Des Moines Independent Community School District
The Iowa Department of Education's figures for Des Moines Independent schools, and the parts of the metro the district reaches. Iowa county-district code 77-1737.
State rating, 2024-25
The state moved this rating down one category because at least one student group scored below the cut score it uses to identify schools for targeted support. The groups listed are: Students with Disabilities (IEP), Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. The score itself is unchanged, and on its own it falls in the Acceptable range. See what the categories mean.
Students and results
Graduation, proficiency and absence figures are the "All Students" values in the district's School Performance Profile. Proficiency is the share of students scoring proficient or above on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress. Chronically absent means present for 90% or less of the days enrolled. Certified enrollment is the state's count of the public-school students who live in the district, for school funding, taken on October 1 (Iowa Department of Education). It includes residents who open-enroll in another district, so it is not the number of students the district teaches. The state counts enrollment in full-time equivalents, so its figures carry decimals; they are rounded to whole students here.
Open enrollment, 2025-26
Iowa law lets families enroll in a public district they do not live in (Iowa Code §282.18). In the 2025-26 count, about 744 students open-enrolled into Des Moines Independent and about 3,327 who live in the district open-enrolled out, a net loss of about 2,583. The state counts these in full-time equivalents (744 in and 3326.5 out), so the whole numbers are rounded. Families choose for many reasons, so this is not a verdict on the district.
Where the district reaches
The cities in this site's coverage that the district overlaps, from the federal boundary file, and the county taxing districts that pair the city with this school district (rate per $1,000 of taxable value, for bills paid September 2026 and March 2027). The district may also extend outside these 12 cities.
| City | Boundary file overlap | Taxing districts |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 75.19 sq mi, 85.3% of the city | Warren County: $40.53614 Polk County: $43.74496 Polk County, Urbandale-Windsor Heights sanitary sewer district: $44.15439 Polk County, Downtown SSMID: $45.04496 Polk County, Sherman Hill SSMID: $45.24496 Polk County, Beaverdale SSMID: $45.49494 Polk County, Roosevelt Cultural SSMID: $45.49498 Polk County, Highland Park SSMID: $45.99492 Polk County, SW 9th Corridor SSMID: $45.99495 Polk County, Ingersoll Grand SSMID: $45.99496 |
| West Des Moines | 1.28 sq mi, 2.7% of the city | Polk County: $37.92516 |
| Urbandale | 0.10 sq mi, 0.5% of the city | Polk County, Urbandale-Windsor Heights sanitary sewer district: $37.20152 |
| Norwalk | 0.15 sq mi, 1.3% of the city | Polk County: $41.07287 |
| Pleasant Hill | 2.18 sq mi, 20.2% of the city | Polk County: $38.28496 |
All metro districts and the city map → · Property tax estimator →
Sources
- Iowa Department of Education, Iowa School Performance Profiles: Des Moines Independent Comm School District, District Summary, Reporting Year 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- Iowa Department of Education, Iowa School Performance Profiles: Des Moines Independent Comm School District, Graduation Rate detail, Reporting Year 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- Iowa Department of Education, Iowa School Performance Profiles: District Ratings, Reporting Year 2025 (2024-25 school year). Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- Iowa Department of Education, Iowa School Performance Profiles Technical Guide, December 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- Iowa Department of Education, 2025-26 Certified Enrollment by District (December 18, 2025). Retrieved November 5, 2026. (listing page)
- National Center for Education Statistics (EDGE), School District Geographic Relationship Files 2025, LEA to place (grf25_lea_place.xlsx) and LEA to county (grf25_lea_county.xlsx); TIGER 2025, school districts as of 2024-25. Retrieved November 5, 2026. (listing page)
- National Center for Education Statistics (Common Core of Data), District Directory Information, 2025-2026 school year: Des Moines Independent Community School District. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
Official figures, shown as published for the years named. Not a ranking or a review. Confirm boundaries for a specific address with the district.