Total enrollment
29,676
-1,575 (-5%) vs SY 2020-21
59 schools in Des Moines Independent Comm School District
Iowa · 29,676 students · 1 city
59 public K-12 schools sit under Des Moines Independent Comm School District in Iowa, serving roughly 29,676 students (42 elementary, 10 middle, and 6 high).
4-year change in Des Moines Independent Comm School District
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
59
0 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Des Moines Independent Comm School District ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Iowa | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 47.5% | #168 of 169 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 29,676 | #1 of 234 | #226 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 59 | #1 of 234 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.7:1 | #218 of 234 | #6,152 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 76.1% | #2 of 234 | #1,460 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 74.3% | #1 of 119 | #85 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Des Moines Independent Comm School District
State test results across the district's 53 scored schools run from Cowles Elementary School at 82.6% proficient to King Elementary School at 29.9%, a gap of 52.7 points. That is the 2nd widest gap among 56 Iowa districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 57 district schools that reported both years went from 32,788 to 29,187 students (down 11%) and from 2,117 to 1,854 full-time teachers (down 12%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
About Des Moines Independent Comm School District
Des Moines Independent Comm School District operates 59 public schools across Iowa, collectively enrolling roughly 29,676 students.
On the school-mix side, Des Moines Independent Comm School District comprises 42 elementary, 10 middle, 6 high schools, and 1 combined or other.
On a per-school basis, Des Moines Independent Comm School District runs about 503 students per school, 34% above the state mean of roughly 376.
Over the past 4-year window. Across the same 4-year window, public-school enrollment decreased 5%: 31,251 students in SY 2020-21 versus 29,676 in SY 2024-25.
On this page, the community for Des Moines Independent Comm School District discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Discussions cut across districts, schools, and grade levels.