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Stilwell Junior High School

Q: Is Stilwell Junior High School a good school?

Stilwell Junior High School ranks 237 th of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

237^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 344 Iowa Middle Schools

Better than 31% of Iowa middle schools

Summary

Stilwell Junior High School is a public middle school located in West Des Moines, Iowa, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 644 students. The school is part of the West Des Moines Community School District, which is ranked 216 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Stilwell Junior High School has shown strong academic performance, with students consistently outperforming the state average in ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) test scores across English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 79.5% of 7th-grade students and 75.1% of 8th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 74.9% and 80.2%, respectively. However, the school's ranking and rating from SchoolDigger have declined in recent years, with the school ranking 237th out of 344 Iowa middle schools and receiving a 2-star rating in the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, Stilwell Junior High School has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 8.9% in the 2021-2022 school year to 21.6% in the 2023-2024 school year.

When compared to other nearby schools, such as Harding Middle School and Weeks Middle School, which are part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District, Stilwell Junior High School generally performs better academically. For example, Stilwell's 2024-2025 English Language Arts proficiency rates for 7th and 8th grades are significantly higher than those of Harding Middle School (39.6% and 48.2%, respectively) and Weeks Middle School (47.7% and 49.2%, respectively). However, Stilwell's higher spending per student, at $15,102 for the 2018-2019 school year, compared to schools like Urbandale Middle School ($8,993) and Merrill Middle School ($12,938), is an area that warrants further investigation.

645

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,102

Per pupil spending ?

47%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1601 Vine St
West Des Moines, IA 50265

(515) 633-6000

District: West Des Moines Community School District

Students who attend Stilwell Junior High School usually attend:

High:

Valley High School

Feeder schools for Stilwell Junior High School:

Elementary:	Fairmeadows Elementary School
	Hillside Elementary School
	Jordan Creek Elementary School
	Western Hills Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.7%

Hispanic:

16.1%

African American:

12.4%

See top rated Iowa middle schools

Compare Stilwell Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 89th percentile in 2015 → 31st in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 58 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg77%

Iowa avg74%

237^th of 344

Iowa public middle schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 58 pts since 2015

From top 11% (2015) to bottom 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the West Des Moines Community School District

216^th of 313West Des Moines 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	43.3	237 of 344	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.1	189 of 337	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.8	166 of 334	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.8	201 of 337	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	62.1	121 of 324	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.0	61 of 342	82.2%	★★★★☆
2018	69.0	84 of 318	73.6%	★★★★☆
2017	75.3	50 of 327	84.7%	★★★★☆
2016	85.4	16 of 343	95.3%	★★★★★
2015	79.3	38 of 349	89.1%	★★★★☆
2014	76.9	39 of 337	88.4%	★★★★☆
2013	85.5	10 of 350	97.1%	★★★★★
2012	79.6	25 of 349	92.8%	★★★★★

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts77%~ state avg

Mathematics73%~ state avg

Science64%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Stilwell Junior 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 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Stilwell Junior High School	Public	7-8	1601 Vine St	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-6000	645	48	13.4	47.0%	385 (59.7%)	80 (12.4%)	104 (16.1%)	28 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (7.3%)	43.3	237^th of 344 public middle schools	31.1%		52.1	189^th of 337 public middle schools	43.9%	48		79.5	75.1		73.2	73.5	64.2	$15,102	$192	$14,909
Merrill Middle School	Public	6-8	5301 Grand Ave	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8448	657	39	16.7	43.7%	386 (58.8%)	104 (15.8%)	87 (13.2%)	22 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (8.4%)	48	209^th of 344 public middle schools	39.2%		42.5	224^th of 337 public middle schools	33.5%	15	69.2	80.3	77.9	74.3	75.1	72.9	69.1	$12,938	$599	$12,340
Indian Hills Junior High School	Public	7-8	9401 Indian Hills Dr	Clive	50325	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-4700	661	52	12.7	51.9%	334 (50.5%)	70 (10.6%)	159 (24.1%)	52 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.0%)	65.2	118^th of 344 public middle schools	65.7%		59.8	149^th of 337 public middle schools	55.8%	31		84.4	83.1		81.0	80.1	74.0	$15,125	$193	$14,931
Callanan Middle School	Public	6-8	3010 Center Street	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8101	553	35	15.7	79.9%	147 (26.6%)	213 (38.5%)	116 (21.0%)	19 (3.4%)	3 (0.5%)	8 (1.4%)	47 (8.5%)	2.3	333^rd of 344 public middle schools	3.2%		6.9	319^th of 337 public middle schools	5.3%	14	49.0	50.3	54.7	41.2	40.9	50.7	48.0	$15,075	$880	$14,196
Brody Middle School	Public	6-8	2501 Park Ave	Des Moines	50321	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-8443	641	39	16.4	71.3%	287 (44.8%)	82 (12.8%)	193 (30.1%)	23 (3.6%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.6%)	49 (7.6%)	3.9	327^th of 344 public middle schools	4.9%		6.6	320^th of 337 public middle schools	5.0%	7	49.8	53.3	61.4	46.3	45.1	52.0	51.0	$14,143	$628	$13,515
Urbandale Middle School	Public	6-8	7701 Aurora Avenue	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 457-6600	892	59	15.1	41.4%	565 (63.3%)	77 (8.6%)	136 (15.2%)	62 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	50 (5.6%)	43.1	240^th of 344 public middle schools	30.2%		49.3	201^st of 337 public middle schools	40.4%	39	71.4	71.4	85.0	68.6	67.2	74.1	70.2	$8,993	$119	$8,874
Meredith Middle School	Public	6-8	4827 Madison Ave	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-7250	662	40	16.4	79.8%	153 (23.1%)	200 (30.2%)	146 (22.1%)	104 (15.7%)	5 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	50 (7.6%)	7	322^nd of 344 public middle schools	6.4%		4.2	323^rd of 337 public middle schools	4.2%	1	52.9	61.7	63.0	41.9	57.4	54.5	49.8	$14,971	$1,099	$13,873
Summit Middle School	Public	6-7	9500 Windsor Parkway	Johnston	50131	Polk County	Johnston Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 986-0318	1,118	73	15.4	26.0%	747 (66.8%)	113 (10.1%)	80 (7.2%)	123 (11.0%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	48 (4.3%)	73.8	62^nd of 344 public middle schools	82.0%		68.9	96^th of 337 public middle schools	71.5%	34	83.4	83.3		83.7	80.2			$11,977	$474	$11,503
Harding Middle School	Public	6-8	203 E Euclid Ave	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8445	603	38	15.7	88.6%	96 (15.9%)	178 (29.5%)	207 (34.3%)	62 (10.3%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (9.3%)	0.6	340^th of 344 public middle schools	1.2%		0.7	334^th of 337 public middle schools	0.9%	6	39.6	37.5	48.2	40.3	43.8	42.5	35.2	$13,719	$830	$12,889
Weeks Middle School	Public	6-8	901 East Park Avenue	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-8449	688	48	14.1	87.4%	133 (19.3%)	121 (17.6%)	292 (42.4%)	97 (14.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.0%)	1.7	334^th of 344 public middle schools	2.9%		1.3	333^rd of 337 public middle schools	1.2%	1	47.7	55.8	49.2	36.4	43.6	40.8	42.4	$14,586	$1,091	$13,495

Frequently Asked Questions about Stilwell Junior High School

How many students attend Stilwell Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 645 students attended Stilwell Junior High School.

What is the racial makeup of Stilwell Junior High School?

Students at Stilwell Junior High School are 60% White, 16% Hispanic, 12% African American, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What district is Stilwell Junior High School in?

West Des Moines Community School District

What high school do graduates of Stilwell Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Stilwell Junior High School usually go on to attend Valley High School

Is Stilwell Junior High School a good school?

Stilwell Junior High School ranks 237^th of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Stilwell Junior High 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.