1
Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Virtual Campus?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
380
High
DISTRICT 1,512 · STATE 468
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DES MOINES INDEPENDENT COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190897002268
Virtual Campus
1800 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309 · (515) 242-8502 · Polk County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYVIRTUALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL380 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
24.0:1
16 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 24.0:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
69%
264 students
DISTRICT 76% · STATE 41%
Community
1
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 9 | 34 | 9% |
| Grade 10 | 95 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 107 | 28% |
| Grade 12 | 144 | 38% |
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · 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
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
50.2%
IA avg 73.6% . -9.8pp since 2023
Math
26.6%
IA avg 70.9% . -7.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 50 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 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 10 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 8 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 50.2% | 26.6% |
| 2023-24 | 60.0% | 34.5% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
380
+122 (+47%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
24.0:1
was 19.9:1
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 | 380 | 15.8 | 24.0:1 | 69% (264) |
| 2023-24 | 387 | 20.7 | 18.7:1 | 64% (248) |
| 2022-23 | 668 | 38.5 | 17.4:1 | 79% (531) |
| 2020-21 | 258 | 13 | 19.9:1 | 76% (195) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Virtual Campus.
About Virtual Campus
Virtual Campus is a low-enrollment high school in Des Moines, Iowa, (ZIP code 50309). The school serves 380 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2024-25.
Within Des Moines Independent Comm School District, Virtual Campus is one of 59 schools. The district enrolls 29,676 students.
White students are the largest group at Virtual Campus, with 47% of enrollment. Beyond that, enrollment is 27% Hispanic, 13% Black, 9% multiracial, and 3% Asian. The White share of the county population is higher, at 76%. The chance that two students picked at random at Virtual Campus belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 68%.
The ratio of students to teachers is 24.0:1, with 15.8 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. For comparison, high schools in Iowa average 17.3:1. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 69%. By comparison, the figure for public schools in Polk County is 49%.
Federal survey data for Polk County show that median household income is about $83,576, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Virtual Campus is among the 137 public schools in Polk County.
Downtown School is the public school closest to Virtual Campus, less than a tenth of a mile away. Virtual Campus has at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
Its NCES locale code is City: Mid-size: the school is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000. Virtual Campus is a virtual school according to federal records.
Virtual Campus had 258 students in 2020-21 and 380 in 2024-25, according to federal records. Those counts may cover different grade spans. The ratio of students to teachers went from 19.9:1 to 24.0:1 over the same years.
The discussion area below is open to posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
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 Des Moines Independent Comm School District
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 2,364 students
- Roosevelt High SchoolHigh · 2,051 students
- East High SchoolHigh · 1,952 students
- North High SchoolHigh · 1,428 students
- Hoover High SchoolHigh · 898 students
- Weeks Middle SchoolMiddle · 688 students
Other schools in Des Moines
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 2,364 students
- Roosevelt High SchoolHigh · 2,051 students
- East High SchoolHigh · 1,952 students
- North High SchoolHigh · 1,428 students
- Hoover High SchoolHigh · 898 students
- Weeks Middle SchoolMiddle · 688 students
Nearby schools
- Downtown School0.0 mi · 197
- Walnut Street School0.7 mi · 257
- Edmunds Elementary School0.8 mi · 259
- Ruby Van Meter0.9 mi · 109
- Callanan Middle School1.0 mi · 553
- Greenwood Elementary School1.3 mi · 293
Frequently asked questions
About Virtual CampusHow large is Virtual Campus?
Virtual Campus enrolls approximately 380 students in grades 09-12.
Is Virtual Campus an elementary, middle, or high school?
Virtual Campus is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at Virtual Campus?
Approximately 24.0:1 students per teacher at Virtual Campus.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Virtual Campus?
At Virtual Campus, the student body is approximately 47% White, 27% Hispanic, 13% Black, 3% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Who oversees Virtual Campus?
Virtual Campus is overseen by Des Moines Independent Comm School District in Polk County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.