2025 Compare Cities Education:
Cary, IL vs West Des Moines, IA

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Highlights
- West Des Moines spends 24.3% less per student than Cary.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 13.0% higher in West Des Moines than in Cary. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- West Des Moines had 0.5% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Cary
 Cary, ILWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$14,293$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$16,554  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,373$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio13.74  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock7994573
 Students per Counselor578  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock1.3%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.1.5%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock96.6%88.9%
 Some College Educ.22.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock9.6%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.46.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock13.3%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.1%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.6%1.5%
Reviews for Cary    3 Reviews

Over 14 years ago

nice town, very safe but high taxes.  More

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Over 14 years ago

The Fox River is a nice place to cruise around on the boat and visit all the area bars but after seeing one bar you've seen them all. There is very little artistic  More

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Over 16 years ago

High property taxes is one of the biggest deterrents to wanting to 'retire' almost anywhere in Illinois. Once on a fixed income this would be a huge drain on finite  More

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Reviews for West Des Moines    4 Reviews

Over 16 years ago

I just moved here from out-of-state a few months ago and have been pleasantly surprised by the broad range of activities and amenities available in this medium sized IA  More

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Over 16 years ago

Am contemplating a move to WDM from the East Coast (NYC). Might there be anyone out there that may have experienced this and could offer guidance or comment. Thanks.   More

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We just moved to West Des Moines and we love it here! We moved here three months ago and every weekend we have been able to do something different and fun. There is  More

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