Westridge Elementary

Set in West Des Moines, Iowa, Westridge Elementary is a sprawling elementary school, run under West Des Moines Comm School District. It works with 744 students across grades pre-K through 6. That puts it 129% bigger than the typical public school in Iowa, which averages around 325 students.

Within West Des Moines Comm School District, which oversees 13 schools and 9,009 students, Westridge Elementary is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, Westridge Elementary shows that White students make up the majority at 63%. The remainder consists of 13% Hispanic, 10% Black, 9% multiracial, 5% Asian. By comparison, Polk County as a whole is about 76% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, The school lists 46 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 16.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting Westridge Elementary higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 40% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably below Polk County's rate of about 49%.

After controlling for student poverty, Westridge Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 72.2%; this one delivers 80.7%.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Polk County put median household income runs about $83,576, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, Polk County runs 137 public schools (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students), of which Westridge Elementary is one.

Crossroads Park Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.1 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Westridge Elementary at 3rd of 9; the average score across the group is 75.2%.

The school occupies an inner-city site.

Five-year trend. Westridge Elementary's enrollment has increased 6% since 2018, when it stood at 705 (now 744). The White share of enrollment declined from 69% to 63% over that span.

Inside the community feed, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.