WDMCS Facts

  • The West Des Moines Community Schools serves more than 55,000 Iowa residents in West Des Moines, Clive, Urbandale, Windsor Heights, Waukee, and Des Moines. Covering 36.6 square miles, the district developed around a former railroad center, Valley Junction, and is part of a vibrant suburban area directly bordering Des Moines, the capital city of Iowa. A public school district accredited by the Iowa Department of Education, the WDMCS is the 11th-largest district in the state.

     

    2022-23 Data

Schools

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  • Elementary Schools

  • Junior High Schools

  • High Schools

Students

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  • PK-12 Enrollment

  • Free/Reduced Lunch

  • English Learners

  • Minority Enrollment

  • Gifted/Talented (GT) Program

  • Title I

  • Special Education

Staff: 1,387

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  • Certified Staff

  • Support Staff

  • Administrators

History

  • Since its inception in 1893 as the Valley Junction Independent School District until 1938 when it changed to the West Des Moines Community School District, and through today, our district continues to thrive in a growing community. Below are just a few highlights from the past 50+ years:

    • 2012—Clegg Park Elementary is renovated and opens as the new Walnut Creek Campus.
    • 2004—Hillside Elementary opens at the site of the old stadium.
    • 2002—Valley Stadium opens.
    • 1997—Valley Southwoods Freshman High School opens to ease crowding at Valley High School. The idea of having two WDMCS high schools is not favored by the community.
    • 1995—The Learning Resource Center opens and Walnut Creek Campus, the district’s alternative high school, opens in the previous district office on Fifth Street. Walnut Creek eventually moves to a renovated church next to the stadium on Eighth Street.
    • 1992—Jordan Creek Elementary opens.
    • 1990—Westridge Elementary opens. Residents pass a $29.7 million bond issue, the largest in Iowa at the time, to construct a new school and upgrade existing facilities.
    • 1977—Crossroads Park Elementary opens. Indian Hills Junior High opens with students and parents helping move equipment and supplies from Hillside Junior High.
    • 1971—Valley High School becomes a four-year high school. The old high school becomes a junior high and is renamed Hillside Junior High.
    • 1965—Valley High School opens with only a ninth-grade class and two sixth-grade classes from Fairmeadows Elementary.
    • 1962—The West Des Moines district merges with the Clive school district, adding Clive and Crestview Elementaries.


    Superintendents

    • 1905—C.W. Lyons
    • 1905-07—W.O. Reed
    • 1908-13—E.J. Pollock
    • 1913-16—George S. Wooten
    • 1916-19—J.S. Hofer
    • 1919-21—S.L. Miller
    • 1921-25—C.B. Hightower
    • 1925—C.I. Bixler
    • 1926-33—W.H. Myers
    • 1933-42—H.W. Fearing
    • 1942-63—Amos C. Lee
    • 1963-75—Dr. Charles C. Joss
    • 1967—Claude R. Snell (was acting superintendent)
    • 1975-95—Dr. Dale L. Grabinski
    • 1995-2004—Dr. Les Omatani
    • 2004-11—Dr. Tom Narak
    • 2011-13—Dr. Peter Ansingh
    • 2013-2022—Dr. Lisa Remy
    • 2022-Present—Dr. Matt Adams

     

     
Last Modified on November 7, 2022