Dallas County Schools & Education
Dallas County, Iowa
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
68/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
97.3%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
97.3%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 92.3%
Per-Pupil Spending
$6,920
National avg $13,239
State avg $7,591
School Score
68/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 61/100
State Score Position
#34
of 99 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Dallas County
Measured School Summary
Dallas County performs at an average level with a school score of 68/100 and a solid graduation rate of 97.3%.
Funding Context
At $6,920 per pupil, Dallas County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 11% above the Iowa average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 5.0 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 9% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Dallas County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
38 public schools and 7 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
68/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #34 of 99 Iowa counties with school score data.
Completion
97.3%
5.0 pts above the state average
Funding context
$6,920
$671 below the state average
School coverage
38
7 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Dallas County has 38 public schools across 7 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Dallas County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Mixed school landscape
Dallas County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.
State position
#34
of 99 Iowa counties with school score data. The county score is 7 points above the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Waukee Comm School District
Elementary to high school visible
13,082 students
17 listed schools in this county slice.
Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District
Elementary to high school visible
2,282 students
4 listed schools in this county slice.
Adel DeSoto Minburn Comm School District
Elementary to high school visible
2,254 students
5 listed schools in this county slice.
Perry Comm School District
Elementary to high school visible
1,746 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Waukee Comm School District is the largest listed district slice, with 17 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Dallas County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Dallas County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Dallas County Graduation Rate Reaches 97.3 Percent
Education data brief for Dallas County, Iowa.
Dallas County’s 97.3% graduation rate is significantly higher than the Iowa state average of 92.3% and more than 10 points above the national average of 87.0%. This rate comes as the county manages a total public school enrollment of 21,911 students across 38 schools. The largest district, Waukee Community School District, serves 13,082 students, with Northwest High School and Waukee High School recording the highest individual enrollments at 1,427 and 1,268 students respectively. While graduation rates are high, per-pupil expenditure in Dallas County is $6,920, which is lower than the state average of $7,591 and approximately $6,000 below the national average of $13,000. The county school directory shows a mix of 23 rural and 8 suburban locales, with no charter schools present. The composite school score for the county stands at 67.6, compared to a state average of 61.3 and a national median of 50.0. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
38
in Dallas County
Reported Enrollment
21,911
38 schools reporting
School Districts
7
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
7 School Districts in Dallas County
Waukee Comm School District
GuideDallas Center-Grimes Comm School District
GuideAdel DeSoto Minburn Comm School District
Perry Comm School District
Woodward-Granger Comm School District
Van Meter Comm School District
West Central Valley Comm School District
38 Public Schools in Dallas County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 5 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 20 of 38 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest High School | Profile | Waukee Comm School District | Waukee, 50263Rural: Fringe | 10–12 | High | 1,427 |
| Waukee High School | Profile | Waukee Comm School District | Waukee, 50263Suburb: Large | 10–12 | High | 1,268 |
| Waukee Middle School | Profile | Waukee Comm School District | Waukee, 50263Suburb: Large | 6–7 | Middle | 1,069 |
| Prairieview School | Profile | Waukee Comm School District | Waukee, 50263Suburb: Large | 8–9 | Other | 1,039 |
| Dallas Center-Grimes High School | Profile | Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District | Grimes, 50111Rural: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 978 |
| South Middle School | Record | Waukee Comm School District | Waukee, 50263Rural: Fringe | 6–7 | Middle | 909 |
| Timberline School | Record | Waukee Comm School District | Waukee, 50263Rural: Fringe | 8–9 | Other | 889 |
| Perry Elementary | Record | Perry Comm School District | Perry, 50220Town: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 815 |
| Radiant Elementary School | Record | Waukee Comm School District | Urbandale, 50323Rural: Fringe | KG–5 | Primary | 682 |
| Waukee Elementary School | Record | Waukee Comm School District | Waukee, 50263Suburb: Large | KG–5 | Primary | 682 |
| Shuler Elementary School | Record | Waukee Comm School District | Clive, 50325Suburb: Large | KG–5 | Primary | 658 |
| ADM Senior High School | Record | Adel DeSoto Minburn Comm School District | Adel, 50003Town: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 651 |
| Eason Elementary School | Record | Waukee Comm School District | Waukee, 50263Suburb: Large | KG–5 | Primary | 641 |
| Walnut Hills Elementary School | Record | Waukee Comm School District | Urbandale, 50323Suburb: Large | KG–5 | Primary | 625 |
| Sugar Creek Elementary School | Record | Waukee Comm School District | Waukee, 50263Rural: Fringe | KG–5 | Primary | 623 |
| Grant Ragan Elementary School | Record | Waukee Comm School District | Waukee, 50263Rural: Fringe | KG–5 | Primary | 620 |
| Brookview Elementary School | Record | Waukee Comm School District | West Des Moines, 50266City: Small | KG–5 | Primary | 603 |
| DC-G Oak View | Record | Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District | Grimes, 50111Rural: Fringe | 7–8 | Middle | 578 |
| Van Meter Elementary School | Record | Van Meter Comm School District | Van Meter, 50261Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 571 |
| Perry High School | Record | Perry Comm School District | Perry, 50220Town: Distant | 9–12 | High | 564 |
Northwest High School
Waukee Comm School District
Waukee, 50263 / Rural: Fringe
Waukee High School
Waukee Comm School District
Waukee, 50263 / Suburb: Large
Waukee Middle School
Waukee Comm School District
Waukee, 50263 / Suburb: Large
Prairieview School
Waukee Comm School District
Waukee, 50263 / Suburb: Large
Dallas Center-Grimes High School
Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District
Grimes, 50111 / Rural: Fringe
South Middle School
Waukee Comm School District
Waukee, 50263 / Rural: Fringe
Radiant Elementary School
Waukee Comm School District
Urbandale, 50323 / Rural: Fringe
Waukee Elementary School
Waukee Comm School District
Waukee, 50263 / Suburb: Large
Shuler Elementary School
Waukee Comm School District
Clive, 50325 / Suburb: Large
ADM Senior High School
Adel DeSoto Minburn Comm School District
Adel, 50003 / Town: Fringe
Eason Elementary School
Waukee Comm School District
Waukee, 50263 / Suburb: Large
Walnut Hills Elementary School
Waukee Comm School District
Urbandale, 50323 / Suburb: Large
Sugar Creek Elementary School
Waukee Comm School District
Waukee, 50263 / Rural: Fringe
Grant Ragan Elementary School
Waukee Comm School District
Waukee, 50263 / Rural: Fringe
Brookview Elementary School
Waukee Comm School District
West Des Moines, 50266 / City: Small
DC-G Oak View
Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District
Grimes, 50111 / Rural: Fringe
Van Meter Elementary School
Van Meter Comm School District
Van Meter, 50261 / Rural: Fringe
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$6,920
State avg $7,591
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Dallas County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.