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Saydel High School

Public Grades 9-12

315^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 7% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Saydel High School is a public high school located in Des Moines, Iowa, serving grades 9-12 with a student population of 440. The school is part of the Saydel Community School District, which is ranked 258 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Saydel High School faces significant challenges in terms of its overall academic performance, ranking, and socioeconomic factors. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Iowa high schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating it is performing significantly below the state average. Saydel High School's proficiency rates on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) are consistently lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's 10th-grade proficiency rates were 62.7% in ELA, 46.4% in Math, and 44.5% in Science, compared to the state averages of 74.7%, 68%, and 66.8%, respectively. Additionally, the school has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 33.6% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average.

Comparing Saydel High School to nearby high-performing schools, such as Ankeny Centennial High School and Ankeny High School, which are ranked among the top 25-50 high schools in Iowa, highlights the significant gap in educational outcomes. Other nearby schools, such as Lincoln High School, Virtual Campus, and Hoover High School, also outperform Saydel High School on most metrics, though they still struggle with lower proficiency rates compared to the state average.

458

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,532

Per pupil spending ?

52.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5601 NE 7th St
Des Moines, IA 50313

(515) 262-9325

District: Saydel Community School District

Feeder schools for Saydel High School:

Elementary:	Cornell Elementary School
Middle:	Woodside Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.9%

Hispanic:

20.3%

Two or more races:

9.0%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Saydel High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (49% vs 69% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg49%

Iowa avg69%

315^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

258^th of 313Saydel 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	9.5	315 of 340	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	308 of 338	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.5	313 of 336	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.9	323 of 332	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.7	309 of 327	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.2	256 of 327	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.8	303 of 320	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.1	304 of 325	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	15.0	286 of 320	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	17.6	286 of 324	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	30.5	257 of 322	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	10.7	330 of 351	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	31.3	288 of 351	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts55%-18 vs state

Mathematics45%-21 vs state

Science44%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Saydel 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
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
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
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
Hoover High School	Public	9-12	4800 Aurora Ave	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7300	898	44	20.5	80.0%	150 (16.7%)	329 (36.6%)	229 (25.5%)	134 (14.9%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (5.3%)	5.7	319^th of 340 public high schools	6.2%		4.8	321^st of 338 public high schools	5.0%	2	51.8	51.2	49.7	43.0	45.1	39.5	39.9	$17,790	$689	$17,101
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
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
Urbandale High School	Public	9-12	7111 Aurora Avenue	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 457-6800	1,301	88	14.7	36.4%	817 (62.8%)	117 (9.0%)	205 (15.8%)	88 (6.8%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	68 (5.2%)	61.2	150^th of 340 public high schools	55.9%		34.3	263^rd of 338 public high schools	22.2%	113	83.2	82.0	80.4	63.3	68.1	71.0	71.8	$11,428	$388	$11,040
Roosevelt High School	Public	9-12	4419 Center St	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7272	2,051	66	31.2	55.2%	850 (41.4%)	562 (27.4%)	364 (17.7%)	64 (3.1%)	9 (0.4%)	7 (0.3%)	178 (8.7%)	31.5	269^th of 340 public high schools	20.9%		22.5	290^th of 338 public high schools	14.2%	21	71.0	67.5	61.6	58.8	65.4	54.1	60.7	$14,829	$690	$14,140
Ankeny Centennial High School	Public	10-12	2220 NW State St	Ankeny	50023	Polk County	Ankeny Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 965-9610	1,470	88	16.6	16.5%	1,156 (78.6%)	75 (5.1%)	120 (8.2%)	38 (2.6%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	75 (5.1%)	81.5	27^th of 340 public high schools	92.1%		76.5	50^th of 338 public high schools	85.2%	23		89.4	80.7		84.6	79.5	82.7	$14,519	$200	$14,319

Frequently Asked Questions about Saydel High School

How many students attend Saydel High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 458 students attended Saydel High School.

What schools feed into Saydel High School?

Saydel High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cornell Elementary School
Middle : Woodside Middle School

Is Saydel High School a good school?

Saydel High School ranks in the bottom 7.4% of Iowa high schools.

What district is Saydel High School in?

Saydel Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Saydel High School?

Students at Saydel High School are 68% White, 20% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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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.