree that they like their school and feel happy there.30 responses
Poll
What are your favorite school events or traditions?
Based on 90 responses
Report
  • Football games
    22%
  • Anything in the drama or art deoartments
    18%
  • Dances
    12%
  • Homecoming
    11%
  • Music Concerts
    10%
  • The club fair at the start of the year
    10%
  • After Prom
    9%

Students

Diversity
B+
Based on racial and economic diversity and survey responses on school culture and diversity from students and parents.
Students
1,998
Free or Reduced Lunch
24%
80%
of students and parents agree that students at this school are competitive.35 responses
80%
of students and parents agree that students at this school are creative and artsy.35 responses
83%
of students and parents agree that students at this school are athletic.35 responses

Teachers

Student-Teacher Ratio
18:1
National
17:1
Average Teacher Salary
$60,370
Teachers in First/Second Year
4.2%
59%
of students and parents agree that the teachers give engaging lessons.51 responses
69%
of students and parents agree that the teachers genuinely care about the students.52 responses
79%
of students and parents agree that the teachers adequately lead and control the classroom.52 responses

Clubs & Activities

Clubs & Activities
A+
Based on student and parent reviews of clubs and activities.
Girls Athletic Participation
Average
Boys Athletic Participation
Average
Expenses Per Student
$14,264/ year
National
$12,239
80%
of students and parents agree that there are plenty of clubs and organizations for students to get involved in.60 responses
53%
of students and parents agree that clubs and organizations get the funding they need.60 responses
73%
of students and parents agree that lots of students participate in clubs and organizations.60 responses
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Valley High School Reviews

384 reviews
All Categories
I love that Valley has so many opportunities and college level courses. Valley offers Dual Enrollment courses with DMACC (Des Moines Area Community College) which had saved me thousands of dollars. These courses along with the many AP courses offered at Valley will allow me to recieve my 4 year degree in only three years so I'm immensely grateful for the advanced courses. Like any school, there are some rough teachers which is unfortunate and the fact that Valley is so highly populated is a downer for me. It's overwhelming and the halls are packed during passing period. This makes passing period very stressful and having to come to complete stops in the hallways is frustrating when I'm about to recieve a tardy as I travel from opposite corners and floors of the school.
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Valley High School has been a great experience and allowed me to grow as a person. I’m glad my parents have chosen West Des Moines Community School District as my high school path. the administration at Vally is beyond helpful and extremely open. The staff at Valley has helped me in a numerous amount of way, acedemic being one. More importantly the staff at Valley has helped me grow as a person and prepared me for the next chapter of my life. Valley High School offers great classes and has allowed me to earn college credit while in High School. Valley does a good job at making education fun and easy, with their amazing staff, helpful administration and useful classes.
My experience at Valley has overall been very good. I was always very involved with music activities, which helped me make friends and have fun. That's one of the great things at Valley--there's plenty of things to get involved with. Along with a wide variety of extracurriculars, Valley has an incredibly diverse student body. One class I took, Advanced World Literature, made me realize this. During our last unit relating to immigrants and border crossing, we conducted interviews with students from other countries. I interviewed a girl and a boy from Myanmar and learned about their experiences coming to Valley. It was very insightful and made me realize just how diverse the student body here is.