Western Hills Elementary School

Q: Is Western Hills Elementary School a good school?

Western Hills Elementary School ranks 328 th of 557 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Western Hills Elementary School is a public elementary school in West Des Moines, Iowa, serving 579 students in grades PK-6 and part of the West Des Moines Community School District.

Western Hills has a more diverse student population compared to some nearby schools, with 55.44% White, 11.4% African American, 20.9% Hispanic, 4.32% Asian, and 7.6% two or more races. The school generally performs on par or slightly better than the district average on standardized tests, but its performance is often below the state average, particularly in 6th grade. Western Hills also has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 32.47% to 36.21% over the past three years, which is higher than some nearby schools like Crossroads Park Elementary and Jordan Creek Elementary.

When comparing Western Hills to other nearby schools in the West Des Moines Community School District, schools like Westridge Elementary and Crossroads Park Elementary consistently outperform Western Hills on standardized tests and have higher rankings on SchoolDigger. While Western Hills' diversity could be seen as a strength, the school may need to focus on strengthening its curriculum and instructional practices, particularly in certain grade levels and subject areas, to better support student learning and achievement.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

600 39th St
West Des Moines, IA 50265

(515) 633-5900

District: West Des Moines Community School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
328^th of 557 Iowa Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,254

Students who attend Western Hills Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Stilwell Junior High School
High:	Valley High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.4

Number of students: 579

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.4%

Hispanic:

20.9%

African American:

11.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 32.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Western Hills Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Western Hills Elementary School ranks worse than 58.9% of elementary schools in Iowa. It also ranks 6^th among 8 ranked elementary schools in the West Des Moines Community School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 50.01. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Western Hills Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the West Des Moines Community School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Western Hills Elementary School is $14,254, which is the 2^nd highest among 8 elementary schools in the West Des Moines Community School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Western Hills Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

West Des Moines Community School District:

SchoolDigger ranks West Des Moines Community School District 190^th of 309 Iowa school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Western Hills Elementary School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IA State Percentile
2012	63.01	240^th	626	61.7%
2013	71.56	136^th	624	78.2%
2014	62.92	252^nd	603	58.2%
2015	65.95	231^st	616	62.5%
2016	63.56	248^th	599	58.6%
2017	53.25	331^st	574	42.3%
2018	60.77	255^th	567	55.0%
2019	38.41	413^th	603	31.5%
2021	34.43	417^th	567	26.5%
2022	39.39	399^th	574	30.5%
2023	47.22	351^st	565	37.9%
2024	50.01	328^th	557	41.1%

See the entire list of Iowa Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Iowa Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

100%

Reviews:

by a citizen
Sunday, November 23, 2014

We have felt Western Hills has been especially good for dealing w/ the issues our grandson brings with him. He is comfortable w/ his peers, has progressed very well in dealing w/ many of his issues, and is at a good place for him.
We have sat in on classes - in both expected and unexpected situations and have witnessed learning first hand.
We also have a granddaughter in the school and feel she excels without a lot of help. She almost needs more challenge.
The socialization provided by Kids West has been very helpful for both children. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Western Hills Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	584	6	18	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	612
1989	693	2	21	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	722
1990	745	3	25	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	777
1991	624	3	20	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	649
1992	668	1	19	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	688
1993	608	3	15	1	2	n/a	n/a	0	629
1994	573	1	13	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	590
1995	540	6	14	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	562
1996	540	6	14	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	562
1997	511	11	14	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	541
1998	488	13	8	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	510
1999	472	16	9	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	501
2000	507	17	8	3	0	n/a	n/a	-33	502
2001	435	11	10	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	458
2002	403	15	7	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	428
2003	403	15	7	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	428
2004	380	12	7	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	404
2005	398	6	7	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	414
2006	371	10	7	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	392
2007	381	11	7	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	406
2008	431	16	15	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	476
2009	457	13	20	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	506
2010	450	7	16	22	2	1	28	0	526
2011	465	26	23	28	1	1	23	0	567
2012	456	38	28	37	0	1	21	0	581
2013	463	43	30	38	1	1	18	0	594
2014	462	50	30	32	1	1	20	0	596
2015	460	56	34	48	1	1	21	0	621
2016	415	64	33	45	1	1	18	0	577
2017	407	61	29	56	3	1	21	0	578
2018	388	62	30	60	3	1	26	0	570
2019	380	76	25	68	2	1	41	0	593
2020	348	70	23	87	1	1	46	0	576
2021	344	64	23	104	1	1	43	0	580
2022	324	63	23	116	2	1	47	0	576
2023	321	66	25	121	1	1	44	0	579

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Western Hills Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	612	28.5	21.4	0.7
1989	722	25.5	28.3	0.3
1990	777	28.5	27.2	0.6
1991	649	28.0	23.1	0.6
1992	688	30.0	22.9	0.6
1993	629	28.5	22.1	0.3
1994	590	36.8	16.0	0.2
1995	562	26.4	21.3	2.3
1996	562	26.4	21.3	2.3
1997	541	26.4	20.5	1.5
1998	510	25.0	20.4	2
1999	501	22.0	22.8	2.4
2000	502	23.0	21.8	1.3
2001	458	22.0	20.8	2
2002	428	26.0	16.5	5.6
2003	428	26.0	16.5	5.6
2004	404	19.0	21.3	5.9
2005	414	19.0	21.8	5.3
2006	392	16.0	24.5	3.6
2007	406	15.5	26.2	8.6
2008	476	24.8	19.2	10.3
2009	506	28.9	17.5	10.7
2010	526	32.7	16.0	12.7
2011	567	34.7	16.3	19
2012	581	35.4	16.3	23.6
2013	594	37.8	15.6	27.8
2014	596	36.6	16.2	27.3
2015	621	42.0	14.7	26.6
2016	577	42.0	13.7	28.2
2017	578	37.4	15.4	29.2
2018	570	38.3	14.8	26.8
2019	593	36.8	16.1	30.4
2020	576	36.7	15.6	33
2021	580	37.3	15.5	36.2
2022	576	37.5	15.3	32.6
2023	579	37.5	15.4	32.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Western Hills Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	612	28.5	21.4	0.7
1989	722	25.5	28.3	0.3
1990	777	28.5	27.2	0.6
1991	649	28.0	23.1	0.6
1992	688	30.0	22.9	0.6
1993	629	28.5	22.1	0.3
1994	590	36.8	16.0	0.2
1995	562	26.4	21.3	2.3
1996	562	26.4	21.3	2.3
1997	541	26.4	20.5	1.5
1998	510	25.0	20.4	2
1999	501	22.0	22.8	2.4
2000	502	23.0	21.8	1.3
2001	458	22.0	20.8	2
2002	428	26.0	16.5	5.6
2003	428	26.0	16.5	5.6
2004	404	19.0	21.3	5.9
2005	414	19.0	21.8	5.3
2006	392	16.0	24.5	3.6
2007	406	15.5	26.2	8.6
2008	476	24.8	19.2	10.3
2009	506	28.9	17.5	10.7
2010	526	32.7	16.0	12.7
2011	567	34.7	16.3	19
2012	581	35.4	16.3	23.6
2013	594	37.8	15.6	27.8
2014	596	36.6	16.2	27.3
2015	621	42.0	14.7	26.6
2016	577	42.0	13.7	28.2
2017	578	37.4	15.4	29.2
2018	570	38.3	14.8	26.8
2019	593	36.8	16.1	30.4
2020	576	36.7	15.6	33
2021	580	37.3	15.5	36.2
2022	576	37.5	15.3	32.6
2023	579	37.5	15.4	32.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Western Hills Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$192 (1.3%)	$14,062 (98.7%)	$14,254

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Western Hills Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 413^th of 603 Elementary schools	Ranks 351^st of 565 Elementary schools	6.4%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Western Hills Elementary School)	56	75	19%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (West Des Moines Community School District)	63	71	8%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	65.3	66.3	1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Western Hills Elementary School)	65.3	82.9	17.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (West Des Moines Community School District)	72.6	76.8	4.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	71.7	75.3	3.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Western Hills Elementary School)	61.7	67.1	5.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (West Des Moines Community School District)	70.1	73.8	3.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	70.5	73.1	2.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Western Hills Elementary School)	63	69.7	6.7%
4th Grade Mathematics (West Des Moines Community School District)	75.2	79.6	4.4%
4th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	72.5	72.9	0.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Western Hills Elementary School)	64.2	56.5	7.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (West Des Moines Community School District)	67.8	71.4	3.6%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	67.3	68.3	1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Western Hills Elementary School)	72.8	62.3	10.5%
5th Grade Mathematics (West Des Moines Community School District)	77.9	77.9
5th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	69.4	71.3	1.9%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Western Hills Elementary School)	65.4	66.7	1.3%
6th Grade English Language Arts (West Des Moines Community School District)	72.6	70.7	1.9%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	67.5	72.7	5.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Western Hills Elementary School)	70.4	75.6	5.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (West Des Moines Community School District)	76.5	72.3	4.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	69.4	69.9	0.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	593	579	2.4%
African American	76	66	13.2%
American Indian	2	1	50%
Asian	25	25
Hispanic	68	121	77.9%
Pacific Islander	1	1
White	380	321	15.5%
Two or More Races	41	44	7.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	30.4%	32.5%	2.1%

Schools Near Western Hills Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ISASP English Language Arts (2024)				ISASP Mathematics (2024)				ISASP Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Western Hills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	600 39th St	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-5900	579	38	15.4	32.5%	321 (55.4%)	66 (11.4%)	121 (20.9%)	25 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (7.6%)	50	328^th of 557 public elementary schools	41.1%		47.2	351^st of 565 public elementary schools	37.9%	23	63.9	75.6	75.3	63.0	73.6	78.0	74.0	63.0	61.0	$14,254	$192	$14,062
Crossroads Park Elementary School	Public	K-6	1050 50th St	West Des Moines	50266	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-5600	521	37	14.1	32.6%	323 (62.0%)	48 (9.2%)	93 (17.9%)	21 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.7%)	76.8	94^th of 557 public elementary schools	83.1%		80.5	75^th of 565 public elementary schools	86.7%	19	68.1	79.0	84.8	96.2	82.6	76.5	87.3	87.2	72.2	$13,999	$194	$13,805
Fairmeadows Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	807 23rd St	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-6500	569	32	17.5	27.1%	387 (68.0%)	46 (8.1%)	53 (9.3%)	38 (6.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.6%)	63.9	212^th of 557 public elementary schools	61.9%		53.7	298^th of 565 public elementary schools	47.3%	86	75.0	75.8	75.9	81.8	80.6	79.0	76.3	75.3	58.8	$13,706	$194	$13,513
Jordan Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4105 Fuller Rd	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-5200	647	39	16.3	22.6%	436 (67.4%)	44 (6.8%)	76 (11.7%)	38 (5.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	51 (7.9%)	79.5	75^th of 557 public elementary schools	86.5%		73.4	131^st of 565 public elementary schools	76.8%	56	73.7	80.8	80.9	89.9	88.2	84.9	84.5	84.8	72.7	$13,612	$247	$13,365
Westridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	5500 E P True Parkway	West Des Moines	50266	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-5400	748	44	16.8	25.0%	500 (66.8%)	67 (9.0%)	78 (10.4%)	43 (5.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (7.9%)	77	89^th of 557 public elementary schools	84.0%		81.6	69^th of 565 public elementary schools	87.8%	20	69.3	83.5	75.7	92.7	81.8	81.0	84.5	89.1	72.8	$13,179	$193	$12,987
Hillside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	713 8th St	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-6200	559	40	13.8	56.2%	270 (48.3%)	97 (17.4%)	123 (22.0%)	19 (3.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (8.2%)	22.8	463^rd of 557 public elementary schools	16.9%		28.1	450^th of 565 public elementary schools	20.4%	13	46.7	65.8	52.8	52.1	61.3	72.6	59.7	53.5	52.8	$14,221	$423	$13,798
Crestview School of Inquiry	Public	PK, KG-6	8355 Franklin Avenue	Clive	50325	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-5700	574	46	12.4	58.2%	135 (23.5%)	64 (11.1%)	258 (44.9%)	93 (16.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.2%)	17.7	481^st of 557 public elementary schools	13.6%		28.4	448^th of 565 public elementary schools	20.7%	33	31.4	45.9	58.7	59.4	47.1	54.1	68.3	60.9	49.2	$14,822	$670	$14,152
Clive Learning Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	1600 73rd Street	Des Moines	50324	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 633-5800	528	41	12.8	43.9%	236 (44.7%)	89 (16.9%)	116 (22.0%)	43 (8.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.1%)	50.2	327^th of 557 public elementary schools	41.3%		47.8	345^th of 565 public elementary schools	38.9%	18	54.5	75.8	72.6	74.6	70.9	80.3	72.6	65.7	61.3	$14,178	$481	$13,696
Brookview Elementary School	Public	K-5	8000 E.P. True Parkway	West Des Moines	50266	Polk County	Waukee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 987-5166	603	43	13.9	21.1%	385 (63.8%)	49 (8.1%)	48 (8.0%)	84 (13.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.8%)	79.9	74^th of 557 public elementary schools	86.7%		84.3	44^th of 565 public elementary schools	92.2%	30	83.2	86.3	77.1		86.1	86.3	83.3		70.8	$11,444	$186	$11,258
Valerius Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3305 92nd St	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(515) 457-6500	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	61.8	228^th of 557 public elementary schools	59.1%					(n/a)	73.4	83.0	76.7		77.2	71.6	68.6		64.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Western Hills Elementary School

What district is Western Hills Elementary School in?

West Des Moines Community School District

What schools do graduates of Western Hills Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Western Hills Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Stilwell Junior High School
High : Valley High School

What is the racial makeup of Western Hills Elementary School?

Students at Western Hills Elementary School are 55% White, 21% Hispanic, 11% African American, 8% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Western Hills Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 579 students attended Western Hills Elementary School.

Is Western Hills Elementary School a good school?

Western Hills Elementary School ranks 328^th of 557 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Western Hills Elementary School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.