West Des Moines
The Suburban-Urban Divide: West Des Moines at 90%, Des Moines at 71%
Correction (July 23, 2026): An earlier version said Des Moines serves more students than the six suburban districts combined; those suburbs enroll more students than Des Moines. It also said Iowa City...
West Des Moines' Hidden Crisis: K-8 at 13.6%, High School at 44.9%
If you look only at the overall K-12 chronic absenteeism rate, West Des Moines Community School District appears to have a manageable problem. At 24.3%, it is above the state average of 15.8% — concer...
Des Moines Has Lost 5 Points Since 2019 — The State Capital's Graduation Slide
Correction (July 23, 2026): An earlier version said Des Moines serves more students than the four largest suburbs combined; those suburbs enroll more. It also gave the special education gap as 27 poin...