2025 Compare Cities Education:
Des Moines, IA vs Lake Forest, CA

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Highlights
- Lake Forest spends 6.9% more per student than Des Moines.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 49.5% higher in Lake Forest than in Des Moines. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Lake Forest had 6.8% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Des Moines
 Des Moines, IALake Forest, CAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$15,277$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,894  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$8,037$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.53  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock163834573
 Students per Counselor362  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock3.4%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.6.4%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock93.0%88.9%
 Some College Educ.20.2%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock9.3%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.28.1%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock12.4%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.9%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 5 years ago

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

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Over 6 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 Lake Forest    16 Reviews

I've lived in Lake Forest for over a decade, before that elsewhere in OC and also up in LA. Lake Forest isn't perfect but it's really improved over the past decade,  More

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As a retired senior who has lived in Lake Forest (formerly El Toro) since 1977 I think LF is a great place if you can afford it. When we moved here in June '77 homes  More

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I’ve lived here for 2 years. Ok, it’s more like a 4 but there are so many idiots downplaying what it’s like here and giving Lake Forest ones and twos. There are a lot of  More

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