Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Southeast Polk High School

Q: Is Southeast Polk High School a good school?

Southeast Polk High School ranks 163 rd of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 10-12

163^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 52% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Southeast Polk High School is a public high school located in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, serving 2,294 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Southeast Polk Community School District, which is ranked 121 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school's performance has been mixed in recent years. Its four-year graduation rates have fluctuated between 87.5% and 94.1%, generally on par with or slightly below the state average of around 90%. However, Southeast Polk High School has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 34.8%, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's performance on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) has also been uneven, with some grades and subjects falling below state averages in previous years, though the most recent data shows proficiency rates generally on par with or slightly above state averages.

When compared to nearby high schools, Ankeny High School consistently outperforms Southeast Polk High School on test scores and has higher graduation rates. Meanwhile, high schools within the Des Moines Independent Community School District, such as Roosevelt High School and North High School, generally have lower test scores, graduation rates, and higher rates of free and reduced lunch compared to Southeast Polk High School. The school's growing population of economically disadvantaged students, as indicated by the increasing percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, is an area that may require additional support and resources.

1,722

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,031

Per pupil spending ?

33.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7945 NE University Ave.
Pleasant Hill, IA 50327

(515) 967-6631

District: Southeast Polk Community School District

Feeder schools for Southeast Polk High School:

Elementary:	Altoona Elementary
	Centennial Elementary
	Clay Elementary
	Delaware Elementary
	More...
	Four Mile Elementary
	Mitchellville Elementary
	Runnells Elementary
	Willowbrook Elementary
Middle:	Southeast Polk Middle School
Alternative:	Southeast Polk Junior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.2%

Hispanic:

11.0%

African American:

9.2%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Southeast Polk High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 39th percentile in 2015 → 52nd in 2025

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the Iowa average (88%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Iowa median (52nd percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (35% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg73%

Iowa avg69%

163^rd of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Top 48%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 39% (2015) to top 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

121^st of 313Southeast Polk Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	58.1	163 of 340	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.2	251 of 338	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.2	217 of 336	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.1	196 of 332	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.5	154 of 327	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.8	148 of 327	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	209 of 320	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.2	226 of 325	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.1	179 of 320	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.9	198 of 324	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	57.3	154 of 322	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.3	200 of 351	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.1	167 of 351	52.4%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Science76%+9 vs state

English Language Arts74%~ state avg

Mathematics70%+3 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Southeast Polk High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a student
Thursday, December 8, 2016

this school has terrible teachers and students who swear to much and try to act cool all the time and distract me from my learning Close Quote

Schools Near Southeast Polk High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)			ISASP Mathematics (2025)			ISASP Science (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southeast Polk High School	Public	10-12	7945 NE University Ave.	Pleasant Hill	50327	Polk County	Southeast Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 967-6631	1,722	99	17.3	33.4%	1,243 (72.2%)	159 (9.2%)	190 (11.0%)	33 (1.9%)	4 (0.2%)	5 (0.3%)	88 (5.1%)	58.1	163^rd of 340 public high schools	52.1%		36.2	251^st of 338 public high schools	25.7%	88		74.6	74.4		69.2	70.3	75.6	$14,031	$366	$13,665
Carlisle High School	Public	9-12	430 School St	Carlisle	50047	Warren County	Carlisle Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 989-0831	754	36	20.8	23.3%	615 (81.6%)	9 (1.2%)	79 (10.5%)	19 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (3.8%)	66.3	113^th of 340 public high schools	66.8%		72.8	75^th of 338 public high schools	77.8%	38	84.9	83.0	76.5	74.1	73.2	69.5	73.1	$11,863	$126	$11,737
Bondurant-Farrar High School	Public	9-12	1000 Grant St. North	Bondurant	50035	Polk County	Bondurant-Farrar Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 957-8191	849	51	16.6	20.4%	711 (83.7%)	20 (2.4%)	74 (8.7%)	11 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	27 (3.2%)	50.5	196^th of 340 public high schools	42.4%		59	153^rd of 338 public high schools	54.7%	43	81.7	73.5	64.4	74.9	72.6	67.5	55.6	$12,930	$241	$12,689
East High School	Public	9-12	815 E 13th St	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7788	1,952	89	21.8	78.4%	484 (24.8%)	334 (17.1%)	890 (45.6%)	130 (6.7%)	12 (0.6%)	5 (0.3%)	94 (4.8%)	2.6	328^th of 340 public high schools	3.5%		2.1	326^th of 338 public high schools	3.6%	2	45.1	48.6	42.5	36.0	41.2	29.7	37.6	$14,908	$672	$14,236
Great Oaks High School and Career Center	Public, Charter	9-12	100 East Euclid	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Charter Organization: Oakmont Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(319) 321-9976	72	3	24.1	4.2%	23 (31.9%)	27 (37.5%)	21 (29.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)			25.0			14.3
North High School	Public	9-12	501 Holcomb Ave	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-7200	1,428	66	21.4	84.0%	278 (19.5%)	342 (23.9%)	553 (38.7%)	155 (10.9%)	12 (0.8%)	4 (0.3%)	84 (5.9%)	2.8	326^th of 340 public high schools	4.1%		2.2	325^th of 338 public high schools	3.8%	1	48.0	48.8	38.5	33.5	39.2	34.8	42.1	$15,636	$747	$14,889
Saydel High School	Public	9-12	5601 NE 7th St	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Saydel Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 262-9325	458	28	16.6	52.8%	311 (67.9%)	9 (2.0%)	93 (20.3%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.0%)	9.5	315^th of 340 public high schools	7.4%		12.6	308^th of 338 public high schools	8.9%	7	53.6	62.7	49.6	41.7	46.4	47.1	44.5	$15,532	$350	$15,182
Lincoln High School	Public	9-12	2600 SW 9th St	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7500	2,364	94	25.1	74.9%	717 (30.3%)	402 (17.0%)	903 (38.2%)	195 (8.2%)	10 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	130 (5.5%)	4.1	322^nd of 340 public high schools	5.3%		2.7	324^th of 338 public high schools	4.1%	2	54.5	47.9	43.5	40.5	42.1	37.9	38.9	$14,888	$697	$14,190
Virtual Campus	Public, Virtual	9-12	1800 Grand Avenue	Des Moines	50309	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(515) 242-8502	380	16	23.9	69.5%	178 (46.8%)	51 (13.4%)	103 (27.1%)	11 (2.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.9%)	2.8	327^th of 340 public high schools	3.8%		8.9	314^th of 338 public high schools	7.1%	13	51.4	53.9	45.7	21.6	27.0	28.4	37.9
Ankeny High School	Public	10-12	1155 SW Cherry St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9630	1,375	77	17.7	23.0%	1,051 (76.4%)	53 (3.9%)	131 (9.5%)	44 (3.2%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	89 (6.5%)	73.2	67^th of 340 public high schools	80.3%		77.9	42^nd of 338 public high schools	87.6%	25		85.0	77.7		80.5	73.6	78.7	$15,157	$246	$14,911

Frequently Asked Questions about Southeast Polk High School

What district is Southeast Polk High School in?

Southeast Polk Community School District

Is Southeast Polk High School a good school?

Southeast Polk High School ranks 163^rd of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Southeast Polk High School?

Southeast Polk High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Altoona Elementary
Elementary : Centennial Elementary
Elementary : Clay Elementary
Elementary : Delaware Elementary
Elementary : Four Mile Elementary
Elementary : Mitchellville Elementary
Elementary : Runnells Elementary
Elementary : Willowbrook Elementary
Middle : Southeast Polk Middle School
Alternative : Southeast Polk Junior High

How many students attend Southeast Polk High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,722 students attended Southeast Polk High School.

What is the racial makeup of Southeast Polk High School?

Students at Southeast Polk High School are 72% White, 11% Hispanic, 9% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate Southeast Polk High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

IAIowa High School Rankings

IAIowa District Rankings

Schools in Pleasant Hill, IA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Southeast Polk High School!

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.