2026 Compare Cities Education:
Des Moines, IA vs Arlington, VA

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Highlights
- Arlington spends 64.8% more per student than Des Moines.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 2.4% lower in Arlington than in Des Moines. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Arlington had 9.0% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Des Moines
 Des Moines, IAArlington, VAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$23,553$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,894  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$11,028$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.53  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock6444573
 Students per Counselor362  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock3.4%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.6.4%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock94.9%88.9%
 Some College Educ.20.2%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock3.4%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.28.1%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock28.0%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock4.8%1.5%
Reviews for Des Moines    53 Reviews

Des Moines is a ok and pretty quiet place but as a teen it could be dramatic because Des Moines do have is fair or violents places to avoid in Des Moines would be the  More

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Dude · 
Over 6 years ago

This city is violent, there are too many gangs especially on the north  More

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Over 7 years ago

Good for the old that like slow pace and cheap buffets. Also good for non-descript mid-westerners that don't like a lot of action. No nightlife or mountains to hike  More

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Reviews for Arlington    36 Reviews

Lived here 17 years, amazing  More

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Resident for 20 years. There is nothing hidden about Arlington. It is an affluent inner suburb of DC with a highly educated, mostly professional, population. The  More

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We've lived in Arlington for the past 7 years, and have enjoyed it but would prefer a less expensive, more open area. We live in a townhouse in Rosslyn, close to the  More

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