2025 Compare Cities Education:
Durham, NC vs West Des Moines, IA

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Highlights
- West Des Moines spends 23.1% more per student than Durham.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 2.6% higher in West Des Moines than in Durham. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- West Des Moines had 6.6% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Durham
 Durham, NCWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$14,293$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$10,906  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,373$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.13  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock7994573
 Students per Counselor268  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock1.3%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.4.8%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock96.6%88.9%
 Some College Educ.14.7%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock9.6%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.52.8%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock13.3%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.3%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.6%1.5%
Reviews for Durham    43 Reviews

I was raised in this city, left for work in the 2010s, and returned in 2018. This city has changed a lot over the years for the better. Growing up there was not a ton to  More

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Over 4 years ago

I've lived in durham for a few years and my experience is coming from someone who has traveled all over the world and has lived in many different states. First things  More

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Over 4 years ago

I live here for my entire life and it has never gotten boring, I love the scenery, nightlife and basically everything here. There is always something new to do and  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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