1
What's the one class at Valley High School every student should take?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,178
High
DISTRICT 1,003 · STATE 468
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEST DES MOINES COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 193093001797
Valley High School
3650 Woodland Ave, West Des Moines, IA 50266 · (515) 633-4000 · Polk County
GRADES 10–12HIGH13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,178 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 51% of Iowa public high schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Iowa public high schools
Student : Teacher
18.3:1
119 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.4:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
68%
1,481 students
DISTRICT 55% · STATE 41%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 10 | 756 | 35% |
| Grade 11 | 686 | 31% |
| Grade 12 | 736 | 34% |
Student demographics
63%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 48% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within West Des Moines Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
67.5%
IA avg 73.6% . -4.6pp since 2023
Math
63.9%
IA avg 70.9% . -3.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 68 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 64 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are down about 5 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 4 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 67.5% | 63.9% |
| 2023-24 | 72.1% | 67.5% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
65.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.9%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 66% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 58% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Iowa's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Valley High School
Valley High School's state test result (65.5% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley High School this school | 2,178 | 68.0% | 65.5% |
| West High School Waterloo | 1,696 | 59.1% | 60.9% |
| North High School Sioux City | 1,529 | 63.2% | 54.4% |
| Lincoln High School Des Moines | 2,364 | 74.9% | 41.1% |
| West High School Davenport | 1,304 | 54.4% | 38.6% |
| Valley Southwoods West Des Moines | 678 | 49.0% | 74.4% |
Matched among Iowa high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Valley High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Polk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 65.5% | #244 of 313 | #12 of 18 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 63.9% | #237 of 314 ▼ 43 | #12 of 18 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 67.5% | #264 of 314 ▼ 37 | #12 of 18 ▼ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,178 | #3 of 340 | #2 of 20 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.3:1 | #244 of 259 | #12 of 18 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 63.5% | #22 of 260 | #6 of 18 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 68.0% | #12 of 320 | #6 of 19 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +7.9% | #86 of 133 | #9 of 13 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
2,178
+131 (+6%) vs 2020
+14% since 1990-91, when it was 1,909
Student : Teacher
18.3:1
was 17.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2,178 | 118.9 | 18.3:1 | 68% (1,481) |
| 2023-24 | 2,111 | 123.3 | 17.1:1 | 27% (564) |
| 2022-23 | 2,152 | 120.1 | 17.9:1 | 36% (776) |
| 2020-21 | 2,047 | 116 | 17.6:1 | 34% (686) |
| 2017-18 | 2,018 | 117.5 | 17.2:1 | 28% (559) |
| 2015-16 | 1,998 | 110 | 18.2:1 | 24% (489) |
| 2010-11 | 1,962 | 113 | 17.4:1 | 14% (283) |
| 2000-01 | 1,749 | 106 | 16.5:1 | 6% (100) |
| 1990-91 | 1,909 | 111 | 17.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Valley High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 8% (2,018 to 2,178); teachers up 1% (117.5 to 118.9).
About Valley High School
This page covers Valley High School, a high-enrollment high school in West Des Moines, Iowa. Total enrollment is 2,178 students, and the grades served are 10 through 12. High schools in Iowa have about 468 students on average; enrollment here is 365% higher.
The district, West Des Moines Comm School District, operates 13 schools serving 9,009 students.
White students are 55% of those enrolled at Valley High School. Next come 20% Hispanic, 12% Black, 7% multiracial, and 6% Asian. That compares with about 76% White among all Polk County residents. A diversity index of 63% means there is a 63% chance two randomly chosen students at Valley High School are from different groups.
Its ratio of 18.3:1 is based on 118.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. High schools in Iowa average 17.3:1, 1.0 fewer students per teacher than here. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 68%. That rate is above the 49% average among public schools in Polk County.
Among Iowa public high schools, Valley High School outscored 51%, which works out to a B- on the allk12 Grade.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Valley High School is 57.9%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 65.5%.
In Polk County, where the school is located, median household income comes to about $83,576, about 40% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. There are 137 public schools in the county, enrolling about 77,436, Valley High School among them.
Western Hills Elementary School sits about 0.7 miles from Valley High School. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. The school's 65.5% average proficiency ranks 9th among 9 nearby schools.
NCES lists the school's locale as City: Small. That means it sits inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
Enrollment was 2,178 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 2,047.
This page is set up for the Valley High School community to discuss open houses, carpools, and field trips. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Polk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
503,175
Census ACS
Median income
$83,576
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
40%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
137
77,436 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in West Des Moines Comm School District
- Westridge ElementaryElementary · 744 students
- Valley SouthwoodsHigh · 678 students
- Indian Hills Junior High SchoolMiddle · 661 students
- Jordan Creek Elementary SchoolElementary · 652 students
- Stilwell Junior High SchoolMiddle · 645 students
- Western Hills Elementary SchoolElementary · 570 students
Other schools in West Des Moines
- Westridge ElementaryElementary · 744 students
- Valley SouthwoodsHigh · 678 students
- Jordan Creek Elementary SchoolElementary · 652 students
- Stilwell Junior High SchoolMiddle · 645 students
- Brookview Elementary SchoolElementary · 592 students
- Woodland Hills Elementary SchoolElementary · 578 students
Other Valley High schools
16 other US public schools in 12 states are named Valley High. Valley High School is the 2nd largest of the 17.
- Valley High SchoolLas Vegas, NV · 2,467 students
- Valley HighSanta Ana, CA · 1,908 students
- Valley HighSacramento, CA · 1,622 students
- VALLEY HIGHALBUQUERQUE, NM · 962 students
- Valley HighLouisville, KY · 850 students
Nearby schools
- Western Hills Elementary School0.7 mi · 570
- Crossroads Park Elementary School0.9 mi · 530
- Fairmeadows Elementary School1.1 mi · 542
- Indian Hills Junior High School1.1 mi · 661
- Stilwell Junior High School1.7 mi · 645
- Valley Southwoods1.8 mi · 678
Frequently asked questions
About Valley High SchoolHow large is Valley High School?
Valley High School enrolls approximately 2,178 students in grades 10-12.
What grades does Valley High School serve?
Valley High School serves grades 10-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Valley High School is approximately 18.3:1 (119 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Valley High School?
Valley High School reports a student body of 55% White, 20% Hispanic, 12% Black, 6% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees Valley High School?
Valley High School is overseen by West Des Moines Comm School District in Polk County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.