Can I use Polk County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Polk County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Polk County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Polk County?

Start with the 132 listed public schools and 9 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Polk County Schools & Education

Name: Polk County, Iowa Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Polk County, Iowa

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

47/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

87.9%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

87.9%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 92.3%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,679

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,591

School Score

47/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 61/100

State Score Position

#87

of 99 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Polk County

Measured School Summary

Polk County performs at an average level with a school score of 47/100 and a solid graduation rate of 87.9%.

Funding Context

At $7,679 per pupil, Polk County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 23% below the Iowa average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 4.4 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 1% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Polk 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

132 public schools and 9 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

47/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #87 of 99 Iowa counties with school score data.

Completion

87.9%

4.4 pts below the state average

Funding context

$7,679

$88 above the state average

School coverage

132

9 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

Polk County has 132 public schools across 9 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.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Polk 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.

Large multi-district county

Polk County has many school records across many districts. County averages are only the opening screen; neighborhood-level assignment and grade-band fit matter more here.

State position

#87

of 99 Iowa counties with school score data. The county score is 14 points below 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.

Des Moines Independent Comm School District

Elementary to high school visible

30,278 students

Elementary 38Middle 10High 6Other 5

59 listed schools in this county slice.

Ankeny Comm School District

Elementary to high school visible

12,750 students

Elementary 10Middle 2High 2Other 3

17 listed schools in this county slice.

West Des Moines Comm School District

Elementary to high school visible

9,120 students

Elementary 8Middle 2High 2Other 2

14 listed schools in this county slice.

Johnston Comm School District

Elementary to high school visible

7,431 students

Elementary 5Middle 1High 1Other 1

8 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Des Moines Independent Comm School District is the largest listed district slice, with 59 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 Polk County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Polk County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Polk County Manages Iowa's Largest and Most Urbanized School Systems

Education data brief for Polk County, Iowa.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:District structure

Polk County serves as the state's largest educational hub, with 78,991 students enrolled across 132 public schools. The district structure is uniquely urban for the state, with 69 schools located in city settings and 44 in suburban areas. The Des Moines Independent Community School District is the largest, managing 59 schools and 30,278 students. This large-scale system includes Lincoln High School, the county's most populous school with 2,403 students. Polk County's composite school score is 47.2, which falls below the Iowa state average of 61.3 and the national median of 50.0. The graduation rate of 87.9% is lower than the state average of 92.3% but aligns with the national average of 87.0%. Per-pupil expenditure is $7,679, slightly higher than the state average of $7,591 but well below the national average of $13,000. The county includes specialized facilities such as one alternative and one special education school. Review the NCES directory for specific school-level performance and demographics.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

132

in Polk County

Reported Enrollment

78,991

132 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary83

Middle22

High16

Other11

9 School Districts in Polk County

Des Moines Independent Comm School District

Ankeny Comm School District

West Des Moines Comm School District

Johnston Comm School District

Southeast Polk Comm School District

Urbandale Comm School District

Bondurant-Farrar Comm School District

5 schools

2,731 students

North Polk Comm School District

5 schools

2,224 students

Saydel Comm School District

3 schools

1,337 students

132 Public Schools in Polk County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 16 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 20 of 132 matching schools

Public schools in Polk County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Lincoln High School	Profile	Des Moines Independent Comm School District	Des Moines, 50315City: Midsize	9–12	High	2,403
Southeast Polk High School	Profile	Southeast Polk Comm School District	Pleasant Hill, 50327Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	2,353
Valley High School	Profile	West Des Moines Comm School District	West Des Moines, 50266City: Small	10–12	High	2,152
East High School	Profile	Des Moines Independent Comm School District	Des Moines, 50316City: Midsize	9–12	High	2,040
Roosevelt High School	Profile	Des Moines Independent Comm School District	Des Moines, 50312City: Midsize	9–12	High	1,986
Johnston Senior High School	Profile	Johnston Comm School District	Johnston, 50131Suburb: Large	10–12	High	1,790
North High School	Profile	Des Moines Independent Comm School District	Des Moines, 50313City: Midsize	9–12	High	1,458
Ankeny Centennial High School	Profile	Ankeny Comm School District	Ankeny, 50023Rural: Fringe	10–12	High	1,443
Ankeny High School	Profile	Ankeny Comm School District	Ankeny, 50023Suburb: Large	10–12	High	1,347
Urbandale High School	Profile	Urbandale Comm School District	Urbandale, 50322Suburb: Large	9–12	High	1,347
Johnston Middle School	Profile	Johnston Comm School District	Johnston, 50131Rural: Fringe	8–9	Other	1,166
Summit Middle School	Profile	Johnston Comm School District	Johnston, 50131Suburb: Large	6–7	Middle	1,112
Southeast Polk Junior High	Profile	Southeast Polk Comm School District	Pleasant Hill, 50327Rural: Fringe	7–8	Middle	1,088
Northview Middle School	Profile	Ankeny Comm School District	Ankeny, 50023Suburb: Large	8–9	Other	1,065
Prairie Ridge Middle School	Profile	Ankeny Comm School District	Ankeny, 50023Suburb: Large	6–7	Middle	1,025
Hoover High School	Profile	Des Moines Independent Comm School District	Des Moines, 50310City: Midsize	9–12	High	991
Southview Middle School	Record	Ankeny Comm School District	Ankeny, 50023Suburb: Large	8–9	Other	896
Urbandale Middle School	Record	Urbandale Comm School District	Urbandale, 50322Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	894
Henry A Wallace Elementary School	Record	Johnston Comm School District	Johnston, 50131Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	876
Parkview Middle School	Record	Ankeny Comm School District	Ankeny, 50023Suburb: Large	6–7	Middle	867

Lincoln High School

Des Moines Independent Comm School District

Des Moines, 50315 / City: Midsize

Profile9–12High2,403 students

Southeast Polk High School

Southeast Polk Comm School District

Pleasant Hill, 50327 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High2,353 students

Valley High School

West Des Moines Comm School District

West Des Moines, 50266 / City: Small

Profile10–12High2,152 students

East High School

Des Moines Independent Comm School District

Des Moines, 50316 / City: Midsize

Profile9–12High2,040 students

Roosevelt High School

Des Moines Independent Comm School District

Des Moines, 50312 / City: Midsize

Profile9–12High1,986 students

Johnston Senior High School

Johnston Comm School District

Johnston, 50131 / Suburb: Large

Profile10–12High1,790 students

North High School

Des Moines Independent Comm School District

Des Moines, 50313 / City: Midsize

Profile9–12High1,458 students

Ankeny Centennial High School

Ankeny Comm School District

Ankeny, 50023 / Rural: Fringe

Profile10–12High1,443 students

Ankeny High School

Ankeny Comm School District

Ankeny, 50023 / Suburb: Large

Profile10–12High1,347 students

Urbandale High School

Urbandale Comm School District

Urbandale, 50322 / Suburb: Large

Profile9–12High1,347 students

Johnston Middle School

Johnston Comm School District

Johnston, 50131 / Rural: Fringe

Profile8–9Other1,166 students

Summit Middle School

Johnston Comm School District

Johnston, 50131 / Suburb: Large

Profile6–7Middle1,112 students

Southeast Polk Junior High

Southeast Polk Comm School District

Pleasant Hill, 50327 / Rural: Fringe

Profile7–8Middle1,088 students

Northview Middle School

Ankeny Comm School District

Ankeny, 50023 / Suburb: Large

Profile8–9Other1,065 students

Prairie Ridge Middle School

Ankeny Comm School District

Ankeny, 50023 / Suburb: Large

Profile6–7Middle1,025 students

Hoover High School

Des Moines Independent Comm School District

Des Moines, 50310 / City: Midsize

Profile9–12High991 students

Southview Middle School

Ankeny Comm School District

Ankeny, 50023 / Suburb: Large

Record8–9Other896 students

Urbandale Middle School

Urbandale Comm School District

Urbandale, 50322 / Suburb: Large

Record6–8Middle894 students

Henry A Wallace Elementary School

Johnston Comm School District

Johnston, 50131 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary876 students

Parkview Middle School

Ankeny Comm School District

Ankeny, 50023 / Suburb: Large

Record6–7Middle867 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,679

State avg $7,591

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Polk County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Iowa counties have the highest graduation rates?

Dallas County (97.3%), Clay County (97.0%), and Davis County (97.0%) currently lead Iowa among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Iowa?

Across Iowa counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,591. The highest current county values are Kossuth County ($8,712), Cerro Gordo County ($8,682), and Franklin County ($8,627). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Polk County?

Polk County has a school score of 47/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Polk County?

The high school graduation rate in Polk County is 87.9%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Polk County spend per student?

Polk County spends $7,679 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Webster County

Iowa

-0 pts

47/100

School score

Floyd County

Iowa

-0 pts

47/100

School score

Adams County

Iowa

-1 pts

46/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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.

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