| | Des Moines, IA | Cherokee, IA | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $14,293 | $19,302 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $11,894 | $10,536 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $7,373 | $6,893 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 15.53 | 13.27 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 799 | 305 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 362 | 332 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 6.5% | 1.5% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 6.4% | 4.1% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 87.1% | 94.4% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 20.2% | 17.5% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 9.2% | 8.0% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 28.1% | 21.9% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 6.2% | 6.4% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 1.8% | 0.6% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 0.8% | 2.5% | 1.5% |