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A
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A
  2. Diversity
    B
  3. Teachers
    A-
  4. College Prep
    A
  5. Clubs & Activities
    A
  6. Health & Safety
    A
  7. Administration
    B
  8. Sports
    A+
  9. Food
    A-
  10. Resources & Facilities
    A-
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Valley High School is a highly rated, public school located in West Des Moines, IA. It has 1,998 students in grades 10-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 19 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
1370
41 responses
Average ACT
27
307 responses
AP Enrollment
15%
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Living in the Area
A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Crime & Safety
    B-
  2. Diversity
    B+
  3. Cost of Living
    B+
  4. Good for Families
    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
19:1
National
17:1
Average Teacher Salary
$60,370
Teachers in First/Second Year
3.6%
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
Very High
Boys Athletic Participation
Very High
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

379 reviews
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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.
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Personally I have enjoyed my last four years at Valley. I have had amazing teachers, been apart of fun clubs, and have had pretty good classes, my favorite being newspaper and that is all thanks to my favorite teacher Mrs. Mikels. Valley is a very diverse school, teacher and student wise. Almost all teachers do what they can to ensure that their students succeed, which is very possible considering all the resources Valley has to offer. Valley is a relatively a safe school and it's administration goes above and beyond for their students, Mr. Maxwell is a sure sign of that. There has never been a football game that I haven't enjoyed, our theatre department is absolutely magical when it comes to musicals and plays, and our debate team has done amazing in the last few years. The only thing I could imagine changing about Valley would be to allow open campus for all students during their lunch period. Other than that, Valley made my high school experience worthwhile.
Valley offered me so many opportunities to take courses that challenged me and prepared me for college. I came into college with over 25 credits from our local community college and all my gen eds are taken care of because of it. The teachers wanted me to learn and were very good at their jobs, A+ school!