County directory · Iowa · 2026–27
School districts in Polk County, IA
Polk County has 10 regular public school districts, enrolling 79,621 students in 2024–25. The largest is Des Moines Independent Comm School District (30,048 students, 38% of the county), followed by Ankeny Comm School District and West Des Moines Comm School District. All 10 offer kindergarten. Iowa's kindergarten cutoff: turn 5 by September 15.
The 10 districts, largest first
| District and office | Grades | Schools | Students | Kindergarten | District office contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines Independent Comm School District 2100 Fleur Drive, Des Moines also serves Warren County | Pre-K–12 | 59 | 30,048 | 2,038 | (515) 242-7911 |
| Ankeny Comm School District 406 SW School Street, Ankeny | Pre-K–12 | 18 | 12,746 | 975 | (515) 965-9600 |
| West Des Moines Comm School District 3550 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines also serves Dallas County | Pre-K–12 | 13 | 9,110 | 594 | (515) 633-5000 |
| Southeast Polk Comm School District 8031 NE University Ave, Pleasant Hill also serves Jasper County and Marion County | Pre-K–12 | 11 | 7,501 | 550 | (515) 967-4294 |
| Johnston Comm School District 6510 NW 62nd Ave, Johnston | Pre-K–12 | 8 | 7,373 | 482 | (515) 278-0470 |
| Urbandale Comm School District 11152 Aurora Avenue, Urbandale | Pre-K–12 | 6 | 4,208 | 250 | (515) 457-5000 |
| Bondurant-Farrar Comm School District 300 Garfield St. SW, Bondurant also serves Jasper County | Pre-K–12 | 5 | 2,824 | 201 | (515) 967-7819 |
| North Polk Comm School District 13930 NE 6th St, Alleman also serves Boone County and Story County | Pre-K–12 | 5 | 2,336 | 183 | (515) 984-3400 |
| Clayton Ridge Comm School District 131 S River Park Dr, Guttenberg also serves Clayton County | Pre-K–12 | 4 | 2,066 | 114 | (563) 252-2341 |
| Saydel Comm School District 5740 NE 14th Street, Des Moines | Pre-K–12 | 3 | 1,409 | 109 | (515) 264-0866 |
Polk County at a glance
Together the 10 districts run 132 schools from offices in 9 towns. The smallest by enrollment is Saydel Comm School District, with 1,409 students; the median Polk County district has 4,208. By grade span: 10 Pre-K–12.
Kindergarten in 2024–25, counting the 10 districts that report a K grade: 5,496 children. The biggest kindergarten was Des Moines Independent Comm School District's, with 2,038; Ankeny Comm School District had 975, and the smallest, Saydel Comm School District, had 109.
Polk County holds 10 of Iowa's 325 regular districts (3.1%) and 16% of its 503,693 public school students, ranking 2nd of 99 counties by number of districts and 1st by enrollment. By size, 5 enroll 5,000 or more and 5 enroll 1,000 to 4,999, and the average school here has about 603 students.
6 districts reach past the county line: Des Moines Independent Comm School District (into Warren County), West Des Moines Comm School District (into Dallas County), Southeast Polk Comm School District (into Jasper County and Marion County), Bondurant-Farrar Comm School District (into Jasper County), North Polk Comm School District (into Boone County and Story County) and Clayton Ridge Comm School District (into Clayton County).
Which district am I in?
Each district draws its own attendance zones, so your home address decides it, and with 6 of Polk County's districts crossing county lines the county alone won't. There is no address lookup here; ask the district. Each one's own site:
Des Moines Independent Comm School District · Ankeny Comm School District · West Des Moines Comm School District · Southeast Polk Comm School District · Johnston Comm School District · Urbandale Comm School District · Bondurant-Farrar Comm School District · North Polk Comm School District · Clayton Ridge Comm School District · Saydel Comm School District
What grade will my child be in?
More in Iowa
Every Iowa district by county · Iowa kindergarten cutoff
More Iowa county directories: Linn County (11)